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What percentage of people react to bed bug bites?

nobugsonme — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:14:52 +0000

Often on the Bedbugger forums, we hear statements like, “I see dark spots and saw a bug in my bed that looked like a bed bug, but I do not have any bites.”

In response, I used to say, “many people do not react to bed bug bites.”

I first formulated this response based on anecdotal evidence: people coming to our forums who knew they had bed bugs and did not react. And PCOs who feed bed bug colonies and do not react.

Then, after hearing Jerome Goddard put the percentage of those who do not react to bed bug bites at 70%, I cited him on that for a while.

Having heard other statistics ranging from 50-60% recently asserted by other entomologists in the media, I have recently been saying that “entomologists tell us 50-70% of people may not react to bed bug bites.”

And now, thanks to Renee’s well-researched post, which shows some studies suggest a small minority do not react, and in the absence of a more definitive answer, I am going to go back to the only answer I know to be true: “many people do not react to bed bug bites.”

I know you’ll want all the information on this from Renee, so check out her post here.Similar Posts:

Another journalist tells own bed bug tale of woe, this time Michael Hann in the Guardian (UK)

nobugsonme — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:01:11 +0000

It’s always good when journalists and others in the media tell their own bed bug stories.

As far as raising public awareness about how bed bugs can (and will) infest anyone’s home, having a journalist or writer tell their bed bug story in the news media is almost as good as having a friend or relative tell you they had the problem. Here’s a person who seems to have it together: decent career, nice home (we imagine), he doesn’t look too sloppy in the mugshot next to his byline.

The point is driven home: this can happen to everyone.

Unfortunately, it seems to take a lot of this in order to educate the public about bed bugs. We’re getting there, but slowly. So I am always grateful to see first-person accounts of bed bugs in the print media, on TV, and on non-bed bug blogs.

And today, Michael Hann writes in the Guardian about his family’s bed bug problems.

I can’t decide where, in our battle with the bedbugs, we reached the nadir. Was it when my son’s reception class teacher called my wife to express her concern about the number of bites on his arms, body and face? “He says they’re … bedbug bites,” she said, disbelievingly. “That’s right,” my wife replied. “We’ve got an infestation that we’re being treated for.” “Oh, I understand – I’ve come across bedbugs, when I’ve been travelling in Africa.” The words “but not when I’ve been teaching in north London” went unspoken.

And there, my friends, we see the need for still more public awareness about bed bugs: the teacher was shocked a kid in her classroom had bed bugs.

The article goes through the various experiences the family goes through, including treatment, and undergoing a post-treatment deep clean, only to find bed bugs harboring happily in a bed frame.

The article includes quotations from Bedbugger forum participant David Cain, of Bed Bugs Limited in the UK. David Cain’s suggestion to avoid sitting on public transportation is included as is the advice to the family from an unnamed woman who performed a deep clean after treatment:

… a woman who advised us that, in addition to never sitting down on public transport, we should always remove our clothes before entering a bedroom.

Now, that’s caution.

One of the tips at the end under “How to spot an infestation” intrigued me:

Look for unexplained rashes, although one in 10 people doesn’t respond to bites. If you react badly, use antihistamines.

Jerome Goddard says as many as 70% of folks don’t react to bed bug bites. I am interested in the sources of either of these figures.

I know you’ll want to read the rest of Hann’s story here.Similar Posts:

More students at college finding bed bugs in their dorm rooms

nobugsonme — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:16:47 +0000

NYU students blogged about it first.

Now the Guilfoid (apparently a student gossip blog at Guilford College in North Carolina) claims to have heard two bed bug reports at the school in 24 hours.

The GW Hatchet (an independent student paper at George Washington University in Washington D.C.) also reports that bed bugs had been detected in several residence halls there, including 2034 G Street:

University spokesperson Tracy Schario said only one student was confirmed to have been bitten by the insects, but about a dozen may have been exposed to them. The freshmen were part of a School of Engineering and Applied Sciences retreat in the woods before the start of school.

University administrators and students need to remember that not having visible, itchy bite marks does not mean you were not bitten by bed bugs.

If bed bugs are present in a space, the people living in or frequenting the space are likely also being bitten. If I were among the “dozen,” I would take steps to make sure my possessions and room were bed bug-free.

Some may develop reactions to bed bug bites in time. (One PCO told us he was bitten by his colony for months before reacting — seemingly all at once.)

Others may never react to bed bug bites. And that’s why everyone should learn the visual signs of bed bugs, and inspect for bed bugs regularly and especially in a new home or rented or borrowed room.
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