Natural Solutions to Things That Bug You (68 page)

Copyright of MidMos Solutions Ltd.

Bed bugs can live for months and if conditions are ideal, can live for over a year without feeding, they can also be found in vacant homes and apartments waiting for these locations to be inhabited again.

Bed bugs are most active at night and may bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping.

    
    Bed bugs are active at night and most active between midnight and about five in the morning. Some experts are researching the various sleep phases with regard to bite activity and indications are that most biting occurs during REM (rapid eye movement associated with deep sleep and dreaming). However, bed bugs may feed at any time of day or night if they are hungry and a suitable host is available.
 

Bed bugs are not interdependent upon each other except for mating purposes. They aggregate in populations but do not live in colonies. In the United States bed bugs were very common in the early 1900s, through the World War II era and into the 1960s being found in homes, hotels, furniture and boardinghouses.  Bed bugs were virtually eliminated with the use of pesticides including DDT, cyanide and other pesticides that are no longer used today. Bed bugs have been making resurgence in the United States since the 1990s and have become a global pest since about 2000.

However, since the mid-1990s bed bug infestations have come back with a vengeance for reasons which are not clear, but contributing factors may be our complacency regarding the insect, increased resistance to pesticides, changes in pest management methodologies and increased international travel. There is a current wave of bed bug infestations all across North America, which has spawned an industry for bed bug prevention, eradication and the reporting of infestations. The most significant organization is the
National Bed Bug Resource Authority
.

NATURAL ENEMIES

Bed bugs do have some natural enemies; however, you probably do not want them in your home. These include the masked hunter (also known as "masked bed bug hunter"), cockroaches; most species of
ants
,
spiders
, predatory beetles,
mites
, millipedes and
centipedes
. The
Pharaoh ant
's
venom
is lethal to bed bugs

Biological pest control
by other insects is not very practical for eliminating bed bugs from human dwellings however.

WHAT YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR

One of the easiest things to identify is bed bug fecal matter, which sometimes looks like mold, blood stains on sheets, castings of nymph growth or a peculiar odor. Since they may be in different stages during your investigation from larva to one of the 5 stages of growth, don’t be discouraged.

If a person is getting bit by bed bugs and it is probably safe to assume that the bed bugs will be found in the bedroom where the person sleeps or relaxes, which could include the den or family room. Never stop your inspection thinking that you will find them only in the bedroom. Keep searching and inspect every room carefully as if you suspect them to be everywhere. Remember, that they are “hitchhikers” and will use clothing, shoes and just about anything they can to move easily from room to room.

 
Start with the bed:

1.
     
The first thing you should do is to check out the bed. Pull back the blanket or comforter, lift the bottom sheet away from the corners of the bed and check the seams thoroughly. Open the seam as wide as you can to see deep into the crevice. Use a powerful flashlight and magnifying glass to check close. Look for possible signs of adults, fecal matter, castings of nymphs and possibly white larva (eggs).

2.
     
If you locate anything, that even slightly resembles bed bugs or evidence of them you will need to check the entire mattress from top to bottom and all around the outer perimeter. Once you have completed an inspection of the upper mattress, remove the top mattress and set it aside.

3.
     
Next examine the box spring, corners and seams in the same method. Especially, search where the fabric is attached to the box spring, usually with staples. Remove the box spring and then check the frame.

4.
     
Don’t forget to check the mattress tag and plastic protectors around the edges since this a favorite hiding place of bed bugs.

5.
     
Move on to the headboard and check all areas of the wood, metal or fabric for very small black spots, which are usually smaller than the size of poppy seeds. Examine behind the headboard and the feet for, translucent skins, eggs or actual bed bugs. Remember bed bug spots (fecal matter) will be dark brown to black and the eggs may stick to the surface. If you spot something, try taking a moist paper towel and wiping the spot to see if it smears and if it does, it may be fecal matter.

6.
     
Be sure and continue to look at the night stands, radios, telephones, backs of mirrors and dressers alongside the bed. You need to remove all drawers and contents. Check all corners and especially the seams inside and out and even underneath.

7.
     
Remove any pictures or wall hangings near or alongside the bed then examine all corners, seams and folds of the items. Best to use a magnifying glass since even the most trained inspectors find it difficult to find eggs or nymphs.

8.
     
Check any luggage when you arrive home from a trip, including the contents.

