Something Bugging You at Night?
Whether it’s the Twilight saga or True Blood on HBO, vampires have definitely been making a big comeback over the last few years. But in certain parts of the United States, another blood sucker that creeps into your bed at night has been making a comeback as well, the bed bug. Beg bugs are more than just creepy, crawly nuisances that make people feel icky when they lay in bed at night. Bed bugs are human bloodsuckers that can leave red, itchy bite marks on the skin and can even transmit disease.
Bed bugs are tiny, non-flying insects that are usually between 5-7 mm in length. They are sometimes mistaken for baby cockroaches because of their flat bodies and reddish color. After a blood meal, bed bugs appear bright red and can even leave blood traces on bedding or furniture. Bed bugs also have wings, but they’re vestigial so they cannot fly. Bed bugs enjoy feeding on humans because they are nocturnal and when they wake up, humans go to sleep, giving them plenty of time to feed at night. And, even if you go on vacation, the bed bugs in your home will survive because they can go up to two months without feeding.
Bed bugs were close to being eradicated after the widespread use of DDT began in the Unites States after World War 2. Although they are more common in poorer areas or places that are unclean, bed bugs can appear in clean, upscale living situations and are more prominent in places where people live in close quarters. Bed bugs frequently appear in the homes of wealthy people in Manhattan, but are kept under wraps to preserve property values. Bed bugs are found most commonly in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds and bed frames. Other sites where bed bugs often reside include curtains, wicker furniture and cracks in wallpaper.
Bed bugs can be spread from person to person through infested clothing at the workplace or anywhere people share close quarters. Bed bugs are also spread through animals and luggage. Due to an ever changing host of guests and their accompanying luggage bed bugs are frequently discovered in hotel rooms. The recent upsurge in bed bugs in the United States is thought to come from recent immigrant populations bringing the bugs in to the country. They are also also more prevalent than before because they’re becoming harder to kill due to pesticide resistance. In New York City, bed bugs are 264 times more resistant to insecticide than those in Florida.
Bed bug infestations can be detected by either visually detecting the bugs with the naked eye or by seeing their brown fecal stains or traces of blood. Getting rid of bed bugs is not easy. The best thing to do is to call a pest control service that will let you know whether your furnishings and clothing are salvageable or must be thrown out altogether. In some cases the residence may need a thorough deep cleaning with powerful vacuums and stiff brushes.
