How do you know your house is suffering from a bed bug invasion if you don't even know what the little critters look like? Let's discuss their physical appearance, in hopes of giving you an idea of what bed bugs resemble, and how to tell them apart from similar parasitic bugs, as well as size, shape and color, so that you can be certain if your home is in need of a bed bug infestation eradication.

We won't worry so much about the young bed bugs, as they aren't really the problem...yet. We will focus our attention on the adult bed bugs for now. They have no wings, and their reddish-brown bodies are flat and oval-shaped. You'll be able to see a series of black bands in between the reddish coloring across their bodies. This is due to the microscopic hairs covering them. They are small, as are all parasites. In the case of bed bugs, they are between four and five millimeters (0.16 inches and 0.20 inches) and 1.5 to 3 millimeters wide (0.06 inches to 0.12 inches). So, they are small, so small it is hard to notice them, even though they are mixing it in where you sleep and hang out.

You won't even come close to spotting the little ones, the nymphs as the hatchlings are called. They aren't the easily spotted reddish-brown and banded coloring of the adults. Instead, they are lighter in color, nearly translucent. They only take on the darker shading of an adult when they mature and go through molting the first time.

Bed bugs often go through a case of mistaken identity. They've been tagged as being booklice and also carpet beetles. If it is any consolation, both of these critters have been mistaken for bed bugs, so in all fairness it is neither parasite's fault.

Like other insects (bees and ants, for instance), bed bugs have a way of communicating using a system of pheromones and kairomones to let others in their extended family know where they are nesting and laying their eggs, as well as where the good feeding grounds are (usually in beds and on couches), and where they plan on going through the reproductive process.

The bed bug has a life span that is directly related not only to its species, but also how much feeding it can take part in. They have been known also to be able to live through many climate and temperature situations. If the temperature drops to below 61° F, adult bed bugs act like bears and go into a partial hibernation state. This lets them live a bit longer. At 14° F, bed bugs have a decent chance of living to about five days. However, as the temperature plummets to around -26° F, they've only got about 15 minutes to live. It is hard from them to dehydrate or even "dry up" in low humidity settings. Even if they've lost a third of their body weight they still remain alive and tolerant. The younger ones aren't so lucky, being more susceptible to drying out as the adults are. On the opposite side of the temperature scale, at around 113° F, both adults and their young will become deceased after merely seven minutes of being exposed to such heat. Additionally, carbon dioxide in high, concentrated doses will exterminate these bugs. Adversely, nearly-pure nitrogen in the atmosphere doesn't really mean a thing to them.

Learn about Bed Bug treatments that really work so you can take back control of your life. Kill your bed bugs using 100% effective treatments, Visit http://www.BedBugTreatmentReviews.com for Bed bug Reviews.