After being nearly eradicated by the spraying of DDT in the 1950s, they’ve made a comeback worldwide in the past 20 years, aided by the widespread movement of people. Until the 1940s, bed bugs were a common occurrence in the U.S. Bed bugs need to take a blood meal to molt and grow to each of their five life stages. An adult bed bug's body is elongated after feeding on a human arm. And though some people can suffer a severe skin reaction, bed bugs aren’t known to transmit any diseases. Some people take days, even weeks, to react to a bed bug bite, so bites aren’t a great indicator of when you were exposed to them. He suggests putting clothes in the dryer or leaving unzipped suitcases inside a hot car, since bed bugs are susceptible to high temperatures. “Then you want to be incredibly vigilant when you get home.” An adult bed bug feeds on a human thumb. “Heaven forbid you wake up with itchy red welts during your stay,” Potter said. They then hide in a nearby cranny, like the seam of the mattress or behind a baseboard. Guided by the carbon dioxide and heat that sleeping humans emit, they crawl quickly up wooden bed posts and over sheets to stick their long mouth part in and drink for about five minutes, until they’re completely full. Young bugs, called nymphs, are smaller and yellowish or white. (Josh Cassidy/KQED)Īdult bed bugs are about the size and color of an apple seed. Empty egg casings are visible in the upper left corner. “There are areas where the bed bugs will congregate.” A group of young bed bugs, known as nymphs, stick close together in a nest. “They’re more of a nest type of insect,” said Bill Donahue, an entomologist and owner of Sierra Research Laboratories in Modesto, where he evaluates treatments against bed bugs and other pests. If they have already had a chance to reproduce, their nest might include translucent egg casings and young yellowish nymphs. And after feeding on us they find a hideout, where they leave telltale brown or yellow droplets of digested blood called fecal spots. Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs don’t burrow into mattresses they stay on the surface. Next, he recommends pulling back the sheet at the head of the bed and checking the seams on the top and bottom of the mattress and the box spring. Brown and yellow splotches of digested blood called fecal spots are also signs of bed bugs' presence. They recently emerged from translucent egg casings. In their nests, bed bugs stick together, as these yellowish young nymphs are doing. Bed bugs have a hard time climbing up smooth surfaces like metal. So what does Potter do when he travels? First, he keeps his suitcase zipped up and on a credenza or metal luggage rack. His recommendation goes for hotel rooms, as well as dorms and summer camp bunk beds. “It would probably be a prudent thing to do a quick bed check if you’re sleeping in a strange bed,” said Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky who researches bed bugs. Experts recommend checking the bed when you're sleeping away from home. They crawl very quickly and are great at hiding in travelers’ luggage and hitching rides into their homes - or into hotel rooms. (Josh Cassidy/KQED)īed bugs don’t fly or jump or come in from your garden. But with every bed an exhausted traveler lies on after a day of sightseeing, the chances of bringing home an unwanted bug increase.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |