BED BUGS
Bed bugs have made an alarming comeback in Australia with a sharp increase in infestations since 2023. Despite their small size, these
resilient pests can survive up to 300 days without feeding, making them a significant problem for households. The situation has
become particularly concerning in Sydney, especially in accommodation venues like backpacker’s hostels and motels.
Many people don’t realise that bed bug bites can take up to 9 days to show symptoms,
and 1 in 5 may not react to the bites at all.
What do bed bugs look like and where do they hide
Adult bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped pests measuring about 5-7 mm long, roughly the size of an apple seed. Their colour ranges from mahogany to rusty-brown when unfed, turning reddish-brown and swollen after feeding. These insects have six legs and two antennae, while bed bugs
have wings, but they can’t fly. Immature bed bugs – nymphs look notably different from adults, and bed bug eggs are tiny.
Newly hatched nymphs are almost transparent or whitish-yellow in colour. As they progress through five developmental stages, they gradually darken in colour with each blood meal. These nymphs are clear to lightly colored with red eyes and are about the size of sesame seeds.
Bed bug eggs are approximately the size of a pinhead, and pearly white in colour. Interestingly, an egg over five days old develops a
distinctive black dot on a white background. These eggs are typically laid in clusters and attached in
various small, tight spaces, hatching about 10-14 days after being laid.
Adult Bed Bug
Bed Bug Eggs
Bed Bugs
Common hiding spots in homes
Despite their name, bed bugs aren’t confined only to beds. They prefer to stay close to people for quick and convenient access to their food source. However, as infestations grow, they spread throughout the living area, structural elements.
Primary hiding locations include:
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Bedroom furniture
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Living areas
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Structural elements
Bed bugs hide in bedroom furniture to stay close to their food source – humans. The dark crevices of mattresses, bed frames, and nightstands offer protection during daylight hours while providing easy access to sleeping hosts at night. These hiding spots also shield them from detection and potential threats.
Bed bugs inhabit living areas when they need additional harborage sites or when humans spend significant time there. Couches, recliners, and entertainment centres provide abundant hiding spaces for resting or sleeping people. These locations offer darkness, protection, and convenient access to blood meals when residents watch television or nap.
Bed bugs hide in cracks in the plaster or wood, power points, loose wallpaper, picture frames, ceiling cornice junctions, and skirting boards, for protection and close distance to their food source. These narrow spaces shield them from detection while allowing travel between rooms. The darkness and tight spaces in these structural elements provide bed bugs with ideal conditions for breeding and avoiding disturbance.
Bed bugs can also infest unlikely places such as inside electronic devices, books, luggage, and even the head of a screw. Their flat bodies allow them to squeeze into spaces as thin as a credit card, making them excellent at evading detection. Early infestations typically
concentrate around sleeping areas, but as populations grow, bed bugs become more active during the daytime
and spread to other protected locations throughout the home.
Can bed bugs be seen?
Although bed bugs are small, you can definitely see them. Their size makes bed bugs detectable without magnification, especially on light-colored surfaces like white sheets. However, finding them can still be difficult for several reasons. First, bed bugs are nocturnal, with most activity
occurring just before dawn, remaining hidden in mattress seams, cracks, and crevices during the day. Second, they move quickly
and retreat to hiding spots after feeding. While young nymphs can technically be seen, their small size and translucent
colouring make them nearly invisible without magnification unless they’ve recently fed.
Bed bug eggs are tiny, making them even more difficult to detect.
Finding secondary signs often proves more effective than looking for the bugs.These include rusty or reddish stains on bedding,
dark spotting, shed skins, or a distinctive musty-sweet odour when infestations are heavy.
Where do bed bugs come from and how do they spread?
Bed bugs typically enter homes through human travel and hitch a ride on secondhand items. When people stay in infested accommodations like hotels, hostels, or dormitories, these hitchhiking pests can spread by clinging to luggage, clothing, and personal belongings.
They can also travel between adjoining apartments or hotel rooms through wall voids, electrical outlets, and pipe chases. bead bugs can enter homes on secondhand furniture and they can also be picked up on public transport and in shared spaces.
Social gatherings can facilitate their spread when they attach to guests’ belongings. Bed bugs don’t discriminate based on cleanliness, even pristine homes can become infested. Once they enter a home, bed bugs quickly settle in and begin to reproduce.
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Secondhand furniture
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Public transport and spaces
Bed bugs frequently come on infested used furniture, particularly mattresses and upholstered items concealing themselves in seams, joints, and hollow spaces. When secondhand furniture enter your home, these hitchhikers emerge at night to establish new colonies. Even items that appear clean can conceal eggs and nymphs that are not visible to a casual inspection.
