This article was written for How To Detect Bed Bugs
An Astonishing Comeback
Not long ago, parents would tuck their children in, and with a kiss to the forehead and say “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bits”. Today this innocuous rhyme is full of revisionist horror. And yet from 1945 on, bed bugs had been virtually eradicated in the developed world because of the widespread usage of pesticide sprays like DDT. Today’s epidemic – and it’s reached this level in some places like New York City – has been caused by a combination of easy accessibility to international travel coupled with increased density in cities. Just turn on the news to hear awful stories about how these parasitic bugs who have a distinct taste for human blood are taking over. That which was once limited to “poor” areas when the resurgence started is now affecting the toniest addresses. Bed bugs tend to be hard to clear out, once they’ve taken up residence because of their fast rate of reproduction.
Knowing What to Look For
But knowledge is power. Knowing what to look for if you suspect an infestation or spend a lot of time in hotel rooms will help you gain control. Fully grown bed bugs are reddish brown to light brown, about the size and shape an apple seed. Babies, also known as nymphs, are kind of translucent and lighter hued; they become darker as they molt and grow. The term bed bugs is used to describe any insect from the Cimex species. Human blood is definitely their preferred food and this means when night sets, they leave their hiding place to share your bed. Be sure to examine your bed, frame and headboard, as well as mattress and pads, bed sheets, cushions and clothes. Check all furniture within a five foot radius on the bed too as during the day they will return to their nest which may be inside nearby furniture, walls, light fixtures or electrical plates. Be cautious too as bed bugs can be carried home in books, baggage, clothes and automobiles. Almost all of the activity of bed bugs occurs during the night, but bed bugs aren’t just nocturnal. To add insult to injury, these bloodsuckers are really robust, able to withstand climate extremes in temperatures from 14-90 degrees F (though they cannot survive for long at either end on this range).
Not My Home!
Diagnosis of an invasion can be difficult. Considering bed bugs are small and energetic mainly at night they are usually tough to find during the day. Bite spots on your person is the best hint, but be sure to look out for their bug casings that molt off, small patches of dried blood on your sheets and their faecal matter that shows up as teeny tiny blackish brown dots on your bedsheets, mattress, or mattress tag. It’s possible to just see one and assume you’re lucky to have caught the sucker early. But be thorough in your inspection as bed bugs are great at hiding though they do live in a group. As soon as a colony is established, bed bugs reproduce really fast. Recruit help to figure out if you have an infestation. There are trained dogs that can be hired to come in and sniff them out with 97% success rate. These dogs smell the bed bugs’ recognizable scent overripe raspberry odor. Of course exterminators are also trained to recognize exactly where and how to locate bed bug infestations within your residence or commercial property. The only word of warning is to retain reputable companies to help with eradication. The only thing that seems to be spreading as fast as bed bugs are scams promising to rid your home of them.
This article was written for How To Detect Bed Bugs