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REGIONAL PEST REPORT

Winter season

Pest threat

Mice are moving inside and other wildlife may be looking for potential harbourage areas. Cluster flies have hibernated in attics and wall voids. As the temperature fluctuates keep your eyes and ears open for the signs and sounds of unwanted pests this winter. Carpenter ant activity may be seen in the home where moisture is found on a warmer day.

 

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Get more info on local pests

Bed Bug Bites

The only source of nutrition for a bed bug is, you guessed it, blood! In order for a bed bug to mature into an adult it must feed once during each life stage. In order to produce eggs a female adult needs blood. Even though bed bugs bite humans they are not carriers of any transmittable diseases.

Bed bugs use their two elongated beaks to pierce human skin and extract blood. They use one beak to inject a saliva which contains an anesthetic to numb the area and help avoid detection, and with the other beak they extract the blood. After about five minutes of feeding the bed bug will return to its hiding place.

Bites are not painful and many people will not react at all making detection that much more difficult. Some people will develop itchy red welts over the next few days. If the area becomes swollen a small red welt may appear. This welt is often itchy and can last for up to a few days. Reactions occur as a result of the saliva injected during feeding. In the case of an extreme infestation and where children have been bitten there is a chance they can develop an iron deficiency.

rash from bed bug bitesAlthough some bed bug bites do not leave any marks, others can produce small red bumps or rashes. They usually do not appear for a day or two after being bitten. You should avoid scratching the area. Bed bug bites are often described as resembling mosquito bites. An indicator that it might be bed bug bites is the pattern of the bites. They often occur in a group or line of three or four and are usually on an area that would be exposed during sleep.

Bed bug bites do not transmit disease and will usually disappear within a few days. If a rash persists or becomes infected you should contact your doctor or a medical professional immediately.

Preventing Bed Bugs While Travelling
Can Bed Bugs Jump?
Life Stages of a Bed Bug

Quick Facts & Tips

  • A bed bug bite generally appears not alone, but in groups or lines, since many bed bugs can bite you over the course of one night.
  • A bed bug will generally bite you on exposed skin but can bite any part of your body.
  • Reactions to a bed bug bite can differ on everyone, making identification difficult. They are often misdiagnosed as a rash as many people have an allergic reaction which appears as red, inflamed skin that is very itchy.
  • Some people will have a small raised bump where they were bitten and others will just have a small red area.