Mattress & Health

The Curse of the Bed Bug

If your room of rest is riddled with bed bugs, getting a decent nights rest is a near impossible task. If you’ve ever suffered from bed bug bits before, you will know how itchy and upsetting they can be. It can be like a living nightmare. Although bed bugs are one of the worst pests around, it’s comforting to know that there are a range of solutions around.

Bed bugs are mostly nocturnal creatures, they don’t like the sunlight, and they suck on blood (sound familiar?). Their scientific name is Cimes Lectularius, and their favorite place to hang out is in mattresses and piles of clothes. The closer they can be to their hosts while they sleep, the better.

When it comes time to feed, bed bugs penetrate their host and inject them with an anesthetic so that you can’t feel anything. They will then commence to feast on your blood for up to 5 minutes. Because of the anesthetic, you will have no idea you have even been attacked until long after the fact.

Thankfully, bed bugs are not known to carry diseases, as they tend to stay very localized to the person they have chosen as their host. Some may however have an allergic reaction to the bites. When this happens, the area will become inflamed and may result in some skin tissue loss.

Bed bugs used to be controlled by the use of DDT and other sprayed pesticides. These sprays were outlawed in most parts of the US, and pest control companies now tend to use gel based baits to get rid of cockroaches and ants. Unfortunately, these baits are of no use against bed bugs.

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