Maybe you can recall being tucked into bed and thinking all was good in the world until your mother said "Don't let the bed bugs bite!" What? Bedbugs? Was she kidding? Were there really bugs that would come out at night and eat you while you slept? Well, no, they wouldn't eat you. But they do exist and they do bite. Though, virtually eradicated during the 1940s, the 1990s brought a resurgence of the creepy creatures.
What are bed bugs? These bugs are tiny parasitic insects of the cimicidae family. They feed on the blood of humans and other warm blooded creatures like cats and dogs. The name bedbug was given to them because of their propensity to infest homes, especially beds or other areas where people sleep. Other names for them include wall louse, crimson rambler and redcoat. They tend to come out at night and generally go unnoticed since people are sleeping.
The feeding process is rather disgusting to contemplate. They pierce the skin with 2 tubes. One tube injects an anticoagulant and an anesthetic while the other sucks out the blood. They feed for approximately 5 minutes and then crawl back to their hiding location. It may be hours or days before the victim notices the bites.
Bedbugs like to feed every five to ten days. However, they can live a lot longer than that without feeding. In warm temperatures, the bugs can live up to 5 months; in colder environments, they may live up to a year.
Natural predators of the bedbug include roaches, ants, mites and spiders. Rodents will also eat bedbugs, although bats will not eat the bugs due to a pheromone released if they are attacked. Attempting to rid your home of them in this predator fashion will not generally be successful.
What will work is the use of pesticides. There are other methods including exposure to high concentrations of nitrogen or carbon dioxide and also by exposing them to heat. Temperatures that are high enough to kill bedbugs should be over 115-120 degrees for at least 20 minutes. After treatment is completed, it is advisable to continue to monitor the area for a re-occurrence. A full blown problem can resurface if any eggs survive the treatment.
As touched upon earlier, it is not easy to detect bed bugs because they come out at night while people are asleep. The bites are not always noticeable, and may not ever be noticed if there is no allergic reaction. A reaction will include red bumps or flat welts and intense itching. In severe but rare cases, nausea can be caused. Luckily, lab studies have shown that bedbugs are not likely to spread diseases from one person to another.
What are bed bugs? These bugs are tiny parasitic insects of the cimicidae family. They feed on the blood of humans and other warm blooded creatures like cats and dogs. The name bedbug was given to them because of their propensity to infest homes, especially beds or other areas where people sleep. Other names for them include wall louse, crimson rambler and redcoat. They tend to come out at night and generally go unnoticed since people are sleeping.
The feeding process is rather disgusting to contemplate. They pierce the skin with 2 tubes. One tube injects an anticoagulant and an anesthetic while the other sucks out the blood. They feed for approximately 5 minutes and then crawl back to their hiding location. It may be hours or days before the victim notices the bites.
Bedbugs like to feed every five to ten days. However, they can live a lot longer than that without feeding. In warm temperatures, the bugs can live up to 5 months; in colder environments, they may live up to a year.
Natural predators of the bedbug include roaches, ants, mites and spiders. Rodents will also eat bedbugs, although bats will not eat the bugs due to a pheromone released if they are attacked. Attempting to rid your home of them in this predator fashion will not generally be successful.
What will work is the use of pesticides. There are other methods including exposure to high concentrations of nitrogen or carbon dioxide and also by exposing them to heat. Temperatures that are high enough to kill bedbugs should be over 115-120 degrees for at least 20 minutes. After treatment is completed, it is advisable to continue to monitor the area for a re-occurrence. A full blown problem can resurface if any eggs survive the treatment.
As touched upon earlier, it is not easy to detect bed bugs because they come out at night while people are asleep. The bites are not always noticeable, and may not ever be noticed if there is no allergic reaction. A reaction will include red bumps or flat welts and intense itching. In severe but rare cases, nausea can be caused. Luckily, lab studies have shown that bedbugs are not likely to spread diseases from one person to another.
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