How to take care of bed bugs bites

The first thing you should do once you notice a bed bug bite is wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. Combat itchy symptoms whenever necessary by covering the bite with natural solutions like lemon juice and aloe vera gel or professional remedies like 1% hydrocortisone cream and calamine lotion. If your skin starts to swell, take oral antihistamines, and use pain relievers like Tylenol to manage any discomfort. Visit your doctor if your bite hasn't cleared after 2 weeks. For tips from our Medical reviewer on identifying bed bug bites, read on!

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Treating your home
Products & Services
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Signs of Infestation
Bedbug Treatments
Bedbug Extermination
How long does it take for bed bug bites to go away?
What stops bed bugs from biting you?

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If you suspect that you're being bitten by bedbugs, immediately inspect your home for the insects. Thoroughly examine crevices in walls, mattresses and furniture. You may need to perform your inspection at night when bedbugs are active.

Look for these signs:

Dark specks. Typically found along mattress seams, these specks are bedbug excrement.
Skin castings. Bedbugs molt five times before becoming adults. These empty skins are pale yellow.
Rusty or reddish stains. You may find small smears of blood on your bed sheets where bedbugs were crushed.

Treatment

Bedbug bites don't usually need treatment, as they usually disappear on their own within a week or two. You might ease symptoms by using:

A skin cream containing hydrocortisone (Cortaid)
An oral antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

Treating your home

It can be difficult to get rid of a bedbug infestation because they hide well and can live months without eating. You may need to hire a professional exterminator, who will likely use a combination of pesticides and nonchemical treatments.

You may also treat your home for bedbugs by:

Vacuuming. A thorough vacuuming of crevices can remove bedbugs from an area but likely won't capture all of them. Empty the vacuum after each use.
Laundering. Washing items in water that's at least 120 F (48.9 C) can kill bedbugs. As will putting them in a dryer on a high setting for 20 minutes.
Placing items in an enclosed vehicle. If you live in a very hot place, bag up the infested items and place them in a car parked in the sun with the windows rolled up for a day. The target temperature is at least 120 F (48.9 C).

In some cases, you may have to throw out heavily infested items such as mattresses or couches. Make it obvious the item is unusable so no one else picks it up and gets bed bugs.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Symptoms & causes

April 09, 2022

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Show references

Kermott CA, et al., eds. Blisters. In: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies. 2nd ed. Time; 2017.
Studdiford JS, et al. Bedbug infestation. American Family Physician. 2012; 86:653.
Dinulos JGH. Infestations and bites. In: Habif's Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
How to find bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
Top 10 tips to prevent or control bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/top-ten-tips-prevent-or-control-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
Bed bugs FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.

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Most bedbug bites are painless at first, but later turn into itchy welts. Unlike flea bites that are mainly around the ankles, bedbug bites are on any area of skin exposed while sleeping. Also, the bites do not have a red spot in the center like flea bites do.

People who don't realize they have a bedbug infestation may attribute the itching and welts to other causes, such as mosquitoes. To confirm bedbug bites, you must find and identify the bugs themselves.

Signs of Infestation

If you wake up with itchy areas you didn't have when you went to sleep, you may have bedbugs, particularly if you got a used bed or other used furniture around the time the bites started. Other signs that you have bedbugs include:

Blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases
Dark or rusty spots of bedbug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed clothes, and walls
Bedbug fecal spots, egg shells, or shed skins in areas where bedbugs hide
An offensive, musty odor from the bugs' scent glands

If you suspect an infestation, remove all bedding and check it carefully for signs of the bugs or their excrement. Remove the dust cover over the bottom of the box springs and examine the seams in the wood framing. Peel back the fabric where it is stapled to the wood frame.

Also, check the area around the bed, including inside books, telephones or radios, the edge of the carpet, and even in electrical outlets. Check your closet, because bedbugs can attach to clothing. If you are uncertain about signs of bedbugs, call an exterminator, who will know what to look for.

If you find signs of infestation, begin steps to get rid of the bugs and prevent their return.

Bedbug Treatments

Getting rid of bedbugs begins with cleaning up the places where bedbugs live. This should include the following:

Clean bedding, linens, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Place stuffed animals, shoes, and other items that can't be washed in the dryer and run on high for 30 minutes.
Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.
Vacuum your bed and surrounding area frequently. After vacuuming, immediately place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and place in garbage can outdoors.
Encase mattress and box springs with a tightly woven, zippered cover to keep bedbugs from entering or escaping. Bedbugs may live up to a year without feeding, so keep the cover on your mattress for at least a year to make sure all bugs in the mattress are dead.
Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to get rid of places bedbugs can hide.
Get rid of clutter around the bed.

If your mattress is infested, you may want to get rid of it and get a new one, but take care to rid the rest of your home of bedbugs or they will infest your new mattress.

Bedbug Extermination

While cleaning up infested areas will be helpful in controlling bedbugs, getting rid of them usually requires chemical treatments. Because treating your bed and bedroom with insecticides can be harmful, it is important to use products that can be used safely in bedrooms. Do not treat mattresses and bedding unless the label specifically says you can use them on bedding.

Generally it is safest and most effective to hire an experienced pest control professional for bedbug extermination.

How long does it take for bed bug bites to go away?

In most cases, bedbug bites get better within 1 to 2 weeks. To relieve symptoms, you can: Apply an over-the-counter or prescription steroid cream to decrease inflammation and itching. Take an oral antihistamine to reduce itching and burning.