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I HATE BUGS! Well, maybe with the exception of Ladybugs, Butterflies, and the "Tickle Bug" that my husband uses to tease the grandchildren. But the rest you can have! Preferably served with a can of Raid™. In previous articles I have written about Stink Bugs and how they end up in the central vacuum or down the toilet as fast as I can do it. But this week I have hit upon another type of bug that is causing widespread problems: the Bed Bug.
Because this is suddenly a NEW or NOTEWORTHY problem, many forms of media have picked up on it for stories, for example The Morning Call in Allentown, PA features a headline on the front page that reads "Bedbug Outbreak"; the Express Times in Easton also had an article on this topic. But the most impressive is a two page color photo spread in Time Magazine titled "Nightmare on Bedbug Street". Because of the many media sources, this article may ramble among them to present what is most interesting. I beg your forgiveness. Bed Bugs - Infestations of Bed Bugs are up 5000 percent as are the number of reported attacks! The nightmare begins when a Bed Bug finds its way into your clothing; it usually happens at a hotel but can start anywhere. Hospitals, businesses, homes, busses, apartments and hotels are just a few places where bed bugs are being reported. It is said that bed bugs don't transmit disease from feeding on your blood; however, an engorged bedbug can burst at the slightest bit of pressure exposing you to human blood. If that blood is infected, then you run a risk of infection as well. Taking a few simple precautions can prevent the nightmare from ever happening. Here is information to help determine if you have bed bugs, how to deal with infestations, and most important, how to protect yourself during travel! Finding bed bugs in your home has nothing to do with poor hygiene! It takes only one bed bug to hitch a ride on your clothing (furniture, suitcase, etc) and infest your residence. What's worse is that they can live up to one year without drinking a drop of your blood. Feeding takes about 10 to 15 minutes for adults and less for the nymphs; they feed about every three days. Depending on the conditions, bed bug nymphs can survive for months without feeding. Bed Bugs are insects, more specifically, 'True Bugs', which have piercing mouthparts that in most species are used for feeding on plants. Unfortunately, there are some species of bugs with mouthparts that have been adapted to feed on human blood while inflicting very little pain (most never feel the blood feeding). Bed Bug Lifecycle
 The eggs are white and about 1mm long. The nymphs look like adults but are smaller. Complete development from egg to adult takes from four weeks to several months depending on the temperature and amount of feed available, see the lifecycle chart above. How do you know if you have bed bugs?
 Bed bug bites are the best way to determine if you have bedbugs. In the photo above you'll see a visitor who was bitten by bedbugs; he itched throughout the night and when he went in to check, this is what he found! Although the image is of a severe reaction, you may find that your bites are not this bad; not everyone reacts the same to bites. The grouping is a good sign and you should start checking for mold like spots on your mattress. If you have such a reaction, check with your doctor who may recommend an antihistamine or topical cream to relieve any itching and or burning. Do not scratch the bites as this may lead to infection! If you suspect you have an infestation, you should contact a licensed exterminator. You can try to do it yourself using the tips found here, but your odds are a lot better letting a licensed professional handle it.
Here are the facts about Bed Bugs:
Quick tips to help remove bed bugs:
Wash all your linens and place them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes (or you can freeze them at -5 C or below for five days).You can vacuum to capture bed bugs and their eggs, but because the eggs are embedded to the fabric, you may have to scrape the surface. Once you have vacuumed everything, immediately place the vacuum bag into a plastic bag, seal it tight and dispose (outside). Seal items mentioned above to prevent the bugs from hiding. You can place glue boards or sticky tape around your bed and in the room to catch the bed bugs as the move around; this gives you a way to monitor the effectiveness of your efforts.
A few ways to prevent bed bugs from getting into your home include:
Bedbugs - they're everywhere, and now they're getting worse. So says a new report from the University of Kentucky and the National Pest Management Association. A survey of more than 500 exterminators found that calls to eradicate bedbugs have increased 57 percent in the past five years.
How do you get rid of them - or, better yet, how do you keep from getting them? We never had to worry about bedbugs in the U.S. But a combination of factors has increased their numbers exponentially since the mid-1990s: a period of affluence (leading to more international travel and people bringing back a particularly strong strain of bedbug), social stigma (no one wants to admit they have them) and environmental awareness (hence, weaker pesticides).
Dr. Gale Ridge, bedbug guru at the New Haven Agricultural Experiment Station, offered some tips. For instance, do "bedbug-proof" mattress covers work? Kind of. They will keep a bedbug population from establishing itself in your bed. But if they're that close to begin with, they'll establish somewhere else nearby.
"Bedbug-proof mattress covers make it difficult for bedbugs to find a hiding place, so bedbugs tend to move to other locations for clustering/harborage, and off the mattress and box spring," Ridge said in an e-mail. "They cannot prevent bedbug populations establishing in a bedroom. Bedbugs are mobile. "So the best anti-bedbug maneuver is to not get them in the first place. To that end, Ridge said, vigilance - especially when traveling - is key. "Travel with clothes that can tolerate hot drier and wash cycles; use hard smooth luggage, not fabric luggage," she said.
That seems like a lot of work, but it's not nearly as much as getting rid of bedbugs once they populate. When people take it upon themselves to eradicate bedbugs, Ridge said, they usually fail. And the longer it takes to get rid of them, the more they spread. Hire a professional, preferably after getting references. "Good management is a partnership between the resident and the pest control professional," Ridge said. "The resident cleans and prepares the property and a trained, competent [pest control professional] treats it. Most bedbug control failures are as a result of poor sanitation by the resident."
Now that you are an expert on the topic of Bed Bugs, I have one more thing to add: Bug Sniffing Dogs! Now man's best friend is not only trained to sniff out illegal drugs, but Bed Bugs and their eggs. The August 30th issue of Time Magazine pictures what looks like a Beagle on a couch with his nose pressed into the cushions. The caption states that these dogs are "used for early detection or to pinpoint follow-up areas". Good Grief! Has Snoopy finally found a career alternative to being The Red Baron?
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