Bed Bugs Control
Bed Bugs & Control Methods
Author: Jamie Simpson
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are small brownish wingless insects that feed on blood, particularly the blood of humans but will also feed on the blood of other warm blooded beings too. They are ancient creatures that are found throughout the world and who have adapted very well to environments populated by humans. Contrary to popular belief, the adult bedbugs are large enough to be visible to the naked eye.
How to spot bedbugs
They are notoriously difficult to spot, mainly because they are nocturnal and can hide themselves so efficiently. Bedbugs tend to be most active just before dawn and it is at this time that you are most likely to see them. Indeed, one of the first signs of the presence of bedbugs in your home may be bite marks. A second sign of bed bugs is the sudden occurrence of small specks of blood on bedding.
Bed bug bites
Bed bug bites are not pleasant. Typical bite marks can appear as red and swollen spots or welts in a row or grouped together on any exposed area on the body.
When the bug bites, it pierces the skin and injects its unlucky host with blood clotting substances and very kindly, an anaesthetic. It then sucks up the blood on which it feeds. This feeding process can last anything from a few minutes up to ten minutes before the bug relieves its host and goes into hiding again. Bedbugs like to feed every week to ten days or so but can live for many months, sometimes even as long as a year and a half without feeding at all.
If you are unlucky enough to experience a bite, you won't feel it right away, it will be some time later, maybe even several hours later that any effects such as itching or irritation is likely to be felt, by which time the bug will be well and truly out of sight.
Bedbugs are not attracted by poor hygiene as many people believe; it is exhaled carbon dioxide that they are drawn to however inadequate hygiene may prevent effective control of an infestation of bedbugs as they will get a chance to breed. A female bedbug can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime, each of which will hatch within a couple of weeks so it doesn't take a lot of imagination to realise that failure to deal with bedbugs can quite easily lead to a severe infestation of them after a relatively short period of time.
Although bedbugs can harbour diseases, they are not thought to be transmissible to humans; the biggest threat comes from their bites and any subsequent dermatological or allergic reactions to them. There is no doubt that an infestation of bedbugs can be psychologically distressing.
How do beg bugs get in?
Bedbugs can be picked up from hostels, guest houses, hotels, bed and breakfasts, friends' houses, or anywhere else that you may visit overnight, they can also be inadvertently brought home or transferred on infested bedding and clothing that you are carrying with you in your luggage or by acquiring second hand beds, mattresses and other items that are carrying bedbugs.
They can also move been flats in apartment blocks or any other building that is in close proximity to the next one and provided of course there is a way through. Tiny cracks and crevices can provide the perfect hiding place for a bed bug as well as a route to other unsuspecting hosts. They can travel as much as thirty or forty metres to feed.
Controlling bedbugs
- Wash bedding regularly
- Vacuum the entire house regularly including the mattress of the bed
- Steam clean the carpets
- If you suspect the presence of bedbugs, purchase a standard household insecticide/pesticide spray and follow the instructions for use making sure to treat all the places they are likely to be hiding
- For severe infestations, seek advice from a professional pest control expert
It's important to note that apart from the bed itself, bedbugs can hide in the carpets, along the skirting boards where the wall meets the floor, in tiny crevices in ceilings and walls, in behind the headboard or baseboard of a bed, in the carpets or curtains, in fact any nook and cranny in the home.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/bed-bugs-control-methods-402452.html
About the Author
If you are experiencing a bed bugs infestation, bed bug sprays are a very effective way to combat the problem. There is a wide range to suit domestic and commercial needs on our site.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
This person spams for bedbugznyc.com
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Ghostrider,
Wow,
Eventually you may need an exterminator but before you head that direction you may want to try to deal with this on your own with some chemical free products that are effective on bedbugs.
There are several sprays that kill them and their eggs on contact like BedBugTerminator by Kleen-Free and a few others.
Ultimately you may need to get an exterminator in which will be costly and will need you to leave your apartment for a day or two while the chemicals wear off but you may want to start off with a do it yourself solution that works.
Good luck and hang in there
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Natural diatomaceous earth is available at garden centers that carry natural products. Look for them in the online or paper yellow pages for your area.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Call 3-1-1 in New York and they will aid you.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Yes go on ebay they sell it there. Just put ‘Bed Bug Spray’ in the search and see what comes up. You will save money too. BTW, last year I thought I had bed bugs but it just wound up being a bad year for ticks that were biting me in my sleep. It took me a while to figure it out cause I moved to a new apartment in the country and I thought this place had bedbugs. So I bought the stuff on ebay. Coincidentally, I had a tick on my leg tonight while lying in bed tossing and turning with the humidity and all- it got me on my computer at 2:30 AM to answer this question!
July 19, 2008
10:02 pm
is there any spray to control bed bugs?
May 17, 2009
12:54 pm
What is an effective way to control bed bugs?
February 6, 2010
11:09 pm
Where to find Natural Pest control for bed bugs “Diatomaceous Earth” in retail shop?
I have come to know that diatomaceous earth is natural pesticide for bed bugs. I would like to know where it would be available retail in Pune. Online it is available. If someone knows any shop in Pune for getting this product, please share it.
Thanks in advance.
The pool type is not suitable for pest control. The home and garden type is required.
June 8, 2010
2:16 am
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June 10, 2010
10:11 pm
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