| By :
Stewart Wrighter
For most of us, hearing about bed bugs is about as far as our knowledge extends. These days, because we are much cleaner than our forebears, we hardly see them at all. Or do we? Indeed, in recent times, the population of bed bugs in America has sky rocketed and there are public announcements on popular news channels for people to take care when they are staying away from the home in hotels and such. It is from these sources that we may inadvertently bring home a lodger or two and introduce them to our own homes! But what does one look for when suspecting that something is sharing the bed with us? Well, first off, these bugs are really tiny at about one quarter of an inch long. They normally feed at night while we are fast asleep, but the problem is that the bite mark sometimes takes up to two weeks to show itself. The bite will usually leave the usual red bump with some itching afterwards but people should not worry because humans do not catch anything from these blood sucking little animals. Once these animals are full of our blood, their next step is to lay eggs somewhere in or near the bed. This could be in the bed frame, along mattress seams or even in furniture situated near the bed itself. Once the eggs hatch into nymphs, they grow in five stages with each stage requiring some blood for the host, or us to be precise. They normally come out at night to feed and this is why they like beds because there is normally a meal or two available there! If the beds are not used over an extended period of time, these small creatures will go in search of the next bloody meal. They squeeze through cracks in doors and walls or even get transported in bed linen or clothes. This is why hotels across America have recently been warned of a surge in numbers of cases of bites. Since we carry our clothes home with us after out hotel stay, it is easy to see how this little bug gets a lift to its next destination. Once an infestation is suspected, it is imperative to get them identified immediately. People often first notice dark spots on mattresses or on box springs, or small brown casings here and there. These are the empty cases that the nymphs discard after every stage but they can be confused with other kinds of bugs like bat bugs and swallow bugs. Without identifying the culprit properly it is hard to treat them for sure. Since these bugs get just about everywhere, including along carpet borders and in floor cracks and the like, it is important to bring in the expert if elimination of them is to be successful. Even furniture which is not treated properly can spread these bugs to other rooms if it is moved around. Infested furniture which is being thrown out should be completely defaced to stop dumpster divers from inadvertently infesting their own homes with something that they thought was an absolute find!
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
