You will not see bed bugs living on your body. Unlike lice and the mites that cause scabies, bed bugs do not live on humans. Bed bugs come out of hiding to feed on human blood in order to survive, and the feeding lasts about 4 to 12 minutes. After a bedbug feeds, it returns to its hiding place.

The first time you are bitten, the bites may not itch right away. It can take time for your body to develop a reaction to the bites. Some people develop itchy welts within a few days of the first bites, but it can take as long as 14 days before the bites itch.

Some people also will not experience a reaction to a bed bug bite at all. Those that do experience symptoms of a bite are likely to experience one or more of the following:

Some people also will not experience a reaction to a bed bug bite at all. Those that do experience symptoms of a bite are likely to experience one or more of the following:

• a bite with a red, swollen area and a dark red center

• bites in a line or grouped together in a small area

• blisters or hives at the bite site

Bites can happen anywhere on the body. Most commonly they occur on areas of skin that are exposed while sleeping, such as the face, arms, legs, and hands.

Image Source: American Academy of Dermatology

The most common reactions appear as a raised, reddened welt similar to a mosquito bite. Bites tend to be very itchy and often appear in rows of 3-4 welts or more.

There are currently a couple of explanations for why bites often appear in rows:

The first theory is that they feed while you are sleeping and when you move or twitch, the bug will remove its mouthparts from your skin. When you stop moving, the bug can crawl a short distance and bite again, which can result in one bug leaving several bites in a row.

Another theory is that if you lay on a crease in your sheets, there could be several bugs in that crease. As you lay there, the bugs bite at the same time which leaves a row of bite marks.

Just because you have several bites this does not dictate the number of bugs you have. The theories above just show ways in which you can have rows of bite marks.

Are there other bites that resemble bed bug bites?

Bed bug bites can look like bites from other insects such as mosquitoes or chiggers, rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even hives. Unless you have positively identified a bed bug infestation or you know for sure that you slept in an infested bed, you may not know that bed bugs are a possible cause of your mysterious bites. If you react to their bites, they may become slightly swollen with an itchy, irritating red center. When this happens, they visually resemble mosquito or flea bites in their earliest stages. As a general rule, mosquito bites are more sporadic and flea bites remain very small and are typically located on your legs or ankles.

Also, it is important to realize that medical professionals cannot give a positive diagnosis simply by examining bite symptoms; they can only suggest some possible explanations for what may have caused the bites/symptoms to occur.

If you suspect bed bugs are living in your home, please give EcoShield a call or fill out the form on this page for a free no-obligation estimate.