My boyfriend was FREAKING OUT the other day because he found the remains of a bug on the mattress and he was positive that it was a bed bug. He was so sure (I say the bed bugs don't have a chance against the black widows, but that's just me.) that he saved the pieces-of-bug in a sandwich bag and left them on the bathroom counter. Ew. After a couple of days of obsessive internet research, he declared that it wasn't a bed bug after all. It was too big. Whew! Another close call. Can I throw these bug pieces out now? Thank you.
After World War II, DDT almost eradicated bed bugs. However... because DDT eradicated just about everything else in its path, it was banned. This, a recent increase in international travel, and - some say - our new love of second-hand shopping have brought bed bugs back with a vengeance.
Bed bugs are reddish-brown, oval and flat. They become redder and fatter after their first blood meal. Yuck. My first wedding reception included pig's blood. I did not partake. I'm just sayin'.