Home Remedies and Natural Cures
Filed under: Natural Cures — permalink
The small wingless insect that settles about your sleeping area waiting for you to come home (so they may feast upon your blood) is called a bed bug. When it comes to this resilient pest, many misconceptions surround their infestation habits and purpose. For example, bed bugs are not attracted to dirt, grime, and filth – but instead, seek out warm-blooded creatures in order to satisfy their only source of food – blood. Therefore, it means that the cleanest of homes, hotels, and other establishments can become a gathering place for bed bugs.
In search of warm-bloodied creatures for their supply of food, bed bugs started out in the world attacking nest-bound critters, but have quickly learned how to adapt to human households. When a bed bug first hatches, they are about the size of a poppy seed. An adult measures around ¼ of an inch in length, which is oval in shape with a flattened appearance from top to bottom. At first, bed bugs are nearly white in color (right after molting) and become light tan, deep brown, or burnt orange when mature. The shade of their body color comes as a result of digesting meals of blood.
Throughout the world, bed bugs and their cousins are found across the globe. At the end of the 20th century, the bed bug population and threat was not as great as today. Since then, higher numbers have been seen throughout parts of North America, Australia, and Europe.
In the household, bed bugs are commonly found in rooms where people sleep, as they typically infest beds, furniture, and nearby cracks and crevices. In the middle of the night, bed bugs are most active, as they feed on their hosts. If they are hungry enough, they will seek out a host to feed upon during the day. The hour before dawn is an especially lively time for bed bugs before they scatter for their favorite hiding spots, including bed frames, mattresses, and box springs.
A room that is cluttered with additional furniture or objects only provide bed bugs with more places to hide, making it increasingly difficult to get a hold of an infestation once it becomes established.
A small number of residences become affected by bed bugs, where an infestation often becomes prevalent when an incidence of bug bites take place in the middle of the night. Although this is a common sign, all bites received during the night are not all caused by the bed bug. When inspecting the folds and creases of bed linens, mattresses and box springs, you may catch sight of characteristic dark brown or reddish fecal spots that bed bugs are responsible for leaving behind. Heavily infested households will showcase a strong odor that some liken to the spice, coriander.
Additionally, bed bugs shed their skin and the hollowed-out leftovers of the insect (known as “skin casts”) are the result of the nymphal stage of the bed bug life cycle. Although difficult to spot with the naked eye, bed bug eggs are detectable. They appear close to 1 millimeter in length and are shaped like rice.
Bed bugs are able to fit into small cracks and crevices (due to their size and body shape), meaning they easily hide undetected in furniture, luggage, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other objects. As these items are transported between apartments, households, and hotels – the bed bug is able to infest new surroundings. Some people acquire their extra houseguests when they purchase used furniture and other items and bring the bed bugs and eggs into their home.
Unfortunately, bed bugs are also able to survive for many months without feeding, meaning individuals entering a clean or vacant home or apartment may already show the presence of this pesky insect. In apartment complexes and condominiums, bed bugs are known to travel using pipes and wiring.