What could be more terrifying than sleeping with a group of crawling bed worms? Some people mistakenly confuse them with bed bugs.
But if they are not bed bugs, then who are they that cause bed worms? These creepy worms are larvae of different types of insects, such as carpet beetles and fleas.
So, their signs on your bed warn you about insect infestation in your home.
Although bed worms do not transmit bacteria or diseases, they can destroy your mattress and cause allergies.
In this article, we have shared a complete guide about bed worms and how to get rid of them.
Page Contents
What are bed worms?
Bed worms are tiny insects and a big problem for people, but there is no need to worry about them. Bed worm is actually a common name for larvae of different species, which can be found under your skin or in your hair.
They are only dangerous creatures once they become fully mature adults. Then why do they crawl on beds? The answer is they feed on natural silk and wool. That’s they are found on your beds eating bed sheets.
Generally, they hide under the mattress, in the headboard and in your bed frame. They are nocturnal, meaning they stay in hiding during the day and come out for feeding at night.
If you want to know about all the types of bed worms, read the next section carefully.
Images of bed worms
If you are looking for bed worms pictures or wondering what do bed worms look like, here is what what you are looking for:
Types of bed worms
Carpet Beetle (anthrenus scrophulariae) Larvae
Do not get confused with the word carpet in their name. They can be found anywhere, even on your bed. They are 4-5mm large in size, and their presence is primarily reported in apartment buildings.
You can identify them by hairs on their entire body, and these hairs can cause a reaction on your skin, like bed bugs bite if you are allergic to skin hairs.
Like other worms, they feed on fibers such as silk, wool, leather, dead insects, lint and several other things in the surrounding beds.
If you want to find their infestation and remove it, the best way is to search in the surrounding of your bed or under the carpet and vacuum the entire area daily.
Clothes Moth Larvae
The larvae stage in the life cycle of a clothes moth is known as moth larvae. There are extremely small, and their size is about 0.5 inches. They eat carpet, fabric, wool, and dead skin cells of organisms to grow and stay alive.
The eating habits of clothes moth larvae are similar to carpet beetle larvae. But their appearance is very different from theirs. Their body skin shines, and the color of their skin is white with a brown head.
Mattresses provide a suitable environment for the breeding of clothes moth larvae. They feed from your mattress at night and keep growing by hiding during the day.
In the life cycle of clothes moths, larvae are the second stage, which is two weeks to 2.5 years.
Because their larval stage is so long, that’s why clothes moths are the most challenging insects to get rid of.
Moth larvae are not harmful to you, but their long-time presence under your mattress can destroy it.
Flea Larvae
This microscopic and wingless parasite is in the immature stage of fleas that can be 1/8 to ΒΌ inch long. Their slender, segmented body has a cream-colored appearance.
They are born on the fur or feathers of the host animal when female flea hatch eggs. Their feed is partially digested blood which flea drops and dead cells of host skin.
Flea larvae are mostly found around bedding, furniture and carpets, where their host spends most of their time.
Outside, they can be found in nests or rest areas of animals or birds, such as grass and bushes.
Flea larvae are not harmful, but flea infestation can irritate your skin and allergy.
So, to avoid flea infestations around your rest areas or on your pet, follow daily cleaning habits and treat your pets with flea-prevention chemicals.
Pinworms (Threadworms)
0.5 inches long and white color parasites can infest children’s intestines to 10 years. They are harmful bacteria and very common infections in the United State children.
They are caused by infected food or water and can also be transmitted through direct contact with children.
The symptoms of pinworm infection are abdominal pain, difficulty sleeping, and irritability. Still, the most common symptom is itching near the anus, which causes when a female worm lays eggs.
Moreover, pinworms can also cause serious medical issues such as appendicitis.
They are only visible with high-intensity light which is used to find pinworms around the anus during diagnosis.
A few laboratories test on the sample of infected person’s stool also formed to diagnose pinworm infection.
Treatment of this infection is possible with one or two doses of mebendazole which kills the worms effectively.
Flour Beetle Larvae
Flour beetle larvae are the immature stage of weevil and are also called wheat weevil. They are 4-5mm long and white or cream color parasites with a segmented body.
They feed on flour, cereal, and grains; that’s why they can be found in the stores of flour and grain.
There is another specie of flour beetle called red flour beetle, and they can cause severe destruction to the entire grain store even though they are microscopic size parasites.
Flour beetle destroys the whole grain and eats only the starch inside the grain.
Once they infect a whore store, it is very challenging to stop them because of their tiny size.
If you want to protect your grains from flour beetle infestation, then store your grains in an airtight container.
Where do bed worms come from?
Most species of insects are nocturnal, which means they love to stay hidden in a dark place, such as under mattresses, sofas, and wool blankets. Additionally, they are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide. That’s why they infest near rest areas of humans.
These are the primary reasons for the infestation of insects near you. The babies or immature stage of these insects are called bed worms.
Moreover, their food source is fabric, silk and wool, available on a mattress, bed sheets and blankets.
What causes bed worms?
Nothing can be more disgusting than seeing bed worms crawling on your bed when you are ready to sleep in your comfy bed.
If you have dealt with them, you can imagine how frustrating it is. But what causes bed worms, and how can someone get rid of them?
The primary reason for bed worms’ infestation under your bed is the unclean and dirty mattress. The cluttered environment of your bed provides enough food sources and has perfect living conditions for bed worms.
Regularly clean your rest areas such as carpet, mattress and sofas with a vacuum pump and keep away bed worms from you.
Symptoms of bed worms
Generally, bed worms are not harmful to adults and children, but a few types of bed worms can cause serious infections, such as threadworm, whipworm, roundworm, tapeworm and hookworm.
All these types of infections are present in the region where the population is dense, and hygiene facilities are poor. So, these worms are rare except for threadworms in countries like Australia and New Zealand.
These infections are common in children during their growth period. They play outside and pick everything, including balls, worms and bugs. Then they share, and the infection spreads in every child.
The following are the most common symptoms of worm infections:
- Itchy Bottom
- Irritation and redness
- Difficult sleeping and restlessness
- Lack of appetite
If you observe these symptoms in your family members, buy worming tablets from a nearby pharmacy and take them.
How to get rid of bed worms?
There is no match to the sleep you can get on the comfy bed. But a sleeping experience with the bed worms would be the worst experience of your life.
Unfortunately, clutter and trash on your bed provide a suitable environment for bed worms to live there and grow.
But if you follow a few steps, you can quickly eliminate these disgusting parasites.
Step 1: Straight up your mattress
Bed worms are nocturnal and stay in during the day. Stand up your mattress and search under it because they usually hide under your mattress.
Point their infestation and remove it with the help of a high-pressure vacuum pump.
Once completely removed, keep your room and rest areas clean to prevent them from returning.
Step 2: Daily Vacuum routine
Follow a daily vacuum routine around your bed frame, pillow, sofa, and carpet to keep them clutter-free. Carefully vacuum and remove any larvae, adult insects and their eggs.
After vacuuming, the most important job is to carefully empty the vacuum at the right place so it cannot return.
Step 3: Use hot water for washing
After cleaning and removing bed worms, wash all your bedding in boiling water to kill the remaining bed worms.
Step 4: Use Mattress covers
After cleaning your room and bedding, cover them up with a mattress cover which will keep your mattress clean from dust and dirt as well as from infestation.
Step 5: Prevention
You can also use any pest-killing chemical to clean your mattress or any natural scent to keep them away from your bed.
In worse situations, please call a professional pest control company to help you get rid of bed worms.
Step 6: Seal cracks and crevices
Search all the tiny cracks and crevices on the floor and walls, and seal them with calk. This will decrease the risk of bed worms coming back.
Do bed worms bite?
Generally, bed worms do not bite, but there is only one type of bed worm, flea larvae who bite. However, all types of bed worms cause irritation and skin issues if found on your body.
Another bed worm called pinworm can cause severe infections in children, which is very common in the United States.
Moreover, if you are experiencing itching, swelling or seeing redness in your body, this may also be due to bed worms.
Sometimes, this itching forces you to scratch your skin which can cause a secondary bacterial infection.
Bed worms’ treatment
Treatment of bed worms’ is medication and if you find symptoms of worming in your or your family, buy worming tablets from a nearby pharmacy.
It suggested that the entire family should take worming tablets whether only one member is infected or the entire family.
Additionally, follow strict hygiene practices with medication to stop re-infestation or infection.
Other Intestinal worm infections can also be treated with worming tablets that kill these parasites without any side effects on the human body.
Please take medicine as per the prescription of your doctor or gastroenterologist. After medication, these parasites will drain out of the body.
Bed worms vs bed bugs
Typically, people think that bed bugs and worms are the same, which is not true. Bed bugs are adult insects that feed on the host’s blood, and their nymphs look similar to them but do not look like a worm.
On the other hand, bed worms are in the immature or larvae stage of different insects. They have segmented and thin bodies. Instead of sucking blood, they feed on the blanket wool, bed sheets, silk and fiber. Their appearance is a white or cream color.
Final Verdict
In this article, we have discussed that bed worms are small size or white or cream-color which infest the surrounding of your rest areas like mattress, pillow, carpet and sofa. Like their adults, they are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide. That’s why they hide near their host.
They are immature stage parasites of different insects, also known as larvae. Their bite is not harmful but can cause irritation, itching and redness on your skin. But if you suspect their presence near your rest areas, do not take them easy because they are a sign of an infestation of adult insects. So, follow preventive measures to find their infestation and remove it. Call any pest control company to remove bed worms if they go out of control effectively.
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