Bedbugs bites are irritating and cause discomfort that can take quite some time to relieve. You probably have or know someone who has been bitten by bed bugs. How do you get rid of bed bugs fast and in overnight? Here in this post, find a detailed guide on ways to treat bug bites and tips to prevent the bites.
Bedbugs are small insect that suck blood as their food. They feed on blood from either humans or animals. At home, you are likely to see them in your bed, carpet, clothing, furniture, in walls and other places.
The insects are usually most active at night to feed on humans while sleeping. Generally, the bugs are about 1 to 7 millimeters long. According to statistics, the bugs are widely spread throughout the world, although there are some countries that have not experienced them yet.
It is not easy to tell an infestation of beg bugs in your house. As mentioned, they are active during the night. Just one morning, you will wake up and find your skin with some bites. The bite can be mistaken for a mosquito bite.
How do you treat bed bug bites? Although bed bug bites are non-toxic, treatment involves relieving the itch or irritation. You can apply calamine lotions or using anti-itch creams. Some instances such as sores spots breaking out into open welts, just wash it with soap and water. Make sure to use a mild soap. Avoid a medicated or perfumed soap to prevent further irritation.
Preventing a bed bug bite may require that you cover up and ensure the number of bed bugs are reduced in your bedroom or totally eliminated.
This post will go deep into details on bed bug bites and how to get rid of them. Learn also how to distinguish between bed bug bites and other insect bites. The article also will recommend on some products that will help ease the bites.
What do bed bug bites look like?
A bed bug bite is not limited to any specific place on your body. It can be found anywhere on the skin. As long as the skin is exposed, the bed bugs will bite to quench their thirst for blood. But bed bugs prefer areas of the skin that are bare, without hair.
It is important to know how a bed but bite looks like. This way you cannot confuse it with either a mosquito, flea or even a spider bite. Knowing how the bite looks like helps you to know whether you have an infestation of bed bug or not.
A bed bug bite appear as a red, swollen spot. A closer look, you will notice a dark spot at the center of the bite. The bite can also appear in a line or have a zig-zag pattern. The bite is usually itchy with a burning sensation such that you will feel the urge to scratch. The bites in some cases can develop into welts and blisters.
The way people react to bed bug bites differs from person to person and so are the symptoms.
Interestingly, some people may not notice they are being bitten by the bugs. Bed bug bite are very itchy thus you may be forced to get treatment early enough.
Symptoms of a bed bug bite
A bed bug bite on your skin may not cause symptoms right away since the insects usually release a small amount of anesthetic before the bugs feed on you. It may take hours up to a day for you to develop the symptoms.
They symptoms of beg bug bites include:
- Itchy and burning sensation
- A visible dark spot at the center of the bite
- The bitten are becomes red and swollen
- The bite can appear as a line or have a zig-zag pattern
- The bite can develop into welts and blisters
The bites are usually extremely itchy and you may feel the urge to scratch the place. In severe cases, scratching from multiple bites can lead to bleeding or the place becoming infected.
Having bed bugs in your home doesn’t necessarily means they will bite you every single night. Bed bugs can go for days without feeding on you. But if you are aware, you will tell from the pattern of the bites.
Do Bed Bug Bites Itch?
Itching is one of the commonest symptom of bed bug bites. But like we had earlier mentioned, people react to bed bug bites differently. While some people can experience the itching and burning sensation of the bites, others do not experience the feeling at all. It is normal. Some people tend to experience severe reactions to the bites.
Although rare, when it comes to extremely severe cases, some victims can be rushed into the hospitals. It happens when one experience anaphylactic shock or you tend to experience asthmatic attacks from sleeping in a heavily infested bed.
Can bed bugs bite through clothes?
It is rather unfortunate that even your long-sleeved pajamas won’t stop the bed bug bites. If you get bites it means that your bedroom is infested. You will even wake up with numerous bites usually evident under your clothes.
Bed bugs may not chew through clothes, but these tiny insects have the ability to crawl and bite your skin. Again, not everyone experiences the same skin reaction.
What are bed bugs attracted to?
Bed bugs only come in your home for one reason, food. Not the type of food other insects eat but blood. It is for this reason you will find bed bugs hiding in furniture, beddings and carpets. All these are targeted area where human are likely to spend much of their time in the house.
