Worried about bed bugs? Get information and facts about bed bugs, including tips on how to get rid of them.
Cimex lectularius or commonly known as bed bugs are tiny pest that is causing major problems in fast growing urban countries. They are small, wingless insects that will feed on the blood of any warm-blooded animals or mammals.
Though not strictly nocturnal, they are mainly active at night and like to feed between midnight to the early morning wee hours when their host is still asleep. They are known as "bed bugs" because of their preferred feeding habits and infestations near beds where their hosts may sleep. Bed bugs find their hosts by the body heat and the carbon dioxide that the host exhale. Their bites are painless so the host is unaware when they are being bitten.
Additional Key Information About Bed Bugs
The typical lifespan of a bed bug is approximately 12 to 18 months.
A bed bug female can produce up to 5 eggs per day and can lay a total of 300 eggs during her lifetime.
The newly hatched nymph is white or pale yellow in color and will take 21 to 56 days to reach sexual maturity under favorable environment conditions.
Adult bed bugs are ¼ inch long (or about the size of an apple seed) and have a flattened, reddish brown, oval shape body when unfed.
Bed bugs don't spread disease, but their bites can cause redness and itching.
Growing Populations
The spread of bed bugs has been largely attributed to the increase in international travel where they embed themselves in your clothing or luggage when you are staying in a infested hotel room.
Their growing populations can also be attributed to a decrease in the use of powerful pest-killing products such as DDT, that was banned in the 1980s for environmental and health concerns.
Symptoms of Bed Bugs
Usually the first symptoms that you may have bed bugs are waking up to find red, itchy bumps on your skin. The unique characteristic of bed bug bites are the bites are always reported in a row or clustered pattern.
You may also find tiny bloodstains on your bed sheets from crushed bugs, or dark spots from their droppings around your mattresses.
In severe infestations, the room will carry a distinctive and unpleasant almond-like smell.
How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Proper housekeeping such as deep vacuuming mattresses, upholstered furniture and floors can help remove the bugs. Pay particular attention to any cracks, crevices and open spaces on the walls, floors or upholstered furniture.
Repairing and sealing any cracks and crevices with caulking will help to stop any new infestations.
Laundered linens and clothes in hot water for at least 20 minutes at temperature above 120°F will kill the bugs. For bigger items, use the dryer or get a bed bug steamer.
Applying diatomaceous earth powder to possible infested areas will kill bed bugs when the bugs come into contact with the powder.
In addition, sealing your mattress with allergy proof mattress covers will help prevent bed bug bites and eventually kill any bed bugs and eggs that are trapped within.
Get Rid of bed Bugs With Professional Exterminators
Getting rid of bed bugs will unquestionably be a long-winded and demanding task. If you feel that you do not have the time or the energy to execute the extermination well on your own, it is advisable to hire a pest control expert who have invested in the knowledge, training and equipment to do the job well and guarantee the success of the extermination operation.
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