{"id":758,"date":"2022-07-18T14:42:02","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T14:42:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/?p=758"},"modified":"2022-07-18T16:00:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T16:00:10","slug":"can-you-eat-bed-bugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/can-you-eat-bed-bugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Eat Bed Bugs? What If One Gets In Your Mouth?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The first step to living with bed bugs is to identify them. You can also use a magnifying glass or a flashlight to look for signs of bed bugs on your <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/will-changing-the-mattress-get-rid-of-bed-bugs\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"388\">mattress, box spring<\/a>, headboard, or nightstands.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs cannot jump or fly, and they do not transmit diseases, but they are miserable pests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Can you eat bed bugs? <\/em><\/strong> What If one gets in your mouth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Bed bugs usually do not go in your mouth, or in your body at all. They want to suck your blood like vampires, but they <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/where-do-bed-bugs-hide-on-your-body\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"505\">don&#8217;t want to set up camp<\/a> on your body. <\/li><li>It&#8217;s not dangerous if you accidentally eat a bed bug.<\/li><li>Historically, bed bugs have been consumed, primarily for medicinal reasons.<\/li><li>Assuming bed bugs are <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/do-bed-bugs-smell-blood\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"368\">engorged with blood<\/a>, they will taste like blood with crunchy, chitinous shells if they are accidentally eaten.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs cannot jump or fly, and they do not transmit diseases. However, they can cause skin rashes and allergic reactions in sensitive people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many myths about bed bugs, such as they only live on dirty mattresses or they can&#8217;t survive without <a href=\"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/can-bed-bugs-live-in-vacuum-sealed-bags\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"572\">regular access to human blood<\/a>. The truth is that bed bugs can survive for months without feeding off humans or animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have a long lifespan (6-12 months) and can go into a &#8220;hibernation&#8221;, so it is important to get rid of them completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can You Eat Bed Bugs? What You Need to Know About Eating Bed Bugs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve accidentally swallowed a bed bug, or you worry that this may have happened, there is no danger. Bed bugs are not poisonous, and will not harm you if swallowed. It is highly unlikely bed bugs would go into your mouth while sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\"><em>Bed bugs are not poisonous, and will not harm you if swallowed. It is highly unlikely bed bugs would go into your mouth while sleeping. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you&#8217;re in the midst of a terrible infestation of bed bugs, it&#8217;s still unlikely you would swallow one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when you think about it, <a href=\"https:\/\/ylpr.yale.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/YLPR\/_cricket_soup_final.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">we eat other insects<\/a>. We just don\u2019t regularly think about it. The FDA has even approved the use of insect parts in food products like chocolate syrup, fruit juice, and honey-based drinks. Insects are sometimes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/innovation\/scientists-are-making-cochineal-a-red-dye-from-bugs-in-the-lab-180979828\/\" rel=\"noopener\">used for coloring<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs have a strong taste of blood. They taste like iron because they suck our blood which contains iron in it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In some ancient cultures and throughout Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, bed bugs have been used for medicinal purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/articles\/why-doctors-once-treated-fevers-and-hysteria-with-mashedup-bedbugs\" rel=\"noopener\">have been documented<\/a> in ancient Chinese texts dating back to 3000 BC. In addition, it was mentioned in writings from India and ancient Greece that bed bugs were also used for medicinal purposes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\"><em>Bed bugs have a strong taste of blood. They taste like iron because they suck our blood which contains iron in it.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People in Asian countries are at risk of eating bed bugs. In these countries, people do not have the same hygiene standards as those in Western countries. In Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines, there are high levels of poverty, and people often live in cramped quarters where bed bugs may be more difficult to eradicate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bed Bugs and Humans: Partners For the Long Term<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs have coexisted with humans for a long time, and as you rewind history, often homes were dirtier, contained more people, and had less knowledge on how to control bed bug infestations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a lot of human history, bed bugs were just a fact of life, and something that many people just lived with. In fact, in the middle ages, bed bug infestations were considered a sign of holiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\"><em>For a lot of human history, bed bugs were just a fact of life, and something that many people just lived with. In fact, in the middle ages, bed bug infestations were considered a sign of holiness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if you&#8217;re reading this while tearing your hair out in the midst of an infestation, you can be comfortable that you&#8217;re actually experiencing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlasobscura.com\/articles\/why-doctors-once-treated-fevers-and-hysteria-with-mashedup-bedbugs\" rel=\"noopener\">sacred event<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as mentioned above, in some places and times, people did intentionally consume bed bugs, primarily as medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were plentiful. Might as well make the most of an infestation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Tell If You Have Bed Bugs Biting You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed Bug bites look similar to mosquito bites, but there are some differences. Mosquitoes bite with a proboscis that injects saliva and helps prevent blood from clotting as they feed on humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed bugs use their needle-like mouthparts to suck blood from the host&#8217;s skin. The saliva of mosquitoes is mostly water, while the saliva of bed bugs contains an anticoagulant that causes more harm when injected into the bloodstream.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bed Bug bites are usually more visible than mosquito bites and do not have a red dot in the center. Mosquito bites are usually larger and have a red dot in the center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:30px\"><em>Bed Bug bites are usually more visible than mosquito bites and do not have a red dot in the center.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you fear you&#8217;ve accidentally swallowed a bed bug, the good news is they are harmless. And most likely you didn&#8217;t actually swallow one. You have nothing to worry about. They are edible, and throughout history have been consumed medicinally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first step to living with bed bugs is to identify them. You can also use a magnifying glass or a flashlight to look for signs of bed bugs on your mattress, box spring, headboard, or nightstands.\u00a0 Bed bugs cannot jump or fly, and they do not transmit diseases, but they are miserable pests. Can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":771,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=758"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":794,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/758\/revisions\/794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pestqueen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}