Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

If you’ve ever had a bed bug bite, you know that it’s worrisome and annoying but overall, harmless. If you’re wondering “are bed bugs dangerous” we’re addressing this concern in the following content, so keep on reading!

Bed bugs have always been a part of human life, and we are a necessary part of their survival. They feed on us, and they are exclusive to warm-blooded mammals. For this reason, we believe that bed bugs are not dangerous, and they aren’t known to spread diseases.

Keep reading for more information on how dangerous are bed bugs.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small brown colors insects that live from the blood of humans and animals. Like a tick, they are flat until they feed. Once they are full, their body swells up, and they take on a reddish color. They don’t fly, but they scurry quickly from place to place.

Their eggs are around the size of a dust speck, and they can lay as much as 12 eggs at a time. Across their lifespan, a female bed bug will lay hundreds of eggs. For this reason alone, bed bug infestations can spread at an alarming rate.

These pests are active at night while you are sleeping. When you are asleep, they feed by breaking through the skin to withdraw blood. The bugs will feed for as long as ten minutes until they become engorged with blood. At this time they will walk away without you even noticing they were there.

You’ll acknowledge the presence of a bed bug when you wake up to an itchy bite in the morning. It’s difficult to tell the difference between a bed bug and a mosquito bite, so many people will ignore some of the warning signs because they don’t want to believe they have bed bugs.

How Do We Get Bed Bugs?

Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs have little to do with the cleanliness of your home. Many people don’t like to believe they have bed bugs because they think it means that their bed and sheets are dirty.

This myth is false.

Bed bugs commonly access the home by latching onto things that you set down somewhere. This issue happens when students come back from college or on the way back from a long walk through the woods.

If you set down a backpack or luggage case, the bed bug may have jumped aboard and found its way into your house. They are attracted to warm-blooded animals as well so dogs and cats can also bring bed bugs inside.

Are Bed Bugs Contagious or Dangerous?

If you’re wondering “how dangerous are bed bugs;” we have good news. They are relatively harmless when compared to other parasites. You would much prefer to have a bed bug issue compared to a flea or tick problem.

So why are bed bugs dangerous? They are dangerous because their bites may lead to infection. While they aren’t known for spreading diseases, if you have a bite, it can turn into a welt if it gets irritated.

Bites from bed bugs are incredibly itchy, so your first instinct is to itch the heck out of it which may lead to a breaking of the skin.

When you break the skin, you’re opening yourself up for infection. Continuing to scratch it may cause you to get infection particles underneath your fingernails. As you scratch, you are spreading those particles inside the wound. From there, you may deal with a dangerous infection requiring antibiotics and other medication.

Other issues associated with bed bugs are loss of sleep, anxiety, and nervousness. It’s difficult to live a happy and normal life knowing you have a bug infestation brewing in your home. For that reason, it is incredibly important that you tackle that issue as fast as possible.

How Dangerous are Bed Bugs in you Have Anemia?

Bed bugs may cause excessive blood loss to people with Anemia. This issue occurs only in severe situations.

Here is an example of a man who had hundreds of bed bugs in his home; he suffered from Anemia due to months of blood loss and bed bug bites. If you handle the issue promptly before it gets out of control, you should have nothing to worry about with Anemia.

How Dangerous are Bed Bugs When You Are Pregnant?

Your hormones and immune system change when you are pregnant, so you want to pay close attention to your bed bug problem. If the problem persists and you do not handle it appropriately, the bug bites can lead to infection which may harm you and your baby.

You don’t want to sleep in a home with bed bugs, and you should hire a professional to tackle this problem right away.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

The best and most proactive approach for getting rid of bed bugs is hiring a professional pest control company. They will come in and assess the situation, exterminate the bugs, and return your life to normal. This strategy is the best and most effective way.

If you’re looking for a DIY solution, you could remove all your sheets and furnishings from the bed. Wash everything in hot water repeatedly until you notice a reduction in the population of bed bugs.

While this might help with the problem, it will not solve it completely. You’ll still have to worry about the bugs that buried themselves inside the mattress. There are a few ways to get rid of these without hiring a professional.

There are some bed bug insecticides you can buy online and in the stores, but you’ll have a challenging time tracking them all down. Bed bugs only come out at night, and they do everything in their power to stay away from humans. Not to mention the fact that you might drive the bugs out of one location but allow them access to another one.

Trying to force bed bugs out of your home will only spread them around and make the problem worse. Your best bet is to hire a professional team to tackle your bed bug problem.

Final Thoughts

If you’re still wondering “are bed bugs dangerous,” we have a short answer for you.

No.

They aren’t dangerous, but if you have a bed bug issue, you don’t want to waste time thinking it over. Their bites are relatively harmless but try not to scratch them and use an antibiotic ointment on the bites to help prevent infection.

We recommend calling in a pest control company to take care of the job.

FAQ’s

What can bed bugs do to you?

A bed bug can bite you and draw a little blood. There has never been any proof that they spread disease. But many people do have a nasty reaction to the bites. So, if you find one it is best to use PestGuide´s service to find an exterminator to stop them from spreading.

Are bed bugs visible to the human eye?

It is possible to see bed bugs with the human eye, provided you know what you are looking for. Once they reach the adult stage, they are about ½ cm long. Visit our bed bug page to see what they look like so that you can correctly identify them.

Do bed bugs bite every night?

No, bed bugs do not bite every night. They only have to feed on your blood every 5 to 10 days. However, you may still get bitten most nights. When one bed bug is dormant, others will still need to bite you and feed. Find out more about their life cycle here.

Can bed bugs get in your hair?

Bed bugs can live in your hair, but they rarely do, unlike other pests such as lice. They can walk across your hair to get at your skin to bite you and feed. If you see one, it is wise to let PestGuide find an exterminator for you, before they multiply.

Can bed bugs get in your private parts?

Bed bugs can bite and feed on any part of the body. Including, potentially, on the outside of your private parts. Although, they do prefer hairless areas of the body, so this rarely happens. But you should still contact someone like PestGuide to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Do Bed Bugs die in the winter?

Bed bugs do not die in the winter. When it gets too cold, they enter a hibernation-like state. It is even possible for them to survive for 4 or 5 days in sub-zero temperatures, so they are hard to kill. So, it is wise to ask PestGuide for professional help.