Sleep Tight, Don't Let the
Bed Bugs Bite...

The bed bugs crawl effortlessly over the folds and humps of your bed covers. Their slender mouth-parts are painlessly inserted into its prey’s skin. As it drinks our blood their abdomens will swell. Once safely hidden, we begin to become very itchy and sometimes painful welts. And then we notice the tell tale markings that these insects have been feeding. Now what do you do?

Check out this great short video from National Geographic:

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are nocturnal (active during the night) so it’s very difficult to spot them during the daylight. It can take a trained specialist a couple of hours to find these little guys, but through careful, systematic investigation you should be able to spot them. Here are some pictures of the little pests. After all, a hard task is a lot harder if you don’t know what you are looking for. Remember to check the critter's usual hiding spots including in cracks and crevices in beds, wooden furniture, floors, and walls.

Have you seen these bed bugs?
C. lectularius is a wingless, red-brown, blood-sucking insect that grows up to 7 mm in length.
They have a lifespan from 4 months to 1 year.

After you’ve finished your most challenging game of where’s Waldo ever and come across a positive identification, it’s time to figure out to kill them. The good news is that these insects are not carriers of any known human disease. Although some disease organisms have been recovered from the bugs under laboratory conditions, none have been transmitted by C. lectularius in nature. Regardless, getting rid of bed bugs is the key to start having sweet dreams again.

In North America and Western Europe, infestations were rare during the late 20th century and were considered a problem that occurred to travelers returning from developing countries. However, reports suggest these tiny bloodsuckers are becoming more common in the Western world. Possible explanations include the increase in global travel and the discontinuation of DDT.

To get rid of your infestation you should first consider whether it's feasible to throw away your mattress and furniture. If you do take this route make sure you don't buy used mattresses. A recent report from Dateline showed that not only are "refurbished" used mattresses unsanitary but they may also carry a family of our not so favorite insect! Please splurge and get yourself a new one.

Once this is done you will need to contact an exterminator who is experienced in this type of removal. They will have to do repeat fumigations to get rid of these insects.

Rid of your bed bugs yet? Return home here.

Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite...

Sleep Tight, Don't Let the
Bed Bugs Bite...