"Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite"
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Sunday, June 15, 2003

Once bed bugs were only mentioned in nursery rhymes. These nuisance pests were eliminated completed in the United States in the 1940s with chemical pesticides such as DDT, but they have reappeared. By 2002, signs of bed bug infestations had been reported in 28 U.S states and in Great Britain. Every big city in the world has this pest problem. Homes, apartments, and even world-class hotels have reported them. Their reappearance is attributed to the increase in international travel and changes in the kinds of pesticides available to pest control professionals.

The bed bug thrives and is often carried around the world in suitcases and in airplanes. They are also transported in second-hand or rental furniture and may be accidentally moved with clothing, flea market items, international imports, and other personal items. Even if you are not an international traveler, you could still come in contact with these pests. Many of the hotel chains in the U.S., are fighting infestations. Bed bugs are not associated with poor housekeeping or being dirty. Experts agree the growth in bed bug populations will inevitably spread to theatres, restaurants, hospitals, public transit, and homes.

There are 92 species of bed bugs, also known as the wall louse, house bug, mahogany flat, red coat, or crimson rambler. The most common is the mahogany brown variety that is very small and measures only 1/5 to 1/8 inch across. The bed bug has a small, flattened oval shape and short, non-functional forewings. While some bed bugs use hosts including birds, bats, owls, pigeons, pet roosters, and other poultry, we are most concerned with the bed bugs that attack humans. Carefully inspect imported wood furniture, antique beds, and areas with presence of roosting birds or bats. All may harbor these bed bugs.

Bed bugs feed on blood. The female lays eggs and exudes a quick drying cement to hold the eggs to surfaces where they are deposited, typically in cracks and crevices and behind woodwork. The nymph is white but turns red or purple after its first blood meal, swelling to the size of a ladybug. The adult can survive long periods without feeding on a human host. They typically live from 7 to 18 months.

Females are prolific and lay 200 or more eggs during their lifetime. You'll note their presence by bloodstains on walls, beds, sheets, curtains, behind folds of mattresses and daybed covers, and even in cracks and crevices of the headboard or bedposts. They can establish themselves behind baseboards, windows, door casings, wood picture frames, and furniture. They often stain surfaces with their black excrement as well as with blood. Egg shells or molted skins may be apparent and these pest leave a strong, sickly sweet odor.

Their bite is painless and often victims may be unaware they have been bitten. The bugs are drawn to human breath and emerge at night so the bedroom is the logical place for them to strike. They may also bite during the day, particularly if the light is dim. While bed bugs are a nuisance to adults, attacks on infants have led to iron deficiencies. They typically bite the face, neck, arms, or hands. They can cause a mild allergic reaction and itching from their saliva, but in sensitive individuals, they may cause hive-like swelling and even asthmatic symptoms or cellulites, a painful skin infection.

Today these pests are seen as potential vectors of Hepatitis B and other blood-transmitted, viral diseases. Your pest management professional will treat the building, room, furniture and cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide and establish an on-going eradication program. Clothing, sheets, and other bedding and curtains should be washed regularly in hot water and carpets steam cleaned and vacuumed frequently to eradicate these pests.

Lee A. Tubbs owns Enviroguard, Inc. in Tennessee and operates as Daisy Pest Control in Georgia. He welcomes your pest control and termite questions a enviroguard@catt.com.