It’s a fact. Bed bugs are here. I mean the bed bugs are back. And they are here to stay. And if you think they are really not that much of a serious problem. Well wait until your house is plagued by even one female bedbug that happened to hitch a ride on your luggage from your trip. This single bug could lay dozens of eggs each day. And up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. With your house as the breeding ground of course. So imagine the extent of bed bug infestation in your house a few months from now.
Bed bugs are tiny weeny insects that normally thrive in people’s homes. What is it that they really do love to live with people? That they still manage to linger and come uninvited? Bed bugs are hard to eliminate. And while a bed bug spray can be used to kill them, the chemicals you will be using may also have the potential to endanger you and your family's life.
Bed bugs are crafty crawlers that have to bite people to survive. It is because bed bugs feed on blood from unsuspicious and unwilling victims for survival and nourishment.
Bedbugs have long, elongated, sharp beaks that help them pierce through the host’s skin to enjoy the flowing, warm blood of people.
They are usually the most active at night. They hunt their victims at night, when they are unsuspecting and are usually asleep. Bed bug bites are normally negligible, you can hardly feel them. That is because aside from their minute size, bed bugs have certain enzymes in their saliva that act like anesthetics so you won’t be feeling anything while they’re feeding on you.
No worries. Bed bugs can never slurp buckets of blood from you anyway. Normally, a single bed bug can only lap a sixteenth of a milliliter of blood from you. That amount is so negligible.
On bed bug control
The discomfort caused by bed bugs are so maddening that you will surely always want to totally eliminate them from your life, your family, and your home. No wonder more and more homes are seeing the benefits of having bed bug dogs for detection.
Reason why there have been lots of pesticides and insecticides that have entered the market for the purpose of bed bug extermination.
A bed bug spray is the most common line of defense people use once they detect bed bugs inside their homes. This and other forms of pesticides work to destroy the wax-like protective covering of the bed bugs.
Pesticides usually use similar if not exactly the same ingredients. All of these sprays contain silica powder or powderized glass. By powderized, it means that the glass or silica crystals have been ground down to the tiniest and smallest particle possible.
Why use glass and silica? Apparently because these two substances are effective in cutting through any surface. Bed bugs are such hardy creatures that their skins are so hard and protected, it would take extra strong and powerful chemicals or substances to be able to cut through them.
Once you’re done spraying the bugs with these substances, the powderized glass and silica cuts through their skin. Easy as that.
And once the skins have been damaged, then that’s the time the chemical will get in. The system of bed bugs will then be very vulnerable without their protective covering.
Chemicals normally get in to dehydrate or take away the moisture from the insides of the bugs. Leaving all the bugs for dead.
Precautionary Measures
However potent they may be in killing or exterminating bed bugs, be sure to handle pesticides and insecticides with extreme care.
Read all labels before finally using them so you will have an idea how extremely poisonous they could be.
Also pay attention to the precautionary measures and first aid tips listed on the label of such sprays in case you accidentally inhale or take in such substances.
Sure bedbug elimination would be your priority for now. But make that number 2 priority. Your first priority should always be your safety as well as that of your family’s.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, November 4, 2011
Are Bed Bugs Coming to a Mattress Near You?
Let me ask you, do you know what's hiding in your mattress?
Don't take offense to that question. It's not meant to be personal. But it's hardly a secret that bed bugs are back and with a vengeance. They're invading homes and taking up residence in mattresses across the country. And just because your home hasn't been attacked yet doesn't mean it won't be. They are on the march and no one or no household is immune.
In case you've missed it, these sneaky bloodsuckers have been the cause of increasing paranoia and panic from Maine the Florida. California to Ohio. And all points in between.
This six legged menace has been spotted in swanky beach side resorts and humble hostels alike.
Movie theaters and college campuses have also reported bed bug breakouts.
They've also been found in rental cars and moving vans.
All of which is a problem since the instinctive goal of any self respecting bed bug is to find its next meal. So immediately after finding their way to your mattress, or more likely your box springs, they'll start to count the hours until sun down. Hungrily anticipating the time for you to turn in for the night.
Why the upswing in bed bug sightings? And bitings? Seems they have staged their comeback in part due to increased international travel making it more likely they will be able to strike when you least expect it. When you're sound asleep.
That's right. Once they've found a reliable source of food, you, they'll set up residence nearby (your mattress). This way when the urge for a midnight snack strikes they won't need to go far to tap a meal.
And guess what else? It's quite likely that you'll never fully understand what hit you. Or should I say bit you. Well at least not right away. And not unless you react to their unpleasant little love bites. Which can show up as reddish marks, welts, or worse blisters on any skin left exposed at night. Which explains why their bite marks are typically be found on faces, necks, arms or legs.