Bed bugs lurk in seats and crevices of buses, taxis, and trains, crawling onto clothing or bags. They hide in upholstered furniture in theatres, libraries, and offices, transferring to new hosts when people sit down. Their flat bodies enable bed bugs to squeeze into tiny spaces, making them difficult to detect.
Signs of bed bugs and how to find them
The most telling indication of their presence is the appearance of small, itchy welts on your skin, typically arranged in straight lines or clusters, which develop after these insects have fed on your blood during the night. Many people mistakenly attribute these bites to mosquitoes or
allergic reactions, allowing the infestation to worsen.
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Blood spots and fecal stains
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Unusual smells and skin reactions
Look for telltale stains on your bedding. Blood spots on sheets and pillowcases appear as small, rust-colored stains that occur when fed bed bugs get crushed during sleep. These stains are typically small but noticeable, especially on light-colored fabrics.
The fecal stains left by bed bugs are more telling. These appear as small dark spots, about the size of a period or pencil point, resembling ink spots on fabric or surfaces. Even though these spots are small, they have distinct characteristics
- They’re black or dark brown in colour
- They often appear in clusters of more than 10
- They soak into fabric like a marker would
- They feel smooth to the touch
These fecal spots can be found along mattress seams, tags, bed bases and frames, behind bed heads, skirting boards, and ceiling cornice junctions. Some experts describe bed bug fecal staining as similar to what happens
“when a ballpoint pen leaks for a while, then dries into a stain”.
A particularly troubling sign is the distinctive musty, sweet odor that emanates from their scent glands, becoming increasingly noticeable as the population grow. This smell is frequently described as musty, sweet, or even berry-like. Others compare it to the scent of a wet, mouldy cloth.This odour comes from alarm pheromones released by the bugs and becomes more noticeable during significant infestations. Consequently, if you detect an unusual smell in an otherwise clean room, it might warrant closer inspection.
Skin reactions vary dramatically between individuals. While some people develop red, itchy welts within hours of being bitten, others may not react for up to 14 days. Approximately 30% of people show no reaction whatsoever. Visible bites typically:
- Appear in a straight line or clustered pattern
- Concentrate on exposed skin (face, neck, arms, hands)
- There is no red spot that is typically observed with flea bites
- May cause more severe allergic reactions in sensitive individuals
How to check beds and furniture for bed bugs
For best results, carry out your inspection just before dawn when bed bugs are most active. You’ll need a torch and possibly a magnifying glass.
Start with inspecting the mattress. Remember that relying solely on bites for diagnosis is unreliable. Instead, finding physical evidence
like fecal spotting, shed skins, or egg casings provides more conclusive proof of an infestation.
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Bed inspection
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Furniture inspection
Begin by stripping all bedding and looking carefully for tiny rust-colored stains, shed skins, eggs, or live bugs. Pay special attention to seams and folds. Check gaps and crevices in the bed frame, bed head and between mattress and bed base.
beyond the bed, inspect furniture within 5-8 feet of sleeping areas. Pay close attention to:
- Upholstered furniture seams and under cushions
- Drawer joints and furniture cracks
- Behind loose wallpaper and picture frames
- Inside electrical outlets and appliances
- Under the carpet edges near the skirting boards
Understanding bed bug bites and their effects
The bites of bed bugs often serve as the first alarm for many people that these unwelcome pests have invaded their homes. Beyond sheer annoyance, understanding the appearance and effects of these bites can help distinguish them from other insect
bites and determine appropriate treatment.
Bed bug bites
Bed bug bites
Bed bug bites
What do bed bug bites look like?
Bed bug bites usually develop into small, itchy, red bumps on exposed areas of skin during sleep. These bites commonly form distinctive patterns, often appearing in zigzags or straight lines of three to five bites. On lighter skin tones, the bites usually look pink or red. In comparison,
on darker skin tones, they may appear purple and potentially be harder to detect. Most bites measure less than a
quarter-inch across and can develop a clear centre as they heal. Interestingly, these bites don’t
always appear immediately after being bitten. Bed bugs inject an anesthetic and
anticoagulant when feeding, making the bite initially painless.
For some people, reactions may take up to 14 days to develop, whereas others might notice them within hours.
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Common symptoms and allergic reactions
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When to see a doctor
Reactions to bed bug bites vary significantly from person to person. Approximately 30-60% of people never develop any visible reaction to bed bug bites, which explains why infestations sometimes go undetected for extended periods. For those who do react, common symptoms include:
- Itchy, red welts or swelling
- A slight burning sensation
- Small red marks in clusters or lines
- In some cases, fluid-filled blisters
The severity of reactions tends to increase with repeated exposure. Some individuals develop more significant allergic responses, including large, painful, swollen bite marks. In rare cases, people may experience widespread hives or skin inflammations lasting 1-2 weeks.
