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When I was a little kid, my mom would always say "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" to me right before I went to sleep. Because of that, it never really occurred to me that bed bugs were actually a serious danger to people in certain living conditions. They were always kind of a joke threat, like the boogie man or the Hound of the Baskervilles or something. Bed bugs were right up there with unicorns or elves or other fanciful creatures that didn't actually exist.
After all, if they were real creatures, they'd have real names. They wouldn't just be "bed bugs" - they'd be a particular type of bug that was associated with cloth (presumably, anyway). What were these bed bugs - a type of mosquito? A gnat? By the time I was four or five years old, I knew enough to ask these questions. I knew that bees and hornets and wasps didn't bite - they stung, so that ruled those out of contention. Mosquitos and gnats bite, but those clearly weren't bed bugs since they'd already been named. Spiders I ruled out, mentally, as well, since spiders are generally harmless and don't travel in groups. So bed bugs very clearly couldn't be spiders, because "bed bugs" is plural.
And so I put the idea of bed bugs out of my mind almost entirely. Never bothered looking them up, never bothered giving them a moment's thought.
But it turns out they're real, they're back, and they're actually quite dangerous.
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Bed bugs are parasitic insects of the Cimicidae family. Like ticks, they feast on the blood of warm-blooded animals, such as humans, and can attach themselves to a host and gorge themselves while going unnoticed. They are largely though not completely nocturnal, and since sleeping humans are easier to prey upon, bed bugs tend to be found in or around beds primarily.
After being eradicated - or nearly so - by the early 1940s, their numbers have surged over the past decade and they're now reaching almost epidemic proportions in urban areas in the United States. New York City in particular has seen a three thousand percent increase in the incidents of bed bugs being reported, thanks largely to the amount of international travelers the city receives.
If you're concerned that you may have bed bugs, some of the best places to check are in cracks, crevices, nooks and crannies. The space between your wooden floorboards, or in among your carpeting, or in bed frames are good places to start. If you do find bed bugs, make sure that you kill them then and there or call an exterminator first thing.
Bed Bug Life Cycle
Bed bugs that feed regularly have a lifespan of ten months, while those without adequate feeding can live a little more than a year. If a blood host is available, bedbugs can live to see three generations of offspring, ready willing and hungry to prey on their human hosts.
Female bed bugs deposit eggs in clusters of less than 50 at a time. A total of 300-500 eggs can be produced by a single bug during its lifetime. Eggs are often deposited in clusters and attached to cracks, crevices or rough surfaces near adult harborages with a sticky epoxy-like substance.
Eggs typically hatch in a week to 12 days. The freshly hatched nymph is beige-colored before feeding, and then turns a redish color after getting a blood meal. There are 5 nymphal stages for bed bugs to reach maturity, which usually takes about 32-48 days. Adult bed bugs can survive for up to seven months without blood and have been known to live in empty buildings for up to one year.
Where Bed Bugs Are Found In The World
Cimex lectularius (the common bed bug) lives in temperate climates, especially in the north. Bed bugs infestations are on the rise in North America, Europe, and Central Asia.
They come out at night in search of prey upon which to feed, with peak feeding times just before dawn. Bedbugs are typically attracted to body heat, carbon dioxide, vibration, sweat, and odor.
Infestations of the bedbug seem to be increasing around the world at an alarming rate, possibly due to insecticide resistance.
Bed Bugs Bites
A bed bugs infestation is a common cause of dermatologic (skin) symptoms. Although these organisms thrive in conditions of overcrowding and decreased sanitation, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds may be at risk of an infestation.
After bedbugs find a food source, they bite down with their mouths and inject anticoagulant and anesthetic compounds into the skin. Depending on the species, they feed on the host's blood via one of two mechanisms. Vessel feeders directly insert their mouthparts into superficial capillaries, while pool feeders damage the superficial tissue and feed on the accumulated blood. As bedbugs feed, their color may change as they swell with the host's blood.
Most commonly, exposed skin is affected. Bedbug bites are painless. However, the subsequent allergic reaction that may develop can cause intense pruritus. While feeding, bedbugs may inject one of several pharmacologically active substances, including hyaluronidase, proteases, and kinins. These compounds may induce different skin reactions, such as erythema, wheals, vesicles, or hemorrhagic nodules. Repeated bites may sensitize individuals, leading to more pronounced cutaneous manifestations or systemic hypersensitivity reactions. The local trauma from bedbug bites can lead to secondary bacterial infection, causing ecthyma, cellulitis, or lymphangitis. There is some evidence that bedbugs may also be a vector for hepatitis B and Chagas disease.
Bite distribution depends on the bite site (e.g., face, neck, hands, arms, lower legs, etc); however, they often are present on the face upon awakening in the morning.
Bites are often noted in linear groups of 3, sometimes called "breakfast, lunch, and dinner".
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Bed Bugs Videos:
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Bed Bugs News:
Dangers in your mattress - Pakistan Daily Times
17 May 2012 at 9:09pmPakistan Daily Times Dust mites are relatives of the spider and feed off dry skin cells shed by humans. These imperceptibly tiny pests cause allergies, wheezing, and asthma. A larger pest is the bed bug. The nasty critters don't spread diseases but they do afflict victims .... |
Chuck Norris doesn't allow bedbugs to bite - WND.com
28 Apr 2012 at 2:00am WND.com | WND.com The bad news, as documented by Cornell University, is that “unfortunately, bed bugs have made a worldwide comeback. They're also turning up in surprising places, such as fancy hotels, hospitals, college dorms, laboratories, airports and mayb... |
Crews Quarantine Delta Airliner At Midway–For Passenger With Bug Bites - CBS2...
27 Apr 2012 at 4:21am CBS2 Chicago | CBS2 Chicago mom suspects caused by bed bugs prompted unfounded monkeypox fear on …Minneapolis Star TribuneCBS2 Chicago -Chicago Tribuneall 455 news [...] [...] mom suspects caused by bed bugs prompted unfounded monk... |
Hi, I'm Shane Rogers and I live in Brooklyn, New York and in August 2007 I found myself with a strange but horrible looking “allergy,” or “rash” nearly covering my arms and legs. It took me about a month to figure out what the cause was - bed bugs.
At least bed bugs tend to be stimulating the economy, the exterminators are making a killing.
does using bleach and bug spray help at all to kill them we are meeting with a exterminator on saturday what else can we do