Bed bugs have been a nuisance to humankind for centuries. These tiny, flat, wingless apple seed-sized insects inhabit the walls, floors, and furniture. They hide during the day and quickly crawl to find their prey at night. They feed on the blood of humans and animals. While they don’t spread disease, bed bug bites can get progressively irritating to your skin if you’re not immediately aware of a bed bug infestation.

Where Do Bed Bugs Bites?

Bed bugs are not picky about their source of nourishment. Unlike the flea, which tries to aim for veinous areas, like your ankles, bed bugs start biting wherever they crawl. In fact, they’ll bite any exposed area of the body that they can access. So, if you wear short-sleeve pyjamas, they’ll primarily go for your arms first. If you wear shorts to bed, then you risk getting bites on your legs. You can also conclude that your face is an easy game for bed bugs since it’s always uncovered. Regardless of where bed bugs bite, you won’t feel it right away.

How to Identify Bed Bug Bites

For the most part, bed bug bites don’t present any distinctive markings—at least not right away. As mentioned, you might not even feel any pain or irritation right after getting bitten. However, as time passes, bed bug bites become more visible in the form of small, itchy welts on the skin. This includes your limbs, neck, and face. At first, you might mistake bed bug bites for those of mosquitoes, but they resemble more of a rash (with welts) than a big, pink, bump which is the trademark of the mosquito bite. Plus, they lack the dark red spot that identifies a flea bite. For this reason, to ensure that you’re dealing with a bed bug infestation, you’ll need to identify the bugs themselves.

How to Treat Bed Bug Bites

Fortunately, bed bug bites are easy to treat. Plus, they usually go away within a couple of weeks. Some topical treatments that alleviate the irritation include calamine lotion and anti-itch cream. Regarding using calamine, you might consider applying it at night because of the pink film that forms when it dries. The best aspect about this cream is that its barrier also protects the skin from further irritation. On the other hand, anti-itch creams contain a topical antihistamine and can be applied at any time according to the instructions since they are entirely absorbed.

Other alternatives include oral antihistamines to alleviate the itching and pain relievers if your discomfort is more severe.

Likewise, if your symptoms worsen, or you experience an allergic reaction, like swelling or burning in the throat, call 911. Finally, you might remember that a prolonged problem with bed bug bites sometimes results in cellulitis, a type of infection. You can prevent this by washing the affected areas regularly and to refrain from scratching.

If you find that bed bugs have invaded your house, contact Pestex.ca. With years of experience and specialized training, we’ll identify and exterminate the problem in a safe, effective manner.