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Bed Bugs – Unwanted Guest on the Rise
The incidence of bed bugs in the United States is increasing to the point where they canaffect anyone and anywhere. In the past few years, bed bug infestations have beenincreasingly observed the U.S. This increase has been attributed to the increases inimmigration and travel.For years when people talked about bed bugs the thought of run down, flea bag hotelscame to mind. Not now. It is not uncommon for a 4 or 5 star hotel or homes of the richand famous to have a problem or two with uninvited guests.
Being familiar with bed bugs can help to avoid infestation, or at least promptearlier intervention by a professional pest control expert to help get rid of thebugs.
Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish, flattened insects that belong to the insect familyCimicidae. Bed bugs feed solely on the blood of animals and humans. Other bed bugspecies prefer to feed on wild hosts, especially bats and birds. Sometimes peoplemistake them for ticks or small cockroaches. FYI…Bed bugs can’t fly.Female bed bugs lay their eggs (1, 2 or more eggs per day and hundreds during alifetime) and tend to hang out in tiny cracks in furniture, wicker furniture, walls, moldings,upholstered furniture and any other place they can squeeze into.Initial infestations tend to be around beds and bedding, since that is where the food is at.That means you and me. They especially like to get into mattresses, box springs, andbed frames.Bed bugs pretty much sleep during the day and come out at night to feed when we aresleeping. The just love to crawl up on the mattress and get between the sheets. Manytimes bed bug bites may go unnoticed or be mistaken for flea or mosquito bites or other skin conditions.Bed bugs don’t really make nests like ants, that would make it easier to find them, butthey do congregate in their hiding places. Outside of seeing them, they are fast littlebugs, look for areas are marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the driedexcrement of the bugs, places like inside the night stand, base molding behind the bedor between the box spring and bed frame. Also look for eggs and eggshells, thebrownish molted skins of maturing nymphs and the bugs themselves.Another telltale though less frequent sign is reddish blood smears on bed sheets or mattresses from crushing well feed bed bug. Very heavy infestations may cause an areato smell funny, but the odor is seldom apparent and should not be relied upon for detection.Many people are concerned that a bed bug can transmit diseases.
Bed bugs are notbelieved to harbor infectious microbes in and on their bodies.
The main medicalconcern is infection if the bite area is scratched which is what we have a tendency to dowhen bitten. Antihistamines and corticosteroids may be prescribed to reduce allergicreactions, and antiseptic or antibiotic ointments to prevent infection.
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