BED BUG FACTS AND MYTHS

 

 

Bed bugs and their habits are not normally understood. Unless you do your research, differentiating between fact and fiction is becoming difficult with the amount of information available. Understanding the basics is the first line of defense a homeowner or business owner has against the unwelcomed pests, which can take a toll both financially and emotionally on a victim.

 

Facts

 

Bed bugs can hide on bedside alarm clocks?

 

True:  Bed bugs have been known to be in alarm clocks and other appliances and within dark crevices like coffee makers. The latter not so much, unless you have a coffee maker in your bedroom or where you sleep.

 

Do Bed bugs like to hitchhike?

 

True:  Bed bugs are great hitchhikers and can very easily be transferred in suitcases and on clothing, putting travelers at extra-high risk; Bedbugs do have primitive wings, but they cannot fly. This is one if not the main reason they are on the rise globally.

 

Do some people not have a reaction to bed bugs bites?

 

True:  Some people do not have a physical reaction to bed bug bites and may be unaware that bed bugs are in their home until they actually see them, but everyone is at risk for having infestations as bed bugs do not discriminate based on socio-economic class.

 

Bed bugs can live for many months without feeding  

 

True:  Bed bugs can live for many months without feeding. That is why it is imperative to encase mattresses, box springs, and pillows with bed bug proof protectors. Bedding encasements effectively trap bugs that are in and on your mattress and box spring and cut them off from their food source indefinitely.

 

Insect foggers can’t kill bed bugs?

 

True:  Insect foggers do not effectively control bed bugs. Most insect foggers contain a flammable propellant and some have been associated with accidental fires. The best way to control bed bug problems is to implementing IMP which can include vacuuming and steaming, laundering belongings, sealing areas and gaps where bed bugs can hide and encasing mattresses, box springs, and pillows with bed bug proof protectors.

 

Do Bed bugs reproduce quickly?

 

True:  Depending on conditions, bed bugs can produce three or four generations in one year; a female can produce one to five eggs a day, which are as small as a pinhead and can hardly be seen.

 

Myths 

 

 

Bed bugs carry diseases?

 

Wrong:  Bed bugs do not transmit disease. Bed bug bites, however, can cause an allergic reaction in some people similar to a mosquito bite. Frequent scratching of the bite marks or picking the scabs can cause infections. And people with severe and/or repeated infestations can feel anxious, worried or ashamed.

 

Do chemical pesticides kill all bed bug stages?

 

Wrong:  It is difficult to kill all bed bugs with only a pesticide application. Successful treatment depends on an Integrated Pest Management approach to bed bug control which involves, vacuuming, and steaming, laundering belongings, sealing areas, and gaps where bed bugs can hide, homeowner, tenant, manager education and encasing mattresses, box springs, and pillows with bed bug proof protectors.

 

Will bed bugs die, if I leave my house empty for a few weeks?

 

Wrong:  Adult bed bugs can live as long as fourteen months without a meal, so a long vacation won’t provide you with relief. The only way to deal with the problem is to treat it directly and monitor results over the long haul.

 

Do bed bugs feed on anything other than blood?

 

Wrong:  Bed bugs only feed on the blood of human beings and other animals such as dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice.

 

Are bed bugs are mostly found in beds and do only poor or dirty people get them?

 

Wrong:  They’re found close to where they feed. Normally they’re found in a bed mattress, box spring, bed frames, and around the bed. They’re also found in electric outlets, switches, and behind pictures. Bed bugs can be found in hotels, motels, dormitories, apartments, condos, private homes, and even in public places, such as retail stores, movie theaters, businesses, and offices. Anyone can get bed bugs.

 

Can bed bugs be seen with the naked eye?

 

Wrong:  It all depends on which stage they are in. The adult is about the size of an apple seed. The eggs and baby or nymph is about 1 mm long, almost entirely white/transparent and difficult to see with the naked eye. The nymph turns red/copper color as it feeds and fills with blood, making them easier to see.

 

Do bed bugs only come out at night?

 

Wrong:  It’s true that they are more active at night and in the early morning, but bed bugs sense the heat and carbon dioxide given off by humans and therefore may come out at any time of day.

 

Can I feel when a bed bug bites me?

 

Wrong:   You do not feel a bed bug biting because they inject their saliva first which contains an anesthetic, numbing chemical, and an anti-clotting agent so your blood flows freely.

 

If I walk into an infested room that has bed bugs, will I get them too?

 

Wrong:  They spend 90% of their time hiding and are usually active at night. Bed bugs avoid light and do not like to be disturbed. So you will not necessarily walk away with bed bugs just by being in a room that has them.

 

If I have bed bugs, do I need to throw away my infested clothing and furniture?

 

Wrong:   Clothing can be laundered to get rid of bed bugs. In most cases furniture can be treated and should only be discarded if there are no acceptable treatments that can rid them of bed bugs.

 

Does the cold weather kill bed bugs!

 

Wrong:  Even in the coldest climates bed bugs can still thrive. For starters, most bed bug infestations are located indoors. Bed bugs only need to be transported for short periods of time on clothing or luggage to find a new home to infest.

 

Will sleeping in a metal bed protect me from bed bugs?

 

Wrong:  Having a metal bed will not protect you from bed bugs. In some scenarios a metal bed may actually make it harder to detect a bed bug infestation because the hollow tubing of a metal bed is a great place for bed bugs to hide. The best way to prevent and control bed bug problems in beds is to encase mattresses, box springs, and pillows with bed bug proof protectors.

 

 I can’t get bed bugs from our neighbors?

 

Wrong:  Bed bug migration from one home or apartment to another is actually more common than most people think. In apartments or shared housing such as condos, the risk of migration is even higher. Bed bugs can travel through tiny cracks in the wall, through connected vents or spaces, or in the seams of floorboards or the edges of carpet. They have even been shown to travel out a front door, down the hall, and into a neighboring apartment.

 

 

All bed bug bites look the same?

 

Wrong:  They can be small and red or bigger like welts. Some people don’t react at all to a bed bug bite. It is almost impossible to diagnose a bed bug problem solely on the presence of bites on a human host. Here is how to know what caused your bite marks.

 

 

Bed bugs are on the rise. Since 2000, bed bug infestations have risen 81 percent, according to The National Pest Management Association. It’s because of this that they have become the number one pest in the US. With this resurgence, it has people everywhere on high alert, seeking information on the pests and how they can protect themselves.