Test your bed-bug knowledge — and no peeking at the answer key.
A. Which diseases do bed bugs spread?
- A. Hepatitis
- B. AIDs
- C. Malaria
- D. None
- E. Meningitis
B. How long might I need to leave my house for, so bed bugs will starve?
- A. A week
- B. Two weeks
- C. A month
- D. Two months
- E. As long as five months
C. What do bites from bed bugs look (and feel) like?
- A. Big red welts; painfully itchy
- B. So tiny you hardly see them; not painful
- C. Always in rows on the skin; itchy
- D. Mosquito bites; itchy
- E. It depends
D. What besides blood do bed bugs feed on?
- A. Sawdust left by carpenter ants and other wood-feeing insects
- B. Nothing else
- C. Fibers in mattresses, sheets, and pajamas
- D. Skin cells cast off as we sleep
- E. Pet food left out overnight
Answers: A: 4. (none, though some people are allergic, developing painful, sleep-depriving skin rashes and — rarely —anaphylaxis) B: 5. (some old reports say “a year or more,” but that’s outdated info) C: 5. (it depends; some people don’t react at all) D. 2 (nothing else — regardless what you find on some websites)
NYSIPM Bed bug Resources:
What’s Bugging You? Bed bug page
How to get bed bugs out of your belongings
Bed Bugs Illustrated (Versions in Spanish and English)
for Cooperative Extension- How to talk to callers about bed bugs
Bed Bug Frequently Asked Questions