Bed bugs are known to be parasite insects, which tend to hide inside the furniture, bedding, crevices during the day and creep out at night to feed on blood. Due to their nocturnal activity and cautiousness, they are rarely seen. People very often reject to admit bed bugs’ infestation in their house.
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How to differentiate bed bug bites from other bites
Meanwhile, this problem is vast spread in cities, because of many reasons, for example:
- Increased number of journeys,
- Furniture exchanging,
- Adjoining dwellings in multi-stored houses,
- Developed resistance to pesticides among bed bugs.
Bed bugs leave behind blood stains.
Though bed bugs themselves are rarely seen, they leave significant marks: skin after their molting, fecals that look like black dots, eggs (resemble rice) and of course bites. Among them, rash from bed bugs remains the most bothering sign, but found alone, they can’t be attached exclusively to these parasites.
Bed bugs rash characteristics and photo
Bed bugs’ rush results from releasing of the parasites’ saliva into the injury during the feeding in order to reduce the pain. Those people who are resistant to the substance have no symptoms at all, therefore they don’t believe in having the infestation until they face the bugs eye-to-eye. Some other people are very sensitive to bed bugs’ bites and suffer from allergy with dangerous consequences like asthma, swelling and anaphylactic response. Most of us feel just irritating rush after a couple of days after being bitten. And in case the quantity of insects is large, the bites can be numerous, located in a row and defined by dermatologists as the bugs’ meals in a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Here are the bed bugs bite.
The rash is situated in disposed body parts – legs, arms, shoulders, neck and back. They are untypical for location in the armpits and under knees.
Other causes of rash can be allergy, fleas’ or mosquitoes’ bites or scabies.
Diseases, caused by bed bugs
Bed bugs can’t be transporters of dangerous illnesses. What’s more, they aren’t spread by animals, though they don’t hesitate on living on pets too. The main factor of the bugs’ increase and presence in the house is human’s activity. Sometimes the insects infest neighbouring flats. In this case the homeowner has greater chances to kill the spy, because quickness isn’t their outstanding feature. Getting into a new dwelling through the ducts, a bed bug may wander about the flat to find out a safe place where it can hide. You will be lucky to stop its walking about your flat.
It’s very difficult to define the level of danger of bed bugs’ bites. The possibility of being contaminated with dangerous illnesses from bed bugs is minimal. There is no evidence to it from specialists. In the worst case the parasites’ bites may cause anaphylactic response, which is lethal if the person isn’t cared with appropriate treatment.
The bites in other cases are not dangerous, except they bother people and sometimes cause depression and insomnia. People can’t fall asleep or often awake, feeling parasites on their body.
Squeamish people feel real shock from the unpleasant bites. It is difficult for them to accept the fact that their flat is contaminated and therefore dirty.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs!
How to treat the rash after bed bugs’ bites?
On the whole, there is no specific bed bug rash treatment. But if a person is aware about his allergy, he needs to apply antihistamine cream. First of all use home-made treatments. They will help you to reduce itchiness and burning.
- Baked soda paste. Make the paste from soda and a little amount of water. Cover the injured places and wait till the paste is dried up. Then wash it off.
- Aloe of rib-grass compresses with extracted juice will fasten the wounds healing.
- Compresses with black of green tea. Brew a tea bag then put it on the rash. The inflammation will decrease in a few minutes.
- Apple cider vinegar. Dissolve vinegar with water in 1:2 proportions and process the bites.
- Warm bath. Add two-three drops of peppermint oil essential or brew from John’s wood. Take the bath for 10 minutes.
Bed bugs’ bites First Aid
As a rule, bed bugs bites are healed even if you do nothing with them. But the situation is more difficult if you have allergy or if there are children, who have become bed bugs’ victims as they have thin and more sensitive skin. The bitten place itches very much, and it is useless to explain the child why he/she shouldn’t scratch the rash. So consequences are hives and abscesses.
Very rarely children or sensitive people may feel:
Bug bites can cause a severe allergic reaction
- A headache.
- A fever.
- Diarrhea.
In case there is plenty of bed bugs in the dwelling, people may face:
- Iron deficiency anemia. The glands’ secret affects people’s blood structure, changing is.
- Anaphylactic shock, connected with faint, bad swelling.
- Bacterial infection because of rash rubbing.
- Wash the bites with cold soapy water.
- Rinse the skin with camomile brew.
- Apply a compress with dissolved baking soda.
- If you have high temperature, take antipyretic agent. Stable high fever is the reason to call for a doctor.
- Apply Calamine lotion or cream to decrease skin burning.
Special treatment
Special treatment is used for strong rash and heavy itchiness.
- Oral antihistamines relieve bed bugs’ bites symptoms.
- Over-the-counter (OTC) and under prescription steroid creams.
- Anti-itch cream (Cortisone).
How to prevent bed bugs’ bites
- Having returned home after travelling, wash your clothes at the hottest temperature they can withstand. 45 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) at 15 minutes will be enough to kill all the unpleasant bugs that hid inside your clothes.
- Apply body lotion with strong scent.
- When packing your suitcase, put the clothes into plastic bags.
- Use bed bug spray on your clothes.
- Monitor the mattress in the hotel before falling asleep for black points (bed bug fecals) and little brown spots (smashed bugs). In case you notice some of them the better solution will be sleeping on the floor. That is why take sleeping bag and a pillow beforehand
- Use special anti-bugs covers on the mattress.
- Avoid storing your personal items open. Keep them in plastic bags.
- Apply oil or Vaseline on the bed’s feet, in such a case the insects won’t able to crawl on the bed.
- Move your bed farther from the wall in order bed bugs can’t reach the bed.
- Wash the floor with 10-15 drops of tea tree oil, process all surfaces.
But the best method is to delete bed bugs. You can call Pest Control Company and forget about the parasites. If you have no possibility to call specialists, you can try to exterminate the bugs with your own efforts.
Thank you for helping me understand other people’s potential reactions to bed bugs. Now that I think about it, the relatives I invited over for the holidays have always been afraid of bugs, and if I don’t take this seriously, they might end up with bed bugs in the guest room and have their holiday vacation ruined entirely. I’ll make sure I give them some consideration and start looking for a bed bug control service that can stop by before my relatives stay over.