Cimex Lectularius, popularly known as bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, oval parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans or animals.
The body of bed bugs swells and becomes reddish after feeding on humans’ or animals’ blood.
Though bedbugs have no wings to fly as some insects do, they have the ability to move fast.
Besides, bed bugs are tough and smart – they always know where to hide during the day so that you cannot easily detect them, and they can live for months.
What do Baby Bed bugs look like?
Baby bed bugs or nymphs are usually about 1-2millimeter. Their colors are generally yellow or white, and almost transparent.
Baby bed bugs are usually hard to spot simply because of their size and color.
Their colors may change into a bright red, but because of their size, it is still, however, challenging to spot them.
The only way you can quickly discover a baby bed bug is by the deposit they leave behind. You can easily spot some group of eggs, their shed skin as they grow, or excrement.
Another thing you can also spot is their movements.
Though bed bugs neither jump nor fly, studies have shown that their speed is about 4 feet per minute. With their movement, you might notice them, but as they grow in size and number, they become more visible, and you can likely see them.
What Happens to Baby Bed Bugs?
Studies have shown that it takes about 5 to 7 weeks before a baby bed bug turns into an adult.
For them to grow into an adult, they have to feed at least once a day, and as they feed, they get the necessary nutrients to grow.
During this period of growth, they have to shed their skin or casing once a week to move to the next developmental stage.
The reason they do this is that, as they grow, the shell or casing becomes too small for them; hence they have to shed it.
Their shells are from chitin (a substance common to all crustaceans and insects). The substance is potent and does not rot or turn to dust – though it is flexible, it is too small for the growing baby bed bug to remain.
As soon as the baby bed bug grows to the adult stage, it only needs to feed once or two times a week to survive.
This once or twice a week bite is usually huge, as the bed bug will have to latch its bites for a couple of minutes to get full. However, some studies have shown that bed bugs can survive without feeding for up to a year, making it possible for them to persist even in a room where nobody stays.
- READ MORE: 8 Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs.
Where do baby bed bugs hide in the house?
As stated earlier, bed bugs are smart. They hide in the home during the day and lunch their attack at night.
It is difficult to find a bed bug in the dark – unless the room is well-lit, you may find it hard to see them.
Baby bed bugs can hide in the crevice and crack of your: mattresses, bed frames, box springs, headboards, clothes, bags, papers, objects, or clutter close to the bed.
Bed bugs can also hide under loose wallpaper and peeling paints, under the carpet near baseboards, under electrical outlets such as light switches and sockets, upholstered furniture joints, between couch cushions, seams where ceiling and wallpaper meet, etc.
Follow these steps to know exactly where baby bed bugs reside in your house:
- Get a flashlight to properly examine your bed and joints, mattresses, bedsheets, pillowcase, etc. for blood stains resulting from the puncturing of your skin by the bugs.
- With the flashlight closely look for dark or rusty stains or spots in hidden and cracked areas.
- Try to set an alarm that will wake you up at night when the bugs are most likely to be active so you can see where they are.
- Closely look for bug eggs, shells, and excrement. The excrement is usually tiny dark-brownish dots.
Signs of bed bugs babies Infestation
Bed bugs usually bite and suck human blood, and this they do mostly at night in exposed areas of the skin like the neck, face, arms, and hand.
However, a bed bug bite should not be mistaken for a mosquito or flea bite, skin rash, or other skin condition because of their common signs.
You should note that depending on the individual; bed bug bites may be painless and unnoticed. Signs like flat, small, or raised skin bumps, swelling, itching, and red spots on the skin usually occurs. These signs could last nearly 14 days after the bug bite.
If you went to bed without any form of itching but woke up with itchy areas and spots, it may be a sign that you have bed bugs. There are other signs that you have bed bugs in your home, and these signs include:
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- Bloodstains: Whenever you always notice bloodstains on your mattresses, bedsheets, pillowcase, nightwear, etc., this is a clear indication that you may be dealing with bed bugs. The blood is from your body, and the stain occurs either through a drop when the bug bite to suck your blood or when you scratched the bite and ended up crushing the bed bug.
- Rusty, fecal, or dark stains or spots: You may also notice a rusty, fecal, or dark bed bug excrement spot on sheets mattresses, bedsheets, clothes, bed joints, or another notable place. This spot sticks to anything and will never no matter how hard you wash.
- Egg and baby bed bug shed skin: As mentioned earlier, you cannot easily spot baby bed bugs themselves, but through their shed skin or shell. So, whenever you notice bug eggs or baby bed bug shells or skin on mattresses’ edges, walls, furniture, bed joints, bags, etc. It is an indication they have infested your house. The baby bed bug shed skin or shell usually is pale-yellow.
- A strange and offensive musty odor: Crushing an adult (male or female) bed bug usually produces a strange, and offensive musty odor from the bed bugs’ secretion or scent glands. Especially with a large number of bugs, this odor is most noticeable.
- Live adult bed bugs: You can see a live bed bug in the process of the check. Seeing live bugs is the most trusted and reliable sign of them all, as seeing it will no doubt convince you that your house has been infested with bed bugs, hence that need to get rid of them.
When you have discovered that bed bugs have infested your house, the next thing to do is find the best way to get rid of them.
It is not easy to completely get rid of bed bugs in the home, most especially when they have spread themselves all over the house.
In most cases, eliminating bed bug infestation requires the service of a pest control expert or exterminator to carry out a bed bug control treatment.
Apart from seeking professional help from experts, there are other ways like the home cleaning method, and the use of low-odor sprays, aerosol insecticides, and dust. Below are ways and steps to get rid of bed bugs.
- READ MORE: 7 Natural Bed bugs predators.
Baby Bed Bug Bite Vs Adult: Are Baby Bed Bug Bites Different?
It’s almost impossible to compare the bites from baby and adult bed bugs.
The size, shape, location, and even the general appearance of both bites look more or less the same.
In fact, the shape and appearance of any bed bug bite; whether baby or adults, vary from person to person.
Although oftentimes, individual tolerance is the varying factor.
In some people, bites from baby and adult bed bugs show no apparent marks. In some others, the bite marks pop up as soon as the bed bug bites.
While for others, the bite marks can take up to 14 days to manifest.
However, there are three major markers that can help you to differentiate between bites from adult and baby bed bugs. Let’s scan through them below:
- Baby bed bugs produce whitish skin patches – This happens because baby bed bugs still need to grow. During each growth, baby bed bugs shed off old skin to allow an increase in their body size. In the science world, such a type of growth is known as molting.
- Baby bed bugs tend to produce more bite marks – Because they are still young, baby bed bugs need to molt constantly. For every molt, they expend a lot of energy. To replenish this, baby bed bugs tend to feed multiple times. However, adult bed bugs can go days without feeding.
- Baby bed bug bites are a bit less itchy than adult bites – This is because adult bed bugs tend to spew more anti-coagulants (in their saliva). These anticoagulants are responsible for the irritation, swelling, and rashes sustained after bed bug bites.
Do Baby Bed Bug Bites Itch?
Whether young or adult, all bed bug bite itches.
However, most people don’t notice the bites because bed bugs are nocturnal. As such, they bite on exposed skin areas mostly during nighttime when most victims are asleep.
At first, a bite from a bed bug feels painless. After a few minutes or hours, it develops into some kind of itchy welts with red marks. Although in some people, there are no visible marks.
But whether visible or not, baby or adults, all bed bug bites itch. Though, most people don’t seem to notice it.
Because oftentimes, these people consider the welts and itching from bed bug bites to be from other bugs like mosquitoes, mites, and fleas.
- READ MORE: How to Treat Bed Bug Bites.
How to get rid of Baby Bed bugs in the home
Here we will be looking at the home cleaning method and the extermination method.
Home cleaning method.
One way to eliminate bed bugs is to clean up the places they live in. The home cleaning method usually requires a lot of work and could be very challenging. Follow the following steps to get rid of bed bugs in your home:
- Carry out cleaning and washing: The first thing to do is to clean the house, wash bed sheets, clothes, linens, and curtains in hot water, dry them properly after wash, place items that cannot be washed like shoes in a dark bag and place a dryer or hot sun.
- Remove clutter and others: Places and things bed bugs may hide including paper trash, piles of wood. Every unwanted item must be removed and trashed.
- Vacuuming: Vacuum things like a bed, upholstered furniture, carpets, crack in the floor, and woodwork where bed bugs may hide. If available, sprinkle half or one-quarter cup of cornstarch or talcum powder on the area to help suffocate the bugs before vacuuming.
- Dispose of infested items: Items like box springs, mattresses, and furniture that are badly infested by bugs should be disposed of and replaced. If you must use it, ensure to cover mattresses with bed bugs-proof encasement or cover so that bugs that are still alive can be trapped and not spread again.
- Avoid sharing items: Until you are sure that you have eliminated the bed bugs, do not share items with anyone.
- Repair and fix cracks: Repair cracked walls, floors, plastics, chairs, etc. to close every area baby bed bugs could hide.
- Always keep the house clean: When you finally get rid of bugs, make sure you always keep the house clean and avoid gathering clutter in the bed area to prevent reoccurrence.
Extermination.
No doubt, the cleaning method can help to control bed bugs.
Getting rid of them wholly and quickly usually requires the use of chemicals.
Using insecticides is another way of treating bed bugs, but of a toxic nature, this is usually harming to health. With the help of professionals or experts, you can be sure of safe and effective chemicals in dealing with bed bugs issues.
FAQs About Baby Bed Bug Bites.
- How Do I Keep Bedbugs from Biting My Baby?
Unlike adults, babies and little kids may find it difficult to tell whether they’ve been bitten by bed bugs. As such, it is important to keep them far away from bed bugs. The following tips can help:
- Always spray your house with bug repellents – Natural ones can be made by mixing essential oils like peppermint oil and water. You can also get chemical sprays in hardware stores.
- Always cover your kids well – Likewise, you can try to limit the amount of time your kids spend outside.
- Seal all cracks and crevices – Also, always try to ensure that all doors and windows are shut when not in use. Evening time is always a good time to close windows and doors.
- Bathe kids with lukewarm water and wash their clothes with hot water – This will help ameliorate the itching and kill off the bed bugs lurking within their clothes.
- Keep a regular vacuuming routine – This will help suck up all bed bug eggs that can develop into vampire nymphs and adults.
- Where Do Bed Bugs Bite Babies?
Whether in kids or adults, bed bugs bite on exposed skin areas. Oftentimes, faces, chests, legs, hands, and neck.
So, once you notice your kid or baby scratching their faces or rubbing their arms and feet constantly, there’s a chance that they have been bitten with bed bugs.
Final Words.
So far, we’ve established that baby bed bugs, like their adults, can bite and suck blood. The resulting bite areas appear reddish.
Like adults, baby bed bug bites are quite small and they appear on exposed areas like faces, arms, legs, chests, and hands.
