Bed bugs are a parasitic insect; they get their name from the fact that they like to live where humans sleep. They feed off of blood. Bed bugs are red to brownish in color and grows up to about 4-5 mm in length. The insects appear translucent until maturity. Bed bugs are flat oval shaped nonflying insects. Their size and flat shape allows them easily navigate through tiny crevices without damaging themselves. These bugs tend to be mistaken for other insects like cockroaches, beetles, and tics. These insects can not live in extreme temperature or high humidity, which is a reason they seek shelter in homes, due to the climate controlled atmosphere. They like to live in the same temperatures as humans.
Bed bugs were almost eradicated from the United States in the 1940s and 50s; however due to increase of immigration and the restriction on certain pesticide treatments they started to appear again in areas that had questionable sanitation conditions. They spread quickly from one household to another from one hotel to another. Hotels become quickly infested with bed bugs because they can travel in suitcases on people’s clothing and other personal items. These insects have spread so widely that they no longer just nest in unsanitary conditions. There have been many outbreaks of bed bug infestation in luxury hotels.