In addition to skin reactions, bed bug bites can sometimes lead to psychological effects such as insomnia and anxiety. Excessive scratching represents another concern, potentially leading to secondary skin infections characterised by increased swelling, warmth, tenderness, or pus at bite sites.
Although bed bug bites typically heal within 1-2 weeks, certain situations warrant medical attention. If you experience any of the following issues, it is essential to consult a healthcare provider:
- Many bites or bites that look infected (feeling tender or oozing discharge)
- Development of blisters
- Signs of an allergic skin reaction (widespread redness, swelling, or hives)
- Fever or flu-like symptoms
- Difficulty breathing, a swollen tongue, or an irregular heartbeat are signs of a severe allergic reaction that require immediate care.
For infected bites, doctors may recommend antiseptic medications or prescribe antibiotics. Treatments for significant allergic reactions might include antihistamines, corticosteroids, or epinephrine injections in severe cases.
Remember that while bed bugs cause considerable discomfort, they are not known to transmit diseases to humans, making them a nuisance rather than a public health threat.
How to get rid of bed bugs effectively.
Getting rid of bed bugs can often prove challenging, as these pests have developed resistance to many common treatments. Pesticides alone may not completely solve bed bug problems. A non-chemical approach is also needed. It offers a valuable addition to successfully
eliminating bed bugs, particularly during initial control efforts.
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Chemical and non-chemical aproach
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Heat and cold methods
.Non-chemical approach include:
- Thorough vacuuming to remove live bugs and eggs (dispose of vacuum bags immediately in sealed plastic)
- Decluttering to eliminate hiding spots, making treatment significantly more effective
- Washing and drying infested items at high temperatures
- Mattress encasements purpose purpose-designed to trap existing bugs and prevent new infestations.
Heat treatments are among the most effective non-chemical approaches since bed bugs die at specific temperatures. Adult bed bugs perish at 50°C, while their eggs require temperatures of at least 52°C. For DIY heat treatment, place washable items in a dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. In contrast, freezing requires temperatures of below zero 0°C for 4 days to ensure complete elimination.
How to kill bed bugs at home
To kill bed bugs at home, wash and heat-dry all bedding at high temperatures, then vacuum thoroughly, immediately dispose of the contents outside. Steam clean mattresses, furniture, and carpets. Encase mattresses in bed bug-proof covers and consider using approved insecticides.
Create simple bed bug interceptors under furniture legs using plastic containers and talcum powder. For complete eradication,
consistency is crucial to repeat treatments every two weeks until no signs remain for at least a month.
Professional bed bug control option
Professional comprehensive approach targeting all life stages is essential for successful elimination. Professional bed bug control targets eliminating adult bed bugs and nymphs while preventing their eggs’ development. However, resistance issues and the bugs’ hiding
abilities often necessitate multiple treatments combined with non-chemical methods for complete eradication.
Tips to prevent bed bugs
Prevention remains the most cost-effective strategy against bed bugs, particularly as these resilient pests continue to develop resistance to common treatments. Taking proactive measures can save you significant stress and expense in the long run.
Travel precautions
To protect yourself while travelling, be extra cautious, as bed bugs can also travel with you in your luggage
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Before unpacking
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Post travel precaution
Before unpacking, at any accommodation use a torch to thoroughly inspect your hotel room, especially the bed, mattress, and nearby furniture. Consider placing your suitcase on a luggage rack and away from the walls to minimize the risk of picking up unwanted guests.
After travelling, unpack in your garage rather than bedroom. Inspect luggage outdoors before bringing it inside. Immediately wash and dry all clothing on the highest heat setting, as this will kill any hitchhiking bed bugs. Carefully inspect all your suitcases. Clean them with a vacuum, especially along the seams and inside pockets.
If purchasing preowned furniture such as beds, couches, or armchairs, carefully inspect them for signs of bed bugs. Check for small dark spots, shed skins, and live bugs. If you’re unsure, it’s better to err on caution and not bring the suspected item inside.
Protective covers for your mattresses and bed bases at home can eliminate many potential hiding spots for bed bugs. Choose light-coloured encasements, as they make it easier to spot any bugs that might be present. Regularly inspect these covers for tears or holes and replace them if necessary.
Reducing clutter in your living space is another effective strategy to prevent bed bug a infestation. A cluttered home provides more hiding places for these pests, making detecting and eliminating them harder. Keep your home tidy and organized, especially around beds and furniture.
Vacuuming regularly will help get rid of bed bugs that may have entered your home. Pay close attention to carpets, upholstered furniture, and around beds when vacuuming. After vacuuming, immediately dispose of the vacuum cleaner content in a plastic bag and place it in an external garbage bin.
These preventative steps can significantly reduce the possibility of a bed bug infestation in your home. Early detection and prompt action are crucial to keeping these persistent pests at bay.
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