‘Night, night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.’ We’ve all heard this when we were children before we went off to the land of nod – but would you know how to spot a bed bug bite if you saw one on your body?

Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals during the night. They are part of the Cimicidae family and are oval-shaped, flat, and reddish-brown in colour, growing to about the size of an apple seed when fully developed.

Bed bugs are nocturnal and are commonly found in places where people sleep or rest, such as mattresses, bed frames, furniture, or cracks in walls.

They do not fly but can move quickly across surfaces. These pests are known for their ability to multiply rapidly and for being difficult to eliminate once they infest an area.

Bed bug bites can cause red, itchy welts on the skin, though some individuals may have little to no reaction. Their presence can lead to discomfort, stress, and sleep disturbances. Bed bugs typically spread by hitching rides on personal belongings, such as luggage, clothing, or furniture, allowing them to travel easily from place to place.

But how can you tell the difference between a bed bug bite and other bites? Madame Sweat took to TikTok to share “how to identify bed bug bites and how to treat them”.

She said: “If it’s red and itchy and looks like this,” showing a picture of marks that are “red, itchy, and grouped together,” then she said it’s “most likely a bed bug attack”.

Madame Sweat said it’s “not serious” if you get bed bugs, but you’ll probably want “something to take away the itchiness and a little bit of the pain”.

She recommended mixing “a paste of baking soda and water” and then apply it directly to the bites, “and leave it on for an hour”.

“Move that, and then add aloe vera gel to cool it off,” she shared, to ensure the itching isn’t as intense anymore.

What does the NHS say about bed bugs?

They share that bed bugs can hide in many places, including on bed frames, mattresses, clothing, furniture, behind pictures and under loose wallpaper.

The NHS lists the three tell-tale signs of bedbugs as:

1. bites – often on skin exposed while sleeping, like the face, neck and arms
2. spots of blood on your bedding – from the bites or from squashing a bedbug
3. small brown spots on bedding or furniture (bedbug poo)

On white skin, bedbug bites usually look red. On black or brown skin, they may look purple and may be harder to see.

Some people have a reaction to the bites. They can be very itchy and there may be painful swelling.

Bedbug bites usually clear up on their own in a week or so.

Things you can do include:

• putting something cool, like a clean, damp cloth, on the affected area to help with the itching and any swelling

• keeping the affected area clean

• not scratching the bites to avoid getting an infection

You can ask a pharmacist about:

• mild steroid cream like hydrocortisone cream to ease bedbug bites (children under 10 and pregnant women should get advice from a doctor before using hydrocortisone cream)

• antihistamines – these may help if the bites are very itchy and you’re unable to sleep

If you’re concerned about bed bugs and have had a bad reaction to them, speak to your GP.