BED BUGS
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to bed bug infestation is the fact that people literally lose sleep because of those pests. First of all, bed bugs are masters of hiding: A thorough inspection is needed to confirm the infestation. Second, although their bites are painless, they can cause severe to allergic reaction in some people. Third, you might have multiple causes of infestation –a book from local library, a hotel room stay during recent travel, public transportation or kids’ school backpack, just to name a few.
Moreover, you are unable to hide in one section of your house and seal the infested room since you are their food source, and they follow and find you wherever you are in your house. Their size allows them to travel from room to room and even from apartment to apartment with ease: there is no practical way of blocking their way. Therefore, we recommend people suspecting bed bug infestation sleep in their beds and not to sleep in other rooms since these rooms and pieces of furniture will also be infested.
Time is of essence when it comes to bed bug infestation. They multiple at a rapid pace: the sooner you start the inspection and treatment process the more effective the bed bug treatment program and the less your suffering.
As mentioned earlier, people literally lose sleep because of the bed bugs. Inability to sleep at night, emotional distress and development of helplessness syndrome, are the main characteristics of people whose homes are infested by bed bugs. As a result, people lose their PEACE of MIND. It is a concept not subject to any monetary evaluation, so if you would like to regain your PEACE of MIND contact us!
Description
Adult bed bugs are about 1/4 inch long, oval, reddish-brown, and wingless. Their body is very flat, and they possess long, slender legs and antennae. They have a long, segmented proboscis (beak) that extends forward when the bug takes a blood meal.
Bed bugs develop from egg to adult via a process called "gradual metamorphosis." This means the last larval stage develops directly into an adult without passing through a non-feeding pupal stage. There are five larval stages, and each one requires a blood meal before molting into the next life cycle stage. Both adult male and female bed bugs feed on blood and take repeated blood meals during their lives. Females require blood for the development of eggs.
The five larval stages are completed in about a month under suitable conditions of temperature, humidity, and availability of hosts for blood meals. Larvae can survive inside dwellings for several months without a blood meal, but they do not molt into the next life cycle stage until they engorge on blood. Adults can survive even longer under the same conditions, but, again, do not develop eggs unless they feed on blood.
Where Are Bed Bugs Found Inside Dwellings?
Bed bugs typically are active at night and hide during the daytime. Being very flat, they are able to find a wide variety of places in which to hide. Typical hiding places include beneath loose flooring, behind loose wallpaper, inside box springs, in mattresses, and in upholstered furniture. One common hiding place in hotel rooms is behind bed headboards that are fastened to the wall and another is behind moldings just above the floor. Bed bugs also hide behind electric switch plates and inside appliances. However, sites that have surfaces consisting of plaster, stone, and metal typically do not harbor bed bugs.
How Do Humans Influence Bed Bug Development and Dispersal?
Human dwellings provide bed bugs with a place to live and access to a source of blood meals. Bed bugs commonly infest larger buildings such as apartments, dorms, prisons, and theaters, but they also can occur in individual hotel rooms and in private homes. There is a common misconception that bed bug infestations occur only in poorly constructed and poorly maintained buildings with unsanitary conditions. However, this is not the case, as explained below. Modern construction has aided the spread of infestations by enabling bed bugs to move from room to room via central heating ducts.
Humans can aid the dispersal of bed bugs from one structure to another via the movement of infested bedding, furniture, and packing materials. Even more widespread dispersal is associated with the movement of travelers via infested clothing, luggage, and lap top computers. International travelers from countries that have heavy bed bug infestations can be a source of bed bug infestations in hotel rooms, and there has been an increasing incidence of bed bugs in lodging establishments around the world, including in the U.S. Bed bugs do not require unsanitary conditions, and bed bugs do not discriminate between economy or luxury hotel rooms. Bed bugs only need a source of blood provided by humans, and they can exist in the cleanest hotels, motels, apartments, and homes.
What Should I Know About the Feeding Habits of Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs feed on warm-blooded animals. They have a normal host with which they live and on which they feed, but they will feed on other species. For example, bed bug larvae and adults feed readily on humans, bats, and chickens, and they do so when the host is at rest. Thus bed bugs living with humans typically feed at night while a person sleeps, but they also will feed during the day in dark structures such as infested theaters with upholstered seats. Male and female adults usually feed every 3-4 days and become engorged with blood in about 10-15 minutes.
Bed bugs detect carbon dioxide emitted from warm-blooded animals and respond to warmth and moisture as they approach the potential host. On humans, they tend to feed on exposed surfaces such as the face, neck, arms, and hands. Again, the bites are painless, and the host typically is not disturbed while bed bugs feed.
Source:
http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth/insects/bedbug.html
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