Summary: Bed bug bites aren’t the most dangerous pest bites, but they still require treatment. This blog breaks down bed bug bites, including the feeding process, symptoms, treatments, signs, services, and prevention tactics. Pointe Pest Control provides family-friendly pest control all year long.

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So, you let the bed bugs bite…now what? That old saying didn’t give advice on what to do if you are bitten by bed bugs (true medical advice was slim in the 18th century).

The good news is that bed bugs aren’t known to spread diseases through their bites, so this isn’t a concern. The bad news is that their bites are still itchy and irritated, so it’s reasonable to want help with alleviating these symptoms.

Let’s find out what really happens when a bed bug bites someone, then explore the common side effects, treatment options, and preventative measures!

The Feeding Process

All of the symptoms and effects of a bed bug bite can be traced back to the feeding process. Bed bugs don’t have wings, so they need to crawl out of hiding to access their hosts.

Bed bugs are the size of an apple seed and use their small size to their advantage. They compress their bodies to hide in dark spaces, like the crevices of headboards, mattresses, box springs, bed frames, wallpaper, and electrical outlets.

Since bed bugs don’t like burrowing under fabric, they almost always bite exposed skin. When the bed bug bites, it injects an anticoagulant (prevents bleeding) and an anesthetic (numbs the site). These work in tandem to make sure the host doesn’t feel the bug feeding. After consuming blood for a few minutes, the bed bug crawls away to digest.

Female bed bugs need the protein content from our blood in order to lay their eggs. They average 1 to 3 eggs a day, and produce about 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetimes. As long as they eat consistently, bed bugs will continue to reproduce.

That being said, they can go up to a year without food. This is just another reason why bed bugs are so tough to treat (more on this later) without the help of professional pest control.

Bite Symptoms

Now, we flash forward to the next 1 to 2 days after the bed bugs fed. The bitten person will likely find 3 to 5 bites in a cluster or zigzag pattern. In fact, the orientation of these bites is a major clue that the bloodthirsty pest is a bed bug, not a flea or a mosquito.

Bed bug bites are usually found on the neck, face, arms, stomach, back, and legs. It’s important to note that everyone has different reactions to these bites. Some people have severe symptoms, while others barely have any evidence that they were bitten.

The common symptoms of bed bug bites are:

Itchiness

Redness

A mild rash

Small welts

A dark center in each welt

A slight burning sensation

These bites can get worse if they become infected, aren’t cleaned, or are scratched too much. But bed bug bites are at their worst when the person is allergic to their saliva. That’s right: bees and mosquitoes aren’t the only pests that cause allergic reactions!

A bed bug allergy shows itself through hives, blisters, a fever, and excessive itchiness. If you have any of these symptoms with bed bug bites, please see your doctor immediately.

Easy Treatment Options

Like we said before, some people don’t have any type of reaction to bed bug bites. The good news is that their bites don’t transmit diseases or multiply. They usually take a week to heal, and often need more time in the cases of allergic reactions.

The first step to treating bed bug bites is to leave them alone. At the risk of sounding like your mother, do not scratch these bites. When bed bug bites are excessively scratched, they can bleed, get infected, and scar. Trust us: nothing good comes out of scratching your bites.

Firstly, clean the bites with soap and water every day. If your bites are itchy, apply an anti-itch cream (like Benadryl) to them. This should alleviate the urge to scratch the welts. Putting an ice pack or cold compress on the bites can also keep the swelling and irritation down.

In the event that your bites are still incredibly itchy, see your doctor about treatment options. They can prescribe you a cream or antibiotics that will take care of the itchiness. If the bites don’t heal or stop itching within a week, consult with your doctor about next steps.

Thorough Bed Bug Services

As we mentioned earlier, bed bugs are one of the toughest pests to treat. They’re resistant to a lot of insecticides and standard treatments. Plus, they can travel to other floors or rooms in a building by sneaking through outlets and cracks. They’re also infamous hitchhikers, hence their reputation as the worst travel pests!

