Are Bed Bugs Dangerous

Having worked as a bed bug exterminator for many years, I have been asked this question probable a thousand times if not more. Are bed bugs dangerous? Well it depends. They certainly are irritating. First of all lets talk about bed bugs a bit first and what they do. First of all, bed bugs don’t fly, they are wingless insects, roughly oval in shape, 4-5mm long when fully grown, and are fast runners. They are rust brown in colour and change to a deeper red brown following a blood meal. Bed bugs are small insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including humans and pets. You may wonder how you could have bed bugs and not know it. Bed bugs are hard to find because they hide in, under, and around beds. They also hide inside, under and behind furniture, and in small cracks or corners in furniture, floors or walls or in carpeting close to where they feed at night.



Bed bugs are often carried into houses by clothes, luggage, furniture, and bedding. Or sometimes even by humans. Bed bugs are efficient hitchhikers and are usually transported home on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture, etc. Travelers returning from countries where bed bugs are common bring bed bugs home in their luggage or clothes. Bed bugs are predominantly night feeders, attracted to warm-blooded animals, including humans. There is currently no scientific evidence that these blood-sucking insects spread diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Bed bugs are active only at night, usually just before dawn. During the day, they hide in cracks and crevices in walls, floors, beds, and furniture. Bed bugs are tiny, reddish-brown, wingless and blood-feeding insects that prey on humans. With their flat and small bodies, these insects are masters at hiding. Bed bugs are a nuisance pest only and are not known to spread disease.