The good news is, there is no evidence the bugs transmit disease as they feed on your blood. The only real threat is itchy, red bites which should tell you of a bed bug infestation.
How Long Does the Bed Bug Bite Last?
The time a bed bug bite last depends and varies with the host. Like we’ve mentioned earlier in the post, some people react differently to the bug bites. So the duration of the bite tends to vary too.
It has been found out that the more one gets bitten by the bed bugs, the more reactive one becomes. A multiple bites could take long before feeling better since a large area of skin is irritated. But note this, some people will experience the bite for a short period whether their skin is continually swollen or not from the bite. Some people suffer the swelling for a quite a longer period, it could last up to two weeks.
Where Do Bed Bugs Bite?
Bed bugs bite the part of the skin that is exposed. The only part of the body that could be exempted from the bite is your head and other hair-covered parts. Bed bugs tend to focus on your upper body parts such as the arms, neck, face etc. But that doesn’t mean, you will not get bitten elsewhere.
Bed Bug Bites Treatment
There are a number of treatment options for bed bug bites. We’ve mentioned earlier that people react differently to the bites. Again, some bites only last few hours. This section will provide information on how you can treat and get rid of bed bug bites.
To cure and get rid of bed bug bites, use any of the following:
a) Anti-itch Creams, Calamine Lotions
Use this anti-itch cream or lotion to treat bed bug bites. This is a type of calming cream that has been recommended by doctors.
Sarna Original Anti-itch Lotion for Dry skin, Insect Bites, Sunburn, Poison Ivy
You can also relieve the itching caused by bed bug bites by using over-the-counter allergy medication. You can get rid of bed bug bite pain easily with administering over-the-counter pain relievers, but if the situation is more severe you should consult your doctor.
If your skin is open or cracked, clean using warm water and plain washing soap. Don’t use medicated or perfumed soap, they may cause further irritation on your skin.
How to Prevent Bed Bug Bites –Tips
Let’s look at tips to prevent bed bug bites. The bugs cannot chew through the fabric. Unlike mosquitoes, there are no bed bug repellant creams or sprays in the market. But you can fight bed bug through defense.
You can build a defense by covering your body or cover the mattress with a protective anti-bed bug covers.
Queen (13-16 in. Deep) SureGuard Mattress Encasement
Another tip to prevent bed bug bites is vacuuming your mattress and the bed frame. This will help get rid of bed bugs present in the bed or mattress. You should do this often to get rid of bed bugs.
Comparison of Bed Bug Bites with Other Insect Bites
Here we are going to look at and compare bed bug bites and other insect bites such as: mosquito bites, flea bites & spider bites
For some people, it can be hard to tell the difference between a bed bug bite and a mosquito, flea and spider bite. Here, in this section we will attempt to differentiate them.
Bed Bug Bites vs Mosquito Bites
It is easy to differentiate between mosquito bite and bed bug bite. The bite from mosquito tends to itch there and then and blister develop fast. If you don’t scratch the area, they itch tend to disappear after short while.
Bed bug bites are different, they symptoms appear as red spots, blisters develops and it itch feels really itchy. The bite from bed bugs takes time to be felt usually when the anesthetic has worn off.
Mosquito bites are random while bed bug bites appear in patterns from a line to a zigzag.
Bed Bug Bites vs Spider Bites
Spider bites are rare. Although they may have same physically appearance as that of bed bug bites, theirs is venomous. Bed bug bites keep on happening which is usually a sign of infestation. They are not known to cause any harm or health risk unlike the spider bites that may warrant in some severe cases, a visit to the doctor.
Flea Bites vs Bed Bug Bites
A flea and a bed bug bite are similar in some way. Both are very itchy. Bed bug bites tend to appear in line or zigzag pattern. Bed bug bites are common on the upper body surface of the skin.
Fleas on the other hand, appear in clusters and in most cases they are visible and happen in the lower body parts. Fleas are likely to bite the areas of the body that are moist and folded parts such as the under the skin folds.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bug Bites Fast, Overnight at Home
To get rid of bed bug bites at home fast or overnight, do the following:
- Wash the affected area with soap and water
- To relieve the itch, apply corticosteroid cream on the affected skin. This will prevent the skin from getting infected and help reduce itchiness
