Exterminator Secrets

A skin lesion blamed on a spider often turns out not to be a spider bite at all. In one prospective study of 182 emergency-department patients who believed they had […]

A bed bug detection dog can perform extremely well in a controlled test and considerably worse inside a real apartment. That gap is one of the most important things to […]

A mattress can contain dust mites without you ever seeing a single one. Bed bugs are different. Adults are plainly visible without magnification, which makes these two pests very different […]

Bed bugs were bothering people long before modern bedrooms, hotels, or apartment buildings existed. Archaeology has produced actual remains of the common bed bug from ancient Egypt, while even older […]

Most bed bug bites need little more than basic skin care. Wash the area gently with soap and water, use a cold compress for swelling or discomfort, and avoid scratching. […]

A bed bug can survive for months, but the often-repeated claim that adults normally live for a year or longer gives the wrong impression. Lifespan changes considerably with temperature, feeding, […]

Mosquitoes can sometimes bite through thin clothing, so it is reasonable to wonder whether bed bugs can do the same thing. Bed bugs generally feed on exposed skin rather than […]

Bed bug bites can appear almost anywhere, but exposed areas of the body are affected most often. Arms and legs are particularly common sites, while the face, neck, trunk, back, […]

Bed bugs do have natural predators. Masked hunters are documented feeding on them, and other generalist predators such as certain spiders, ants, pseudoscorpions, and predatory true bugs have also been […]

There is no such thing as a dust mite bite. Dust mites don’t bite, sting, or burrow into human skin. What people call “dust mite bites” are usually allergic skin […]