Bedbugs can be found on their own, but typically congregate in groups. Newly hatched nymphs lighter in color and continue to become browner as they reach maturity.
Bedbugs generally only bite an hour before dawn, though they may feed at other times. Attracted by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide, the bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while the other withdraws blood. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some time later, as a reaction to the injected agents. Low infestations are difficult to detect, and most victims don't realize they have bedbugs until the infestation is out of control.
Bites may be found in a variety of places on the body. Patterns of bites in a row or a cluster are typical as they may be disturbed while feeding. While bedbugs harbor diseases in their bodies like bubonic plague and hepatitis B, they have not been linked to the transmission of any disease. Some individuals will get skin infections and scars from scratching bites. Female bedbugs lay up to five eggs in a day and five hundred during a lifetime. The eggs are visible to the naked eye measuring 1 mm in length and are a milky-white. The eggs hatch in one to two weeks and hatchlings begin feeding immediately. They pass through five molting stages over five weeks, feeding once during each of these stages.
People often acquire bedbugs at hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfasts, as a result of increased domestic and international tourism. They also can pick them up by inadvertently bringing infested furniture or used clothing to their household. Finally, bedbugs travel between units in multi-unit dwellings (condominiums, hotels and apartment buildings), after being originally brought into the building.
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