Finding Bed Bugs
Finding Bed Bugs
Do you remember that old time little sayings from when you were young, such as,
“I slept like a baby?” Of course that meant you were so tired that nothing would
wake you up just like a soundly sleeping baby. Another one I remember my mother
saying was, “sleep tight.” This saying actually came from the medieval era.
Ropes were tied between the bed rails on the mattresses and tied very tightly,
if they weren’t your mattress landed on the floor. Rude awakening! Then of
course the saying that has really taken on a life of its own – “don’t let the
bed bugs bite!” Bed bugs can wreak havoc on your sleeping body since you are
dinner. Imagine waking up and slowly coming to the realization that something
isn’t quite right and all of a sudden you feel a very severe itching sensation
all over your body. Then you see small red spots and by this time you know that
while you slept tiny little bugs feasted on the blood from your sleeping body.
The icing on the cake is when you remember you had just been traveling. Most
likely these pesky parasites have hitched a ride on your clothing, suitcases, or
other articles.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s a pesticide, DDT, did an excellent job taking
out the bed bug. The farming community became more and more convinced that crop
problems and animal/ people cancer was coming from dusting their crops with DDT.
In Stockholm at a convention in 1972, the chemical was finally banned and
although the bed bug was virtually forgotten, things changed in the next few
decades.
Why are bed bugs back? Travel is probably the number one reason for their
revival. As more of the world’s people travel from Asia, Europe, and North
America these creatures resurfaced and are multiplying with a vengeance. A big
mistake is to think these bed bugs are only in cheap hotels or run down homes.
They are everywhere, even in high price hotels and resorts bed bugs thrive.
Weaker chemicals that have been used to stem the flow of these bugs are seeing
them actually build a tolerance to them. The most important thing you want to do
today is to contain the bug and try to deter an infestation.
Since the bed bug only comes out at night they are virtually impossible to find.
As soon as a light goes on these minute pests scatter like lightening into any
crack or crevice they can find. Try using a flashlight and surprising them by
being very still and turning on the light. If you are lucky you could very well
catch them scattering but it is difficult. Their eggs are the size of a granule
of salt and as adult bed bugs; they are flat, egg-shaped, and the color of
mulch. At times blood spots can be seen on your linens. It’s time to get a
product that will treat bed bugs. One such substance is diatomaceous earth. It
can be found on the internet. It is very effective yet earth friendly.
Some people go even further and besides treating the bugs they use plastic
containers such as large yogurt containers and put them on the legs of their
beds with adhesive tape or flypaper in the cup to help catch any bugs still
trying to make it to its food source – your sleeping body. Don’t despair, they
can be contained and done away with. It just takes patience.
By: Bradley Skierkowski