Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite! How often have these words been spoken by grandmas to their grandchildren at bed time?
These bugs are reddish brown, flat oval wingless insects that are not nocturnal contrary to belief. These insects are simply wary of brightly lit areas. They are in fact capable of moving around during the day provided that they are in cool dimly lit places.
They belong to the Cimicidae insect family; they are called bed bugs because they are more likely to chomp on their human donor while he or she is asleep. The most common type of is the Cimex lectulariu species which are more adaptable to human environments.
These bugs are capable of sucking up their fill of blood without even rousing their victim from its slumber. Often times the bite marks will be visible hours or days after being fed on. It is because of this that people are unaware of bed bug infestations in their homes.
They are able to squeeze into the tiniest nooks, crannies and knots on the floorboards, baseboards, crack in the wall, behind wallpapers, seams of a mattress and of course in the bed springs.
Though they are tiny creature’s they are capable of producing a lot of wastes which are not as hidden as they are. The wastes consist of tiny dark spots found on the mattress, linens, sheets or pillow covers.
These spots can be traces of blood, feces etc. Easier to spot are skins the bugs had shed or the dead bed bugs themselves. Eggs are visible to the naked eye if you know where to look but some help from a magnifying tool will speed up the search process.
Bite marks are also tell- tale signs of the presence of bed bugs in the home. It is very rare to actually catch a bug in the midst of its dining experience. As aforementioned bed bug bites appear hours after the actual bite or sometimes days after. These insects prefer biting in a row. 2 – 3 swollen lumps in a row mean you’re sharing your bed with these bugs.
While it is not impossible to catch a bed bug in the act it is however not an easy task. One trick is to keep a flashlight at hand which is to be used an hour or two before dawn.
These hours are crucial because it is their peak feeding time. Another trick is by purchasing a carpet tape, this is a double sided tape used to keep carpeting or rugs in place. Lay down your tape in strips around the bed for a few days or so and check out what gets stuck to it.
Research has shown that the most common place to acquire bugs is in inns, hostels, motels, hotels, resorts and other destinations.
They are natural hitchhikers and would easily cling onto clothes and luggage. It is important to sanitize your belongings upon returning from a trip to avoid further bug contamination or breeding.
