Bed bugs — they’re one of the most feared household pests, and rightfully so. They cause itchy bites, keep you up at night, and are difficult to get rid of. However, as fearful as many homeowners are of bringing home bed bugs, many don’t know very much about these tiny pests. The following are four interesting statistics to expand your knowledge and understanding of bed bugs.
250: The Number of Eggs a Bed Bug Lays in Her Lifetime
Bed bugs reproduce very quickly, which is one reason why you should call a pest control professional immediately if you begin to suspect you have an infestation. If you wait a week before calling, your home will have many more bed bugs and bed bug eggs for the exterminator to get rid of.
Beg bugs have a pretty unique reproductive process called traumatic insemination. The male bed bug pierces through the female’s abdomen and releases sperm into her abdominal cavity. This sperm then fertilizes eggs before they are laid. Bed bugs mature to adulthood pretty quickly if they are feeding on a regular basis. Pretty soon you will have multiple generations breeding simultaneously so you can expect their numbers to increase rapidly after being in your home for a short period of time.
3,300: The Approximate Number of Years Bed Bugs Have Been Around
Bed bugs have been an increasingly common nuisance lately, but they are a very old pest. Scientists have found evidence of bed bugs in the caves that humans occupied thousands of years ago. Documentation shows them bothering the ancient Egyptians as long as 3,300 years ago. The colonists brought bed bugs with them to North America, and they were a common nuisance throughout the 1700s and 1800s.
Due to better sanitation and pest control practices, bed bugs were pretty rare in the U.S. by the 1950s. Then, a few things happened. People started to travel more, and they become more lax about employing common bed bug control tactics. As such, bed bugs have been an issue again since the late 1990s. Hopefully, with good control measures and improved awareness, bed bug infestations will soon start to decline again.
50: The Number of U.S. States Where You’ll Find Bed Bugs
You need to be wary of bed bugs regardless of where you travel. They have been reported in every single state, including Alaska and Hawaii. Always check along the mattress seams and under pillows for bed bugs before you stay in a hotel, regardless of how clean that hotel appears or where it is located.
That being said, bed bugs are more common in some areas than others. The five cities that showed the most bed bug reports, based on treatment data, are Baltimore, Washington D.C., Chicago, New York, and Columbus. Bed bugs are really common throughout California, Ohio, and Florida. Use extra caution if traveling to any of these areas.
71: The Percent of Exterminators Called to Treat Fleas That Were Really Bed Bugs
Many homeowners struggle to tell the difference between fleas and bed bugs. As such, almost three quarters of pest control professionals have been called out to deal with a flea problem that was really a bed bug problem.
Fleas and bed bugs look quite different from one another. Fleas are tiny — about 1.5 to 3.3 millimeters long. Bed bug are a bit larger, measuring up to 5 mm long. Bed bugs have rounder bodies, whereas fleas are more oblong. Fleas jump, and bed bugs tend to scurry out of the way.
You’re more likely to see fleas on your pets and lurking in the carpet. Bed bugs, on the other hand, like to hide in mattresses and other plush furniture. You may discover them in the seams of your mattress or hiding between the mattress and bed frame if you pull the covers back quickly.
Both fleas and bed bugs are a problem, so if you can’t tell which one is bothering you, that’s okay. A professional can figure out what pest is to blame and employ the most suitable treatment to get rid of the bugs — whether they are fleas or bed bugs.
Hopefully you now know a little more about bed bugs, one of America’s most feared indoor pests. Contact A-Alert Exterminating Service Inc. at the first sign of bed bugs in your home.