Do Bed Bugs Carry Blood?
WouterIf you’ve recently been to a hotel or hostel and noticed that your bedding is covered with welts, bedbugs are likely to be the culprit. These bugs are small, reddish-brown bugs that live inside the fabric of your bed. Unlike spiders, they can’t fly, jump, or feed on blood. They lay up to three eggs a day and can lay hundreds in a lifetime. They feed mostly at night and can affect you and your family members.
The bites from bedbugs are nearly painless at the time of attack, but the bites later lead to an allergic reaction in most people. The bites are red, swollen, and itchy, and they tend to appear in small clusters. The bites are generally not dangerous, but if the bites are painful, it may be worth calling a medical professional.
Bedbugs produce alarm pheromones. These smell like coriander, almonds, or raspberries. However, they also produce certain odors that are unpleasant to humans. If you smell anything that resembles these scents, it is likely that bedbugs have taken up residence in your bed.
Although bedbugs don’t pose a major health risk, an allergic reaction to their bites may require medical attention. Occasionally, strange cases have been linked to infestations of bedbugs. One reported case involved a 60-year-old man who suffered from anemia as a result of the blood loss from bedbug bites. Another case involved an asthmatic patient.
