Bed bugs are a type of parasitic
insects that feed on blood and are often found living in human environments. Bed
bugs occur in all regions of the globe. While some bed bugs are known to feed
on animal blood, most prefer human blood. Their bites can result in a number of
health effects including skin
rashes, psychological effects and allergic symptoms.
Bed bugs are most often found in
warm habitats especially in bedding and sleeping areas. Most bed bugs are
active at night and can feed on their hosts without waking them. Like
everything in life, bedbugs also have their myths. (Below each myth is its
truth):
1.
Bedbug Infestations Are Rare-Although bedbugs all
but disappeared in developed countries in the 1930s and again in the 1980s,
global bedbug infestations are increasing in the 21st century. Rises in bedbug
activity have been seen on every continent except Antarctica.
In the United States, bedbugs are reported in all 50
states, and an estimated one in five Americans either has had a bedbug
infestation in their home or knows someone who has. Today, infestations are
found in offices and retail environments, in health and transportation
buildings, and even in movie houses: basically, anywhere people sleep or sit.
2.
Bedbugs Are a Sign of a Dirty House-
Although
there is a great social stigma to having a bedbug infestation, bedbugs don't
care how neat and tidy your house is, nor do they care if you're the best
housekeeper on the block. As long as you have blood pumping through your veins,
bedbugs will happily take up residence in your home. The same rule holds true
for hotels and resorts.
Whether a hotel has bedbugs has nothing to do with how
clean or dirty the establishment is. Even a five-star resort can host bedbugs.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that clutter can make it much more
difficult to get rid of bedbugs once they're in your home. The mess gives the
insects plenty of places to hide.
3. Bedbugs Can Survive a
Year without a Meal- Technically, this is
true. Under the right conditions, bedbugs have been known to survive as long as
a year without a meal. Bedbugs, like all insects, are cold-blooded, so when
temperatures drop, their body temperatures decrease. If it gets cold enough,
bedbug metabolism will slow down, and they'll stop eating temporarily.
However, it is highly unlikely that it would ever get
cold enough in your home to trigger such a long period of inactivity. For
practical purposes, then, this statement is false. At normal room temperature,
a bedbug might go as long as two to three months without a meal, but that's
about it.
4.
Bedbugs Cannot Be Seen by the Naked Eye-While bedbugs are
pretty small insects, they aren't
microscopic. If you know where to look for them, you can definitely see them
without the aid of a magnifier. The bedbug nymph is roughly the size of a poppy
seed. Adults measure a bit larger than 1/8th of an inch, or about the size of
an apple seed or a lentil. The eggs, which are just the size of a pinhead, are
harder to see without magnification.
5.
Bedbugs Jump from the Floor to Your Bed-
Bedbugs
aren't built for jumping. They simply don't have the legs for it like
fleas and grasshoppers do. Bedbugs don't
have wings, either, so they can't fly. They can only crawl for locomotion, so
moving from the floor to the bed requires them to climb up a leg of the bed, or
to scale belongings or furniture you've placed nearby.
This can work to your advantage if you're battling
bedbugs, as you can create barriers to keep them from climbing onto your bed.
Cover the bed legs in double-sided tape, or place them in trays of water. Of
course, if your bedspread touches the floor, the bedbugs will still be able to
climb up, and the insects have also been known to crawl up the wall to the
ceiling and then drop onto the bed.
6.
Bedbugs Live in Mattresses-Bedbugs do hide in
the seams and crevices of your mattress. Since these nocturnal insects feed on
your blood, it is to their advantage to live close to the place where you spend
the night. But that doesn't mean bedbugs only live in mattresses. The insects
also inhabit carpets and couches, dressers and closets, and even places where
you'd never think to look, such as inside picture frames and switch plate
covers.
Infestations can be extremely costly, resulting in
multimillion-dollar damage in the hospitality industry, poultry industry, and
private and communal households. Costs include payment for pest control, damage
to social reputation, and replacement of infested clothing and furniture.
7.
Bedbugs Only Bite After Dark-While bedbugs prefer
to do their dirty work under cover of darkness, the light won't stop a hungry
bedbug from biting you. In desperation, some people will try leaving all their
lights on at night, hoping the bedbugs will stay hidden like cockroaches. All this will do is
make you more sleep-deprived. Bedbugs spend most of their time hidden away.
They only come out to feed once every three to seven
days, usually from one to five a.m. They fully engorge themselves on your blood
in 10 to 20 minutes, and then they go back to their hiding places to digest
their food. After a meal, adult bedbugs may increase in length by 30 to 50
percent and in weight by 150 to 200 percent.
8.
Bedbugs Transmit Diseases to People-Although bedbugs can
and do carry infectious diseases, there is little danger of the viruses being
transmitted to humans. So far, scientists have found no evidence that bedbugs
are capable of transmitting diseases to human hosts. For this reason, they're
considered a nuisance pest rather than a health threat.
But even though they don't transmit diseases, bedbugs
aren't harmless. Some people experience severe allergic reactions to bedbug
bites, and people who are bitten sometimes suffer from secondary infections.
The emotional stress of dealing with a persistent bedbug infestation can also
have a negative impact on your health.
9.
If You Wake Up With Insect Bites, You Have
Bedbugs -Bedbugs tend to bite
on locations that are exposed during sleep—the arms, legs, and back as well as
the face and eyes. The insects prefer sites that lack hair, with a thin
epidermis that provides access to plentiful blood. However, bedbugs are not the
only nocturnal feeder on humans.
Quite a few other arthropods could be the cause of bite
marks, including fleas, mites, spiders, or even
bat bugs. Also, many medical conditions cause rashes that look similar to bug
bites. If the marks persist but you don't find signs of an infestation,
consider a trip to the doctor.
Are you the only one in your household waking up with
bites? People react to bedbug bites differently, just as they do with mosquito and other insect
bites. Two people can sleep on the same bedbug-infested
mattress,
and one will wake up without any signs of being bitten while the other will be
covered in bite marks.
10.
You Can Feel a Bedbug Bite-
Bedbug
saliva contains a substance that serves as a mild anesthetic, so when one bites
you, it actually does you the favor of numbing your skin first. It's very
unlikely that you'd ever feel a bedbug bite when it happens. Reactions to bites
vary from individual to individual.
Some people have no reactions at all; often the bites
start out as small indistinct lesions about two-tenths of an inch in diameter,
which may develop into larger circular or ovoid welts. Some may grow as big as
2.5 inches in diameter.
If there are a large number of bites, they can give the
appearance of a generalized rash. They itch intensely, because sleep
deprivation, and can be associated with secondary bacterial infections as a
consequence of scratching.
“Bed bugs are more attracted to neatly made beds, and get [moved]
around in them. Keeping your bed unmade is actually safer for you.” (WTF
Fun Fact #1501)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“10 Facts about Bed Bugs You Should Know” By Mika
·
“10 Myths about Bedbugs” by Debbie Hadley
·
“Bed bug” from Wikepedia
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