All of this to say, professional services are essential for any bed bug issue. In the case of an infestation, it’s a multi-service process to eliminate all bed bug life stages. The knowledgable technicians know how to target these slow-moving pests with their advanced treatments.

The most common bed bug treatment is heat. By turning the room, apartment, or house into a temporary oven, you effectively kill all of the bed bugs. They can’t withstand the temperature increase to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. If your technician uses this method, they will walk you through both the required preparation and the treatment process.

Heat is often paired with residual insecticide and dust in the crevices to target hidden bed bugs. The technician will visit again to monitor the situation, inspect for living bed bugs, and apply more liquid treatments as needed. The infestation is only resolved when there are no bed bugs left — including their eggs — so it’s best to leave this extensive process to the pros.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Contrary to the stereotypes, these pests don’t discriminate against shelters. They’re happy to live in a tidy home or a cluttered space — as long as they have blood! Besides the titular bites appearing on your body, there are quite a few signs that bed bugs are present. If you think you have bed bugs, keep an eye out for these clues:

Shed exoskeletons

Small bloodstains on the sheets

A musty odor

Small dark spots (droppings) on the sheets

Tiny white eggs

Any live or dead bed bugs

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

If you’re squirming at the thought of bed bugs sneaking into your bed, a list of prevention tips should help!

Bed bug prevention is all about being aware of your surroundings, especially when you travel. These pests are most common in “revolving door” spaces, where people are constantly arriving and leaving. This includes hotel rooms, public transportation, and movie theaters.

The most efficient ways to prevent bed bugs at home are:

Change and wash your bedsheets often. A useful chore and a way to monitor your bed for bed bug activity, all in one! Every time you change your sheets, inspect your mattress and headboard for signs of bed bug activity.

Inspect items before bringing inside. Any time you buy furniture or bedding — especially if they’re secondhand — check them for bed bugs. You don’t want to accidentally introduce a new pest problem to your space!

Steam clean as needed. Steam cleaning is a great way to eliminate carpet beetles, but it’s also pretty helpful in preventing bed bugs. Steam clean the carpets and furniture (make sure to check if the material can be steam cleaned) as often as you choose.

Stay on top of your chores. Bed bugs aren’t only found in cluttered places, but it does help to do your usual chores on a regular basis. When laundry or items start piling up, bed bugs have more hiding places. Do the laundry, clean the floors, and keep everything relatively tidy.

Check hotel beds and furniture. When you walk into your hotel room, don’t get settled just yet. Check the beds and furniture for any signs of bed bugs, and pay close attention to the crevices. If you find evidence of bed bugs, consult with the hotel management.

Protect your luggage. We suggest never keeping your luggage on the floor of your hotel room. Since bed bugs crawl, this would give them the easiest access. Keep your bags on luggage racks or the (inspected) furniture, and clean them with an antibacterial wipe once you’re home.

Sleep Tight with Pointe’s Reliable Services

Bed bugs aren’t the only pests that cause people stress. That’s why the licensed technicians of Pointe Pest Control are committed to solving each pest issue as safely and efficiently as possible. Our advanced pest control strategies target the root of each infestation in order to prevent the problem from returning.

Pointe takes the time to completely assess every pest issue in order to determine the most efficient treatment plan. Our targeted solutions protect your home from pests for the long run. Contact us for a free quote and enjoy this season free from the stress of pests!

Citations

Bedbugs. (2024, January 5). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved May 23, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bedbugs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370001

Bed bugs and bed bug bites. (2022, October 14). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved May 23, 2025, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17847-bedbugs

Bed bug diagnosis and treatment. (2022, November 29). Pointe Pest Control. Retrieved May 23, 2025, from https://pointepest.com/bed-bug-diagnosis-treatment/

Srakocic, S. (2024, August 23). What bedbug bites look like and how to get rid of them. Healthline. Available at https://www.healthline.com/health/bed-bug-bites (Accessed on May 23, 2025).