What Happens If I Eat a Bed Bug?
WouterA bed bug is not a dangerous insect, but eating it can cause allergic reactions in some people. Although eating bed bugs is not harmful, eating other bugs can cause a variety of allergic reactions. Some people are allergic to the proteins in arthropods, which include bed bugs and other bugs. People with asthma are especially sensitive to the protein, but others do not have any problems eating the bugs.
While bed bugs will sometimes feed on animals such as bats and birds, human blood is their primary source of nourishment. They will feed every five to 10 days on a human host. Once they have finished feeding, bed bugs will head back to their hiding place. Then, they will begin their next stage of life, and they will grow to about two times their original size.
Bed bugs don’t have mouths like humans, but they do have hemolymph, which does the same job as blood in mammals. This fluid is blue-green in color and is made up of copper. The bite is not painful, but it can cause a whitish fluid to flow out of the wound.
In some cases, bedbug infestations are more likely to be spread between apartments, and can occur even if one apartment is free of them. In such cases, it is essential to take steps to get rid of the bugs in the entire building.
