BED BUGS
Bed bugs are small, wingless
insects that feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Humans are
the preferred hosts for the two main bedbug species.
There are two species of bedbugs that are
known to feed on human blood. They are known scientifically as Cimex
lectularius and Cimex hemipterus. They have been found in
the tombs of ancient Egyptians many years ago around 3,500. Over millions of
years, bedbugs have evolved as nest parasites, inhabiting the nests of birds
and the roosts of bats. Some of them have learned to adapt to the human
environment.
Newborn bed bugs, called hatchlings or nymphs,
are tiny but visible and about the size of a poppy seed. Adults grow to about
0.25 inches long with an oval and flattened shape when they are not
feeding. After feeding, they can double in size. Nymphs, eggs, and adults are
visible to the naked eye.
They are called bed bugs because of their
preferred habitat in human habitations: like home sofas, bed mattresses,
clothing, and other soft furnishings. They also prefer the dark secluded sites.
Bedbugs are seen as a growing problem within
all types of dwellings, including private homes, school dormitories, cruise ships,
army barracks, and shelters.
When seen close up, their color may range from
a white, light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange color. When they have fed, a
dark red or black blob may be observed within their body. They seek shelter in
dark cracks and crevices when disturbed.
Bed bug
Facts
· Bed bugs are small wingless
insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals.
· Most bed bugs feed on their hosts
while they are asleep.
· The peak time for feeding is
between midnight and dawn times.
· Bites can be seen quickly
but may take minimum 14 days to become visible.
· Bed bugs need to feed
regularly to reproduce, lay eggs and survive.
Bed bug Signs
A bedbug may cause a
coriander-like smell.
The most obvious sign of bedbugs in the home
is that people complain of bites that occurred while they were asleep. If this
happens, examine the bedrooms for bedbugs and signs of bedbug activity.
Look carefully in bed linen and the seams and
tufts of mattresses and box springs for bugs or eggs. The eggs will look like
tiny, pale poppy seeds.
Signs of bedbug activity may occur beneath
loose areas of wallpaper near beds, in the corner of desks and dressers, in the
laundry, and in drawers.
Keep an eye out for dark brown or rust-colored
bed bug droppings that stain material and mattresses. Bed bug excrement is a
liquid that looks either light brown or black, and it usually either beads up
or is absorbed by the material around it.
A large population of bedbugs may produce a
coriander like odour.
Bed bugs Treatment
Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and
includes: topical creams, such as cortisone, to relieve itching an
oral antibiotic if infection occurs because of skin irritation around the
bite corticosteroids, if a person has a severe allergic
reaction antihistamines, to help relieve allergic reaction. Most
bites heal within 1 and 2 weeks of occurrence.
Bed bugs Removal
Since bed bugs can hide in a wide range of
places in the home, they are not easy to remove. It is advisable to bring in a
pest control professional.
Removing excess clutter from the house, giving
the bedbugs fewer places to hide, makes inspection and removal less difficult.
Some pest control companies request that
furniture is pulled away from walls and mattresses and box springs stood on
edge before they enter the home. Other companies prefer everything to be left
where it is so that they can perform a check before moving the furniture
themselves.1of4
Bed bugs Symptoms
Most bed bugs feed on their hosts while they
sleep. They draw blood in a painless way.
While feeding, they inject a small amount of
saliva into the host's skin. If they feed on one particular person for several
weeks, the individual may become more sensitive to their saliva and the
chemicals that it contains. The host might eventually develop an allergic
response.
Bed bugs, like fleas, tend to bite in rows.
There are likely to be two or three bites in each row. This is probably because
the bedbug is interrupted while feeding, and then comes back about half an inch
further down for its next bite.
Bites can take up to 14 days to become visible
but often appear within several days. Bedbug bites are larger than fleabites
and do not usually have a red dot at the center. The bites tend to
be raised and red.
Most people who are bitten show no symptoms at
all and often do not know it happened. This makes it more difficult to prevent
or identify potential infestations. Some individuals, however, may become ill
and nauseous. It is possible to get scars and skin infections from scratching
the bites.
Very rarely, people might have an anaphylactic
reaction to bedbug bites. It is possible but rare to have an
asthmatic reaction to bedbugs.
Bed bugs Causes
Bedbugs are adaptable, and there are many ways
in which a bedbug infestation can occur.
They may get into a new home as stowaways when
luggage, furniture, and bedding is moved in. People should be careful when
purchasing second-hand furniture and should never purchase used mattresses. A
careful visual inspection should allow a person to detect bed bugs or their
droppings.
Even vacant and seemingly clean homes may have
bed bugs in them. They can survive for over two months without any food. It is
also believed they can move from apartment to apartment through hollows and
holes in the walls and the tubes through which wires and pipes run.
Bed bug Prevention
Bedbug infestations can be difficult to prevent. It
is possible to encase both the mattress and box spring in a protective cover,
as some people do for allergy relief. Some pest control firms sell them, as
well as a number of retail outlets. There are range of products that can help
to protect a bed against bed bugs infestation.
Once encased, any bedbug trapped inside and
prevented from feeding will eventually die. Some people keep their new beds
encased, as it prevents the bugs from getting into the crevices in the mattress
and makes it easier to keep the surface clean and bug free.
When traveling, avoid putting luggage on
the bed to reduce the risk of bringing bedbugs home in a suitcase. It is also
worth vacuuming any luggage after you return home and making sure you get rid
of the contents of the vacuum in a tightly sealed bag. Dispose of this bag in a
trash can outside.
Separate travel clothes from laundry and
immediately wash them in hot water.
If you spot bedbugs in the home, call us as
the professionals and do not attempt to resolve the infestation with DIY. Bed
bugs can spread from room to room in clothing, and trying to remove them
yourself can often make the matter worse.
Although they are not known to carry diseases,
bedbugs can affect an individual's quality of life, causing distress,
discomfort, embarrassment, and broken sleep.
Bed bugs Facts
Here are the important facts to have in mind
when trying to remove or identify a bedbug infestation:
· The peak time
for feeding is between midnight and 5am. Hungry bedbugs will try to feed at any
time, but they do not like sunlight and prefer the dark. One feed will take
between 5 and 10 minutes. The bug will then return to its hiding place.
· Bedbugs will
feed every 5 to 10 days. They can, however, last for about 70 days without
feeding. A well-fed bedbug has a lifespan of seven months.
· They find their
host by seeking out human body heat and sensing the presence of the carbon
dioxide on the breath.
· A bedbug will
pierce the skin of its host with its mouth part. It first injects saliva that
is a mixture of an anesthetic, so that the host feels nothing and an
anticoagulant so that the blood flows out freely. It then sucks out blood until
it is full. The bites are not noticeable until after the skin reaction has
occurred.
· Bedbugs can
only reproduce when they have reached maturity. A female bedbug lays
approximately seven eggs in a day and hundreds during her lifetime.
A review of bedbug research conducted in 2016
found that while they are highly resistant to removal methods, bedbugs seem to
be more of a nuisance than a serious health problem. Research has failed to
show any link between the bedbugs associated with humans and human
disease.
The biggest risk for humans comes from
secondary bacterial infection. With bedbugs, this would occur as a result of scratching
the skin. Scratching, if it breaks the skin, allows normal bacteria from the
surface of the skin to penetrate deeper.
The source of any bacterial infection is,
therefore, the human host and not the bedbug.
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