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.
When they do come out to feed, they pierce the skin with two tubes. One tube releases anticoagulants and anesthetics and the other draws the blood. After about five minutes, they are finished feeding and will return to their hiding spots. The bites are not often detectable for several hours or even days, and become noticeable as a skin reaction to the injected substances.
These creatures will normally try to feed every 5 - 10 days. That being said, they can go much longer without doing so. In hotter climates, bedbugs can survive up to 5 months. In colder temperatures, they may live for about a year.
Natural predators of the bedbug include spiders, roaches, ants and mites. Rodents will also eat bedbugs, although bats will not. A pheromone that gets released by the bug upon attack is an effective deterrent against bats. Attempting to treat a bedbug infestation with biological balance will almost never work
Treating bedbugs will require more intense action. Bedbugs will die in temperatures over 115 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Pesticides are also recommended as an effective treatment. High concentrations or nitrogen or carbon dioxide will also kill the bugs. Once the infestation is dealt with, care should be taken to check for re-infestation, due to surviving bugs or eggs or due to animals or other carriers that brought the bugs inside in the first place.
As stated earlier, bugs are difficult to detect as they usually come out while people are sleeping. Their bites are not noticeable for a while, particularly if there is no allergic reaction. Reactions will present themselves as red bumps or flat welts accompanied by severe itching. Rarely, nausea can occur. Fortunately, laboratory studies have shown that the risk of disease transmission through bed bugs is unlikely.
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.
When they do come out to feed, they pierce the skin with two tubes. One tube releases anticoagulants and anesthetics and the other draws the blood. After about five minutes, they are finished feeding and will return to their hiding spots. The bites are not often detectable for several hours or even days, and become noticeable as a skin reaction to the injected substances.
These creatures will normally try to feed every 5 - 10 days. That being said, they can go much longer without doing so. In hotter climates, bedbugs can survive up to 5 months. In colder temperatures, they may live for about a year.
Natural predators of the bedbug include spiders, roaches, ants and mites. Rodents will also eat bedbugs, although bats will not. A pheromone that gets released by the bug upon attack is an effective deterrent against bats. Attempting to treat a bedbug infestation with biological balance will almost never work
Treating bedbugs will require more intense action. Bedbugs will die in temperatures over 115 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Pesticides are also recommended as an effective treatment. High concentrations or nitrogen or carbon dioxide will also kill the bugs. Once the infestation is dealt with, care should be taken to check for re-infestation, due to surviving bugs or eggs or due to animals or other carriers that brought the bugs inside in the first place.
As stated earlier, bugs are difficult to detect as they usually come out while people are sleeping. Their bites are not noticeable for a while, particularly if there is no allergic reaction. Reactions will present themselves as red bumps or flat welts accompanied by severe itching. Rarely, nausea can occur. Fortunately, laboratory studies have shown that the risk of disease transmission through bed bugs is unlikely.
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