Of course reacting may be a good thing. Or not. Because for some bed bug bites can get hyper itchy. It's almost enough to drive you crazy. If you unknowingly scratch them in your sleep they can bleed. They might even get infected.
I don't know about you but being on some bug's menu can keep you up nights. It's like being featured in your very own horror movie. This is the stuff of nightmares that can traumatize you and scar you for life. Bed bugs can do that to a person.
Being victimized by bedbugs can leave you waking up in the middle of the night swearing there is something crawling on your arm even though there isn't. It can drive you buggy. Literally.
What's worse is when there actually is something crawling on your neck, you may instinctively slap it. Only to look down at your hand to find to it covered with blood. Your blood. Plus the remains of the hapless bug slapped into the next life.
Now some cities have been hit especially hard. A poll of residents of one that for obvious reasons will remain nameless showed that reportedly 14% had had close encounters with these unwanted bloodsuckers.
Because of this property managers, home owners, and hotel operators need to recognize the problem react accordingly. Travelers especially need to take care. If you like to shop garage sales you need to do so with bed bugs in mind.
Don't underestimate their tenacity and determination to get to you.
Don't assume your zip code will keep you safe. Bed bugs are equal opportunity biters and will just as gladly bite those living in 90210 type zip codes as well as those living in the seedier parts of town. Doesn't matter to them what your address is.
Don't assume you're immune because of any other outside factors.
Which is why we all need to seriously become familiar with the habit of bed bugs. If you want to stay ahead of this scourge, you'll need to be proactive and arm yourself with some useful tips. Because if you aren't careful you'll find out the hard way that they're creepy, they're crawly, and they're coming to a bed near you.
Don't take offense to that question. It's not meant to be personal. But it's hardly a secret that bed bugs are back and with a vengeance. They're invading homes and taking up residence in mattresses across the country. And just because your home hasn't been attacked yet doesn't mean it won't be. They are on the march and no one or no household is immune.
In case you've missed it, these sneaky bloodsuckers have been the cause of increasing paranoia and panic from Maine the Florida. California to Ohio. And all points in between.
This six legged menace has been spotted in swanky beach side resorts and humble hostels alike.
Movie theaters and college campuses have also reported bed bug breakouts.
They've also been found in rental cars and moving vans.
All of which is a problem since the instinctive goal of any self respecting bed bug is to find its next meal. So immediately after finding their way to your mattress, or more likely your box springs, they'll start to count the hours until sun down. Hungrily anticipating the time for you to turn in for the night.
Why the upswing in bed bug sightings? And bitings? Seems they have staged their comeback in part due to increased international travel making it more likely they will be able to strike when you least expect it. When you're sound asleep.
That's right. Once they've found a reliable source of food, you, they'll set up residence nearby (your mattress). This way when the urge for a midnight snack strikes they won't need to go far to tap a meal.
And guess what else? It's quite likely that you'll never fully understand what hit you. Or should I say bit you. Well at least not right away. And not unless you react to their unpleasant little love bites. Which can show up as reddish marks, welts, or worse blisters on any skin left exposed at night. Which explains why their bite marks are typically be found on faces, necks, arms or legs.
Of course reacting may be a good thing. Or not. Because for some bed bug bites can get hyper itchy. It's almost enough to drive you crazy. If you unknowingly scratch them in your sleep they can bleed. They might even get infected.
I don't know about you but being on some bug's menu can keep you up nights. It's like being featured in your very own horror movie. This is the stuff of nightmares that can traumatize you and scar you for life. Bed bugs can do that to a person.
Being victimized by bedbugs can leave you waking up in the middle of the night swearing there is something crawling on your arm even though there isn't. It can drive you buggy. Literally.
What's worse is when there actually is something crawling on your neck, you may instinctively slap it. Only to look down at your hand to find to it covered with blood. Your blood. Plus the remains of the hapless bug slapped into the next life.
Now some cities have been hit especially hard. A poll of residents of one that for obvious reasons will remain nameless showed that reportedly 14% had had close encounters with these unwanted bloodsuckers.
Because of this property managers, home owners, and hotel operators need to recognize the problem react accordingly. Travelers especially need to take care. If you like to shop garage sales you need to do so with bed bugs in mind.
Don't underestimate their tenacity and determination to get to you.
Don't assume your zip code will keep you safe. Bed bugs are equal opportunity biters and will just as gladly bite those living in 90210 type zip codes as well as those living in the seedier parts of town. Doesn't matter to them what your address is.
Don't assume you're immune because of any other outside factors.
Which is why we all need to seriously become familiar with the habit of bed bugs. If you want to stay ahead of this scourge, you'll need to be proactive and arm yourself with some useful tips. Because if you aren't careful you'll find out the hard way that they're creepy, they're crawly, and they're coming to a bed near you.
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