How Dangerous Is It To Have Bed Bugs In My Orange County Home?

Venom

One of the most direct ways a bug can be a threat is by stinging you. Bees, wasps, fire ants, and scorpions are examples of this kind of pest. Stinging pests can cause painful wounds and their venom can present a danger to you if you are allergic. Bed bugs don't sting, so you can take that off your checklist of things to worry about. But you can't quite take venom off your list yet.

There are many bugs that can bite you. If you are bitten by a venomous bug such as a black widow spider or brown recluse spider, it can have the same consequences as being stung. But we have good news for you. Bed bugs don't have venom. However, they do bite, and their bites can lead to other issues.

Viruses

There are some bugs that can bite you and spread viruses. Mosquitoes are an example of this kind of pest. Some of the viruses spread by mosquitoes have serious medical symptoms and, in rare cases, can be fatal. We have many mosquito species in the United States, and some are more prone to spreading diseases than others because their biology allows for the incubation of the virus in their guts.

Bed bugs are not currently known to spread viruses. This may be due, in part, to the fact that they are indoor pests with a preference for human blood, so unless someone comes into your home with one of these viruses, you have little to be concerned about. It is also important to keep in mind that, just as with mosquitoes, a bed bug would not be able to spread every virus that is out there.

Diseases

There are some bugs that can spread disease-causing organisms to you as they feed on your blood. A tick is an example of this kind of pest. Some diseases, like Lyme disease, can become chronic and lead to lifelong medical symptoms. While there is limited data, as of this writing, there is only one disease that bed bugs are known to carry and transmit. This disease is Chagas disease, but there are no real-world cases of anyone who has acquired Chagas disease from a bed bug.

Bacteria

Bugs that get into trash and other dirty places are able to spread organisms that cause stomach illness. Bed bugs have no reason to get into your trash. So, as bugs go, they're fairly clean—well, mostly. They do sleep in their own fecal matter. While this is somewhat unsanitary, there is no link to it creating illness for humans. It's just super gross.

Allergies

Some bugs aggravate allergies. Cockroaches are a good example of this. Roaches shed their skins many times during their lifetime and these skins can cause respiratory issues to flare up. Bed bugs also shed their skins, though not nearly as many times as roaches. If you have bed bugs in your home, you could experience discomfort if you suffer from asthma. It is more likely, however, that the histamines in bed bug feces will be the culprit. Researchers have discovered significantly higher levels of histamine within homes that have bed bugs.

Bed Bug Concerns

As you can see, bed bugs aren't nearly as dangerous as other bugs, but that doesn't mean they're harmless. Here are a few ways bed bugs can present a threat:

• Bed bugs have a resistance to chemicals and you could make yourself sick if you spray chemicals to kill them. You could have these bugs picking up the chemicals and carrying them to you while you sleep.
• Bed bugs feed multiple times. If ten bed bugs feed on you, they will leave thirty or more bites on your skin. That's a lot of bites.
• Bed bug bites can become infected if you scratch them and then cause open wounds.
• Ongoing bite events can lead to anemia which can have serious consequences.
• Bed bugs can wreck your social life. If your friends and family find out that you have these bugs, it will be difficult to host gatherings in your home.