|
|
Bed
bugs are parasites that preferentially feed on humans. If people aren't
available, they instead will feed on other warm-blooded animals, including
birds, rodents, bats, and pets. Bed
bugs have been documented as pests since the 17th century. They were
introduced into our country by the early colonists. Bed bugs were common in
the United States prior to World War II, after which time widespread use of
synthetic insecticides such as DDT greatly reduced their numbers. Improvements
in household and personal cleanliness as well as increased regulation of the
used furniture market also likely contributed to their reduced pest status. In
the past decade, bed bugs have begun making a comeback across the United
States. The widespread use of baits rather than insecticide sprays for ant and
cockroach control is a factor that has been implicated in their return. Bed
bugs are blood feeders that do not feed on ant and cockroach baits.
International travel and commerce are thought to facilitate the spread of
these insect hitchhikers, because eggs, young, and adult bed bugs are readily
transported in luggage, clothing, bedding, and furniture. Bed bugs can infest
airplanes, ships, trains, and buses. Bed bugs are most frequently found in
dwellings with a high rate of occupant turnover, such as hotels, motels,
hostels, dormitories, shelters, apartment complexes, and prisons. Such
infestations usually are not a reflection of poor hygiene or bad housekeeping. Adult
bed bugs are brown to reddish-brown, oval-shaped, flattened, and about 3/16 to
1/5 inch long. Their flat shape enables them to readily hide in cracks and
crevices. The body becomes more elongate, swollen, and dark red after a blood
meal. Bed bugs have a beaklike piercing-sucking mouthpart system. The adults
have small, stubby, nonfunctional wing pads. Newly hatched nymphs are nearly
colorless, becoming brownish as they mature. Nymphs have the general
appearance of adults. Eggs are white and about 1/32 inch long. Female bed bugs
lay from one to twelve eggs per day, and the eggs are deposited on rough
surfaces or in crack and crevices. The eggs are coated with a sticky substance
so they adhere to the substrate. Eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days, and nymphs can
immediately begin to feed. They require a blood meal in order to molt. Bed
bugs reach maturity after five molts. Developmental time (egg to adult) is
affected by temperature and takes about 21 days at 86° F to 120 days at 65°
F. Bed
bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days; older stages can survive
longer without feeding than younger ones. Adults have survived without food
for as long as 550 days. A bed bug can take six times its weight in blood and
feeding can take 3 to 10 minutes. Adults live about 10-14 months and there can
be 3 to 4 generations of bed bugs per year. Bed
bugs are fast moving insects that are nocturnal blood-feeders. They feed
mostly at night when their host is asleep. After using their sharp beak to
pierce the skin of a host, they inject a salivary fluid containing an
anticoagulant that helps them obtain blood. Nymphs
may become engorged with blood within three minutes, whereas a full-grown bed
bug usually feeds for ten to fifteen minutes.
They become elongated after a blood meal. They then crawl away to a
hiding place to digest the meal. The sole source of food is the blood meal
they take at night from humans or bats during the day. When hungry, bed bugs
again search for a host.
Bed
bugs hide during the day in dark, protected sites. They seem to prefer fabric,
wood, and paper surfaces. They usually occur in fairly close proximity to the
host, although they can travel far distances. Bed bugs initially can be found
about tufts, seams, and folds of mattresses, later spreading to crevices in
the bedstead. In heavier infestations, they also may occupy hiding places
farther from the bed. They may hide in window or door frames, electrical
boxes, floor cracks, baseboards, furniture, and under the tack board of
wall-to-wall carpeting. Bed bugs often crawl upward to hide in pictures, wall
hangings, drapery pleats, loosened wallpaper, cracks in plaster, and ceiling
moldings. The bite of a bed bug is painless. The salivary fluid injected by
bed bugs typically causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed, although
individuals can differ in their sensitivity. A small, hard, swollen, white
welt may develop at the site of each bite. This is accompanied by severe
itching that lasts for several hours to days. Scratching may cause the welts
to become infected. The amount of blood loss due to bed bug feeding typically
does not adversely affect the host. Rows of three or so welts on exposed skin
are characteristic signs of bed bugs. Welts do not have a red spot in the
center such as is characteristic of flea bites. Bedbugs bite the host most
commonly around the waist while in bed sleeping. However, bites may occur on
exposed skin such as arms and legs. Some individuals respond to bed bug
infestations with anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Bed bugs are not known to
transmit disease, but its affect on people is substantial and debilitating. A
bed bug infestation can be recognized by blood stains from crushed bugs or by
rusty (sometimes dark) spots of excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed
clothes, and walls. Fecal spots, eggshells, and shed skins may be found in the
vicinity of their hiding places. An offensive, sweet, musty odor from their
scent glands may be detected when bed bug infestations are severe. Control
of bed bugs is best achieved by following an integrated pest management (IPM)
approach that involves multiple tactics, such as preventive measures,
sanitation, and chemicals applied to targeted sites. Once the bedbugs have
spread, infestations usually are best handled by a Quality 1st pest solutions
professional. Do
not bring infested items into one's home. It is important to carefully inspect
clothing and baggage of travelers, being on the lookout for bed bugs and their
tell-tale fecal spots. Also, inspect secondhand beds, bedding, and furniture.
Rodents that can serve as alternate hosts for bed bugs. A
thorough inspection of the premises to locate bed bugs and their harborage
sites is necessary so that cleaning efforts and insecticide treatments can be
focused. Inspection efforts should concentrate on the mattress, box springs,
and bed frame, as well as crack and crevices that the bed bugs may hide in
during the day or when digesting a blood meal. The latter sites include window
and door frames, floor cracks, carpet tack boards, baseboards, electrical
boxes, furniture, pictures, wall hangings, drapery pleats, loosened wallpaper,
cracks in plaster, and ceiling moldings. Determine whether birds or rodents
are nesting on or near the house. In hotels, apartments, and other
multiple-type dwellings, it is advisable to also inspect adjoining units since
bed bugs can travel long distances. Discarding
the mattress is another option, although a new mattress can quickly become
infested if bed bugs are still on the premises. Steam cleaning of mattresses
generally is not recommended because it is difficult to get rid of excess
moisture, which can lead to problems with mold, mildew, house dust mites, etc.
In dealing with an infested sofa, love seat or upholstered chair,
disposal may be necessary since it is difficult to get treatment
into the deepest crevices of the furniture where the wood frame may
provide harborage for bedbugs. 253-226-2206
|
|
Send questions or comments to Webmaster |
|
|
Web design by DJM WebCreations |
BED
BUGS