Bed Bugs at Night

by kelijah
(Annapolis,MD, USA)

I am 11. I keep seeing them at night when I'm on my phone at night. I'm scared. Do they get in my skin will I die, please help.

Editor Reply Bed Bugs at Night

Kelijah,

It would be very unusual to see bed bugs at night, as they come out when people sleep. My guess is that the bugs you are seeing are not bed bugs, but some type of beetle or young roach.

If they are bed bugs, they do not spread disease and will not make you sick. To be sure, check your mattress under the sheets. If there are no brown/red stains on the mattress (check around the seams), then the problem is probably not bed bugs.

Ask your parents to call an exterminator or contact the building manager. If you can, catch one of the insects and bring it to your local department of health or cooperative extension in your town. In your area you can call the number listed below and see if they can identify insect samples.

Anne Arundel County Department of Health
Housing and Food Protection Services
Bureau of Environmental Health
Anne Arundel County Department of Health
3 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
410-222-7238

Best of luck with the bed bugs at night problem. Odds are, you are looking at some harmless insects that can be quickly eliminated by an exterminator.