Each of us either knows somebody that’s suffered a bed bug infestation or have suffered one ourselves. They’re a constant and seemingly endless pest that affect our travels, our home and even the comfort of our sleep. While any infestation is frustrating because it can ruin our possessions and infiltrate our homes, it can also leave painful marks on our skin. Bed bug bites aren’t an emergency situation and are highly unlikely to cause you any serious issues, but you still won’t want to find them lurking where you sleep. If you’re lucky enough to have never suffered from the bites of bed bugs, we’ll talk you through what to look out for, and what to do in case you wake up with red, itchy bumps on your skin.

Do Bed Bug Bites Hurt?

There’s a lot to learn about bed bugs and interestingly, one of the least significant things to learn about is the pain the actual bites cause. More often than not, you won’t realise that you’ve been bitten at all, there’s such little pain involved. Chances are that bed bugs will bite while you’re fast asleep as well, so the only real event involved in the bite will be waking up to discover a new line of red marks on your skin.

If you have an allergic reaction to the bites, then your experience could be entirely different. Bites are likely to be more painful and noticeable, and if antihistamines don’t provide relief, you should seek immediate medical attention.

How Do I Know I’ve Been Bitten?

Now comes the trickier part – establishing whether or not you’ve got the dreaded bed bug marks on your skin. This is particularly difficult for a few reasons. First of all, the marks can sometimes take several days to appear. With most people, they’ll appear almost immediately, but some people won’t find any evidence until up to a week after the bite. Secondly, many people confuse bed bug bites with the bites of other insects like mosquitoes and fleas.

The tell-tale sign of bed bug bites is their pattern. Bed bugs cannot jump or fly, so when they’re hungry they’ll make their way on to you and crawl all the way down you. Whether they’re feeding on your neck, arm or leg, they’re going to leave a very obvious line of systematic bites which you won’t be able to ignore. In fear of getting caught or crushed, they’ll normally be quick feeders and will only focus on one area. Bear in mind that they’re most likely to bite parts of your body which have been exposed during sleep.

Bed bug bites will typically look the same: they’ll be circular, red and probably raised or inflamed. After discovering the bites some people have a very slight itching sensation but for others, the itching can be intense and hard to ignore. Thankfully, it normally only lasts for a maximum of a week, though the mark could hang around for a while after that. Whatever you do, try not to scratch the bites. Apply anti-itch ointment and if the skin’s broken, anti-bacterial cream might be a good idea too.

How We Can Help

While this information about bed bug bites may be new to you, it certainly isn’t for our expert technicians at Truly Nolen. We’ve been dealing with all sorts of pests since 1938 and bed bugs are certainly no stranger. In fact, we’re currently seeing a global bed bug ‘crisis’ as their numbers soar. Help to combat that by getting in touch with us as soon as your suspicions arise. Our proactive, effective removal techniques guarantee a bed bug-free home.