Test Your Bed-Bug IQ

Test your bed-bug knowledge — and no peeking at the answer key.

A. Which diseases do bed bugs spread?

  1. A. Hepatitis
  2. B. AIDs
  3. C. Malaria
  4. D. None
  5. E. Meningitis

B. How long might I need to leave my house for, so bed bugs will starve?

  1. A. A week

    From egg to adult, well-fed bed bugs (top) and hungry bed bugs (bottom)
    From egg to adult, well-fed bed bugs (top) and hungry bed bugs (bottom) Photo credit Allison Taisey
  2. B. Two weeks
  3. C. A month
  4. D. Two months
  5. E. As long as five months

C. What do bites from bed bugs look (and feel) like?

  1. A. Big red welts; painfully itchy
  2. B. So tiny you hardly see them; not painful
  3. C. Always in rows on the skin; itchy
  4. D. Mosquito bites; itchy
  5. E. It depends

D. What besides blood do bed bugs feed on?

  1. A. Sawdust left by carpenter ants and other wood-feeing insects
  2. B. Nothing else
  3. C. Fibers in mattresses, sheets, and pajamas
  4. D. Skin cells cast off as we sleep
  5. 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 (some old reports say “a year or more,” but that’s outdated info)  C: 5.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