9.
     
Be sure and check the wall sockets by removing plates, spaces around the edges of the carpet, baseboards, drapery folds, artificial flowers and pots.

10. If you have a chair or dressing stool, turn it over and remove the                  cushion then check all the seams. If you locate any bed bugs or signs                    of bed bugs, remove the legs from the furniture and check the areas. 

    Rough surfaces or raw unfinished wood are favorite hideouts of bed                    bugs but can be found just about anywhere.

   11. Don’t stop with the bedroom and continue your inspection with every                      bedroom and make notations for every room. Be sure and check any                        room that is adjacent to the bedrooms and continue with your                        inspection thoroughly.

Always remember single homes vs. apartments.  When bed bugs are found in a single family home and it is isolated from the home next door, chances are the infestation will not affect the neighbor (unless you are close to your neighbor and visit each other often).

Apartments are another story and it is safe to assume that the bed bugs have moved into the walls and crawl spaces and will travel to nearby apartments above, below, next to and across very easily. Your apartment neighbors need to be notified if bed bugs are found.

ACCURATE IDENTIFICATION

If you locate any findings, use sticky tape or glass bottle to contain your finding. Label where you found the suspect material and if it is alive capture your findings for proper identification, making notations on an inspection ledger.

Use a camera to document any bed bugs or findings and note location of each picture. These pictures will be useful especially if you are renting the property.


     
If you do see them, be sure and follow them to where they are living since you need to eliminate their home base and all their family members.


     
You need the Sherlock’s Holmes approach and use a big magnifying glass and look for very small, thin, flat beetle-like insects on your mattress or couches.


     
A bed bug that has just had a blood meal and is full of blood is dark red and will actually ooze blood if you squeeze them. Resources to the problem will be found at
www.nbbra.org

If you capture a bed bug, you need to positively identify it since other insects look similar. You may possibly be able to do this yourself, but if you aren’t sure you can check with your local County Health Department or University Extension Agent. Be sure and use a sealable container or zip lock plastic bag to trap bugs near your sleeping areas.

There have been no known cases of the transmission of any infectious disease that have been reported, however, bed bugs are known to carry at least 28 different human pathogens. It also has been found that bed bugs may be able to transmit Hepatitis B, since the virus has been found in bed bug droppings. Bacterial infections are also possible if the bite creates an open sore, which could be the result of itching then scratching.

CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER

Be sure and never leave any clutter where bed bugs can hide such as unused luggage, furniture, clothing and bedside clutter. It is also common for bed bugs to make a home near animals that have nested within a dwelling, such as bats, birds or rodents. The eggs of bed bugs can be found in similar locations where the bed bugs themselves are found and will be attached to surfaces by a sticky substance they excrete.

DISPOSE OF BED BUG INFECTED ITEMS SAFELY

The very first thing that people do when they find out they have bed bugs is panic and throw things out of their homes. What they don’t realize is that by doing this it may cause more harm than good. To make sure that your infested items do not become a source of contamination for others, items must be disposed of in a responsible way. Some states now fine people for leaving bed bug infested items on the curb.

If you have any bed bug contaminated items
DO NOT
just toss items into a garbage can or on the street or alley. Most people are grossed out by the very thought of bed bugs and tend to want to throw everything away.

This is unnecessary and could possibly make the problem worse. When you disturb bed bugs and carry items through the home, bed bugs can fall off the item causing them to spread throughout the home to uninfected areas.

Also, discarded items are frequently picked up by other people (maybe even your next door neighbor), spreading the problem to new areas. If you must discard an item it
must be wrapped and sealed in plastic
so that the bed bugs cannot drop off during transport.

DO NOT
leave infected items curbside as they can be picked up by unsuspecting people.

DO NOT
  remain in denial about bed bugs if you discover that you have them. If you should experience bed bugs, or suspect that you have them, let people know that you have them so that they do not come over and pick up a few to take home with them.

DO
pay attention to where you go and how you place your purses, luggage, backpacks or anything that could possibly “pick up” the hitch hikers.

NO VISITORS

You will be doing friends or neighbors a great service telling them
NOT
to come over until you have the problem taken care of. If your friends have been to your home and then you discover you have bed bugs call them immediately!

NOTE:

While moving the furniture through the home, bed bugs can fall off on an area where it is clear of bed bugs thus creating a new infestation area.