Bed Bugs can cause significant skin irritation and disrupt your sleep.

Adult bed bugs are small, wingless insects, roughly oval in shape, about 5-6 mm in length, rust brown in colour and a deeper red brown after a meal. Adult bed bugs can live for 6 months at room temperature (around 23°C) and longer in colder climates. They require a blood meal for nutrition and development. The cream coloured eggs (1mm in length) are laid on rough surfaces in cracks and crevices of bedding.

The two main species that bite humans include the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, and the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus. The tropical bed bug has become more common in Australia in recent years. There is no evidence to show that bed bugs transmit any infectious diseases but their bites commonly result in skin reactions and anaphylaxis may occur in people with severe allergies.