What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small oval-shaped and flat insects. They can grow up to 5mm long, changing colour from cream to brown as they mature. While they need to feed on blood to grow, they are resilient and can live for up to a year without a feed.

Bed bugs tend to live in cracks and crevices in and around your bed, especially in mattress seams and travel on clothing, furniture, bedding and luggage. They prefer to feed on humans but will also feed on other warm-blooded animals. They mainly feed at night.

While they do not transmit diseases, bed bugs are upsetting and can be hard to get rid of.

What are the signs and symptoms of bed bugs?

Signs of a bed bug infestation include:

• regularly waking with bites
• bed bugs on your mattress, bed frame and other furniture
• brown spotting (bed bug faeces) or blood spots on your mattress
• a musty, sweet smell with large infestations

Bed bug bites can cause red, itchy spots that are often found on legs, arms and shoulders. Some bites can become infected. Some people do not react, while others may not react until up to 9 days after they are bitten.

Very occasionally, people with multiple bites have lost so much blood they became anaemic. Some doctors believe bed bugs may trigger allergies and asthma.

How are bed bug bites treated?

Bed bug bites tend to clear up on their own, or with simple first aid measures. Read about treating insect bites.

See your doctor if you are concerned about your bites. Your doctor may recommend steroid creams or antihistamines if your bites are very itchy or severe. If a bite has become infected, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

How to get rid of bed bugs

It can be hard to get rid of bed bugs. You will need to buy a product designed to kill bed bugs. But if there is an infestation, you may want to call a pest control company.

You will need to treat all areas where the bed bugs hide, including under the mattress and in all cracks and crevices. Thoroughly vacuum the whole area and remove the contents of the vacuum in a sealed plastic bag.

You should wash all clothing and bedding that may have been contaminated with bed bugs at 60^oC.

How to prevent bed bugs

You can help prevent infestations by:

• avoiding using second-hand mattresses
• regularly checking your bed for bed bugs
• keeping your bedroom tidy to minimise hiding spots