”Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” That rhyme had no relevance for decades, but not any longer. After vanishing from the scene after World War II, bed bugs are back in our nightmares and, more importantly, our reality. Thankfully, bed bugs pose no threat from the transmission of blood-borne pathogens, but what they lack in virulence is more than made up for in litigations. Here is what you need to know about these insidious pests.
Cimex lectularius is a member of the family Cimicidae in the order of true bugs (Hemiptera). Like all true bugs they have piercing-sucking mouthparts. Bed bugs use their beaks to drink the blood of human beings. Yes, we are the preferred host of this parasitic insect. Pets, other mammals, and birds suffice in a pinch for starving bed bugs, but people are the real target.
These are small, wingless insects, dorso-ventrally flattened (top to bottom) to the point of being paper thin. Adults measure only 4-6 millimeters, 7-8 millimeters immediately after feeding. First instar nymphs (those just emerged from the egg) are only one millimeter, and so pale as to be nearly invisible on the typical mattress or sheet.
Bed bugs go through five instars before becoming adults. An instar is the interval between molts. Each bed bug must have one blood meal in order to graduate from one instar to the next.
Eggs usually hatch 6-10 days after being laid, though it can take up to 21 days. Each nymph stage lasts about one week under ideal conditions, longer if blood meals are irregular. Adult bed bugs typically live ten months to a year, feeding about every ten days. Since the average female can lay 500 eggs in her lifetime, you can imagine how quickly a population of bed bugs can build.
Obviously, inexplicable bite wounds can be a clue that you might have bed bugs. Bites are typically in a linear arrangement of three, evidenced as red, slightly-raised welts. However, some people do not react at all to bites, while others experience worse symptoms. If your bedmate complains, take them seriously.
A fair-sized population of bed bugs gives off a sweet, distinctive odor, so use your sense of smell. The French word for bed bug is punaise, a reference to this stinky aspect of bed bug biology.
If you suspect bed bugs, strip the bed and look for the insects and their signs, especially along mattress seams, under mattress buttons, the slots where the bed frame attaches to headboard and footboard, and other tight spaces. Bed bugs have to poop, and reddish or dark brownish stains are another sign of their presence.
Inspect, inspect, inspect! You cannot be too careful in avoiding infestations. When traveling, inspect your lodging thoroughly, and elevate your luggage off the floor. Maybe put the suitcase in the bathtub. Look behind headboards that are flush against the wall. Take drawers out of the nightstand and examine them carefully. Look under carpet where it goes up the wall like a baseboard. Look in mattress seams and under mattress buttons.
Any place where there is serial occupancy is prone to infestations, from five star hotels to rental cabins, dorms, prisons, hospitals, movie theaters, planes, trains, buses, taxicabs….
Beware of secondhand furniture and avoid used mattresses. The rise in popularity of thrift stores is credited in part with expanding the bed bug empire, so again, inspect items thoroughly before purchasing.
Don’t panic, but do seek professional help. Bed bugs are extremely difficult to eradicate, so find a reputable, recommended company that has a successful track record. Understand that the extermination process is highly invasive. Furniture will have to be taken apart, perhaps even discarded. Your best bet may be heat treatment. Unfortunately, this is usually the most expensive option, but it is highly effective.
Complications may arise if you are in a multi-family dwelling, rental, or are the proprietor of a hotel, motel, campground, or other lodging enterprise. This is when legal representation is often sought to determine (or avoid) liability. Do make sure your interests are protected, but try to refrain from making any situation more adversarial than it already is.
Sources: Berenbaum, May R. 1989. Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. 263 pp.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2013. Parasites – Bed Bugs
Maestre, Ralph H. 2011. The Bed Bug Book. NY: Skyhorse Publishing. 181 pp.
National Institutes of Health. 2014. “Bedbugs,” Medline Plus.
"Bites are typically in a linear arrangement of three" -- breakfast, lunch and dinner!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Eric. A few years ago I was bitten by something at night and had the typical "breakfast, lunch, dinner" pattern. I was terrified that it was bb's. I finally caught the insect and put it on a piece of cellotape. I thought it looked more like a flea, so took it to a pet food store down the street. I was never so happy to be diagnosed with fleas. But then I read how hard it is to get rid of fleas!!!
ReplyDeleteI have thrift shopped for 20 yrs, but now I only go to places run by hospitals that are really clean and I throw the clothes right into the washing machine and a hot dryer when I get home.
We stayed at a hotel once where my colleague got bitten by bb's so they closed a wing down and said they were dealing with a "flooding issue."
In Vancouver we've had them in libraries. How can libraries and second hand book shops keep them out?
Libraries! Ugh! I am avoiding hotels and motels in my frequent travels, but I forgot about the steady stream of library books that enters our house. So far so good though. My solution and precaution: everything that has travelled ( and now library books, too) will spend a couple of hours in the closed car that' s parked in the sun. I do that with carpet beetle infested insect boxes, too. It works very well.
ReplyDeleteYes, one could literally "cook the books" to do away with bed bugs in libraries.
ReplyDeletehahahaha cook the books! I love it. Now if only we could pass on the legal charges and responsibilities to these bed bugs!
DeleteWell, for archival material, I supposed they have "cook the books" somehow to kill silverfish and bookworms, so I guess you could treat every book that way, but that would be time-consuming and cost prohibitive.
ReplyDeleteI imagine they have to spray the library regularly for treatment and prevention. I wish there was more public dialogue about this issue to help with the fear and shame that people have to go through with this issue especially with the elderly and financially vulnerable people. It's what bed bugs do to your mind and your bank balance that's really egregious.
Being in the business of pest management - unless it is a place where people are sleeping bed bugs will not proliferate, or feed, but that being said they may, a BIG may transfer from the items carried from an infested location to someone else's , or similar item, then move- be carried - to another place where people are sleeping regularly, and IF it is a gravid female bed bug then you may establish a new infestation - most are moved the on luggage from one domicile to another...the risk of schools, libraries, offices, cabs, movie theatres, etc which are not inhabited are very very small...not non-existent, but very small
ReplyDeleteFair point, Mark. Thank you.
DeleteOur schools in SYRACUSE, NY are infested now, and is where my kids brought them home from.. it cost about 5-7 grand to get rid of them(hoping they are forever gone) but, you can get them from these places..
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While cleaning up infested areas will be helpful in controlling bedbugs, getting rid of them usually requires chemical treatments. Because treating your bed and bedroom with insecticides can be harmful, it is important to use products that can be used safely in bedrooms. Do not treat mattresses and bedding unless the label specifically says you can use them on bedding.
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ReplyDeleteI wish I had a ready answer! I might seek some legal counsel to make sure your tenant rights are protected. I would also seek advice on the bed bugs from an entomologist at a university or a museum (someone not connected with a for-profit extermination service).
DeleteBed bugs are still A big problem, even in very Clean houses.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post!!
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