How to Spot Bed Bug Rashes

Bed bugs are immune to many traditional bug sprays.

Bed bugs -- creepy, crawly little critters that feast on human blood -- can be difficult to detect, given their propensity for hiding in even the smallest of nooks and crannies. Though the bugs are not known to carry diseases, they can cause an itchy rash on the skin's surface, and they can be easily spread by humans who don't realize they have come into contact with them. In order to determine if your skin rash is a bed-bug bite, there are several signs to look for.

Things You'll Need

• Handheld mirror

Instructions

1. Examine your skin for signs of bed-bug bites in a well-lit room with a mirror, such as a bathroom. You may want to bring a hand-held mirror to assist you for the hard-to-see places, such as the back of your neck. The bites will usually show up on your face, neck, hands and arms.

2. Look at the color of your rash or apparent bite: A bed-bug bite is typically raised and very red in color; the middle may be darker than the outside of the bite. Sometimes, the middle will have a minute scab.

3. Note if your rash or bite is feeling itchy; itchiness is one more symptom that your home may be infested with bed bugs.

4. Take a close look at the arrangement of your bite or bites. Often, bed bugs will leave a trail of bites across the surface of your skin. The bites may be arranged in a line or in a noticeable cluster.

Tips & Warnings

• Call an exterminator if you are worried you may have bed bugs. You can try and eradicate them yourself, but they can be extremely hard to get rid of.

• Most bites do not require treatment; they should stop itching after several days.

• Apply hydrocortisone ointment to your skin to alleviate serious itching. Benadryl is another option.

• It can be difficult to differentiate bed-bug bites from other insect bites.

• Most common insect repellents will not work on bed bugs.

• Call a doctor if you feel you may be developing a severe reaction -- either in the form of a painful rash or bronchial spasms -- to the bites. These extreme symptoms are rare.

• Bed-bug bites can show up between one and three days of your exposure to the bed bugs.

References

• Mayo Clinic: Bed Bugs - Symptoms; Mayo Clinic Staff
• Public Health Significance of Urban Pests: Xavier Bonnefoy, et. al.; 2009
• An American Textbook of...; Lemuel Bolton Bangs, et. al.; 1898
• Pests of Paradise: Susan Scott, et. al.; 2007
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Bugs Emerge to Us...; Lauren Neergaard; April 11, 2011