There is good news and bad news concerning bed bugs. The good news is that they don’t spread disease like other bugs do but on the other side, they are coming back to the United States and they aren’t a great thing to have to deal with. These pests were common in America until the middle of the 20th century but because of the use of DDT, their population was significantly reduced. Of course with DDT banned due to its fatal effect on other creatures, the numbers of this creature are growing once again around the world and are coming to the United States as well.
Their appearance: They are small and brown, about 4mm long and they have black stripes on their bodies. They are oval and flat which gives them an advantage in squatting into smaller places.
Their habits: They like to feed on the blood from humans and animals and they usually feed at night when humans or animals are generally sleeping. When they bite, they use a pain killer and you don’t know that they have bitten you until they have had their meal.
The negative: If the bite isn’t bad enough, you can develop an allergy to them if you receive enough bites. Unless the bites are treated, they can be a real bother with itchiness and the red welts. Infants that have a number of bites can actually become anemic from loss of blood.
Eliminating the Pests
Once you know for sure that bedbugs are the problem, there are various things that you can do to control and get rid of them.
- Remove the hiding places for the bugs by clearing away the clutter.
- Clean the house with a high-powered vacuum and get the bugs from the cracks with a stiff brush
- Take apart beds to find the bugs.
- Do not let bed covers touch the floor. This will prevent them from getting into the bed via the bed covers.
- If you are renting the home, contact the home owner about the problem.
- Use chemical or natural pesticides or insecticides that remove the protective coating over the body of the bug. This kills them.
- In the case that you believe these bedbugs are in your luggage, keep it in the vehicle in the hot sun and the heat will kill them. Inspect and clean the luggage thoroughly and have the clothes professionally cleaned.
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