FAQ about bedbugs
Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about bed bugs. If you do not have an answer to a question - you are of course welcome to contact us.
What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs are flat insects. Which means that it can hide in even the narrowest crevices and small cracks in, for example, a bed or other furniture. Bedbugs usually have a reddish-brown color and an oval-shaped body. An adult bed bug is 4-5 mm. in length and 2-3 mm. in width. When you discover bed bugs, they should be visible to the human eye. Fully grown males are larger than female bed bugs, especially because the hind body carries the genitals.
Pictures: What bed bugs look like - 3 examples of the appearance of bed bugs.
How do bed bugs come?
Many people think bed bugs come crawling in from nature. This is not correct.
Bed bugs typically enter the home after a visit from a person who has brought them from their luggage.
Alternatively, you have visited a place with bed bugs yourself, eg hotels, hostels or older homes, from which you have unknowingly brought bed bugs home. Bed bugs often seek refuge in bags and suitcases and are thus transported from place to place. Bed bugs frequently come home when Danes have visited international travel destinations such as Spain, Egypt or Mexico.
In addition, you can also get bed bugs from the neighbor or the person living above/underneath. The size of bed bugs means they can crawl through very small cracks and crevices. For example close to pipe laying.
If you have inserted new/old furniture from a flea market or second-hand purchase (Den Blå Avis or Facebook Marketplace), it is likely that bed bugs come from here.
How are bed bugs infected?
Bed bugs are not contagious, but come via suitcases, bags or the like. See more in the above answer.
READ ALSO: "How to avoid bed bugs after and during the holidays"
What do bed bug bites look like?
Symptoms from bed bug bites differ from person to person. Bites from bed bugs are not contagious, unlike e.g. the wood tick.
While tick and flea bites often occur under covered parts of the body where it is warm and humid, bed bug bites occur in areas where the body is not covered by clothing or other clothing. Bites from bed bugs will typically occur on the face, hands or legs that are outside the duvet.
In most cases, bed bug bites are not detected immediately, but only after you wake up and the bites start to itch.
How to fight bed bugs?
Bedbugs are very difficult to control. It requires a serious and consistent commitment. After bedbugs have been found in the home, all clothes should be washed at the highest possible temperature - preferably 60 degrees or above. Alternatively, the clothing can be stored outdoors for a longer period or frozen to kill bed bugs in the clothing.
However, the most effective method to combat bed bugs is the use of sprays or traps for the purpose. There are several different traps for installation, e.g. near bed legs, with and without bait. At Skadedyrshop.dk, we recommend that you lift the bed on its edge and spray with Trinol 810, RTU or Perma Forte B. It is important that you get around all cracks and crevices. Bedbugs hide in even the smallest cracks. Therefore, take your time for an effective fight.
The procedure should be repeated 2-3 times a month. Spraying beds and other furniture should be carried out regularly to prevent new bed bugs. Since bedbugs are very resistant to control, in the case of major infestations, you should regularly switch between the different agents.
Does my insurance cover infestation and damage from bed bugs?
Some insurance companies cover attacks and damage from bed bugs and other animals - but this depends on your insurance company.
Contact your company for more information.
What do bed bugs feed on?
Unlike ticks, which feed on plant sap, bed bugs feed on blood. Bed bugs feed on human blood, which they suck from us humans when we sleep. For the same reason, the vast majority of bed bugs stay in beds and sofas.
Bed bugs only eat blood. It prefers human blood, but can also feed on a wide variety of warm-blooded animals, including livestock. Bedbugs do not remain on the human or other host. They move from hiding place to hiding place and from. Bed bugs feed for 3 to 10 minutes at night. After eating, they will not take another blood meal for approx. 1 week. Adult bed bugs can live for more than a year without blood meal
What attracts bed bugs?
Bed bugs are attracted to the body heat and breath of people. Bed bugs typically come from, for example, the neighbour's apartment, own/other people's suitcases or bags who have stayed abroad or in hotels, holiday homes or hostels.
Where do bed bugs hide?
Bed bugs hide in cracks, crevices and small holes in the bed, sofas
TIP: If you have been diagnosed with bed bugs, it is important not to change your sleeping place to other rooms. As this can mean a spread of bed bugs, as they will migrate according to your body temperature - and thus you will have bed bugs throughout the home.
How are bed bugs spread?
Bedbugs easily climb onto fabric, wood or paper surfaces by hooking their claws around the fibers. Bed bugs move quickly from one room to another, e.g. they easily pass under doors, along electrical wires and water pipes. Bed bugs are often spread by "hitchhiking" on all types of household items, such as bedding, furniture, luggage, clothing, pet cages, picture frames and electronic devices. If a crack is big enough for a credit card, a bed bug can hide there.
What are the signs of a bed bug infestation?
Look for these characteristics:
Itchy and/or red bites that appear in lines or clusters on the arms, neck and legs.
Live bed bugs, eggs, skin and dark brown or rusty stains (feces) on the mattress or bed. Bed bugs typically live at the head of the bed and then move outward to include all furniture, especially sofas, carpets, curtains, picture frames, baseboards, sockets and electronic equipment.
What can I do to avoid being bitten by bed bugs in the home?
Sleep in a bed and make that bed a "safe island". Pull the bed away from the wall. Clean the bed frame and enclose the mattress / box springs in a bed fitting cover. Place the legs of the bed in a bed bug protector, e.g. ClimbUp Original Bed Bug Trap . Wash bedding weekly followed by 20 minutes or more in the dryer. Check the mattress for bed bugs when you change the sheets. Do not let bedding touch the floor. Do not place luggage, rucksacks or other items on the bed
