Bed bugs are back and are increasingly more prevalent in homes across America with new cases having increased 500% over the last few years. These blood sucking parasites, which grow up to ¼" in length and feed on warm blooded animals, have made their way to the U.S through the suitcases and clothing of travelers abroad. Even if you don't travel overseas, you may still bring one home after being in contact with someone who did or by staying in a hotel, cruise ship or shelter infested with bed bugs. Having gone from a bed time rhyme to a reality, it seems as if these pests are here to stay.
Bed bugs are nesting parasites in that they feed on their host for five to ten minutes at a time before returning back to their hiding place. They can be identified by their round body and flat profile from top to bottom. Their color changes before and after feeding ranging from a brown color to a dark red or even orange color. Some interesting facts to consider are they can drink three times their weight in blood, lay five eggs per day the size of two grains of salt and even live up to a year.
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Most attacks occur right before dawn when the host is in their deepest sleep. Carbon dioxide given off while breathing directs them to the host where they begin to feast. An anesthetic is first injected so you never notice they're there and an anti-coagulant is used to keep the blood flowing until finished. Most serious infestations can total thousands in a single bedroom attacking the host cumulatively up to five hundred times a night.
Bites look like little red bump, a flat welt or a skin lesion. Skin rashes are often common with their bites. Based on the latest research, there is no reason to believe that diseases are passed through bed bugs, but their appetite for blood can leave you itching a scratching. Their feces can also cause issues for people with allergies and asthma.
The best way to protect you and your mattress from becoming an ideal nesting site and host is by purchasing a Premium Mattress Encasement, a Box Spring Encasement and Zippered Pillow Protectors. This ensures your investment is protected from these blood sucking parasites. If your bedroom is ever infested do not remove the mattress encasement as this would allow them to enter and nest. Contact your local pest control service to find out more options on how the issue can be treated. Most treatments include chemical applications in and outside the walls for total effectiveness. With our mattress encasement products, chemical treatment of the mattress, box spring and pillows is not necessary.
If your mattress is already infested there is a non-chemical treatment available. Simply apply a Luna Premium Mattress Encasement and a Box Spring Encasement to the infested mattress set. This completely seals off the mattress and box spring preventing them from entering or exiting. Without a blood source, the bed bugs in your mattress set will eventually die. After a safe period of time you may remove the encasements and vacuum the dead bed bugs away. Luna Pillow Protectors are also suggested to prevent bed bugs from invading your pillows.
How They Re-Emerged After Being Mostly Eradicated For Over 50 Years:
Bed bugs are nothing new dating back to biblical times and before. Prior to World War II, they were prevalent in many homes across America leading to the bed time rhyme "Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bit." Many of us have heard this rhyme hundreds of times without ever knowing exactly what bed bugs really were.
The Eradication of Bed Bugs:
In 1874, a very effective insecticide called DDT was first synthesized and was believed at the time to be the miracle formula against many insects such as mosquitoes, roaches and fleas. DDT was marketed as safe for humans and quickly distributed to households where it was used loosely against anything that crawled.
DDT and other new pesticides were also very effective against bed bugs leading to a near eradication of bed bugs from homes across America for nearly 50 years. In 1972 DDT was linked to cancer and proven to be a deadly toxin for wildlife including the near extinction of the Bald Eagle. U.S consumers also became more aware and concerned about the chemicals they were using on a daily basis and began searching for safer alternatives to strong pesticides.
Free Reign:
From the late 1970's until today many people including pest control companies began using baits to control ant and roach problems as opposed to the pesticides used prior to achieve a similar outcome. These baits did work well on roaches and ants, but had absolutely no impact on bed bugs as bed bugs feed directly on a their hosts blood and are not drawn to baits.
Now that fewer pesticides were being used, bed bugs were able to re-emerge without the threat in many cases of being killed by the pesticides of the past. To make matters worse, they developed immunities to many of the safer pesticides used after the ban on DDT.
Bite Back:
With many treatments for roaches and ants deemed ineffective on bed bugs, it was only a matter of time before the issue returned and progressed. Poultry workers began inadvertently bringing them home where they spread quickly. Also, with the world economy expanding and international travel increasing, bed bugs were transported into the U.S on luggage and on travelers clothing.
Today bed bugs are becoming an epidemic with new cases having increased 500% over the past few years. International travel hubs such as New York are having major issues controlling new bed bug populations. Hotel rooms, cruise ships, airplanes and shelters are now breading places where they can hitch a ride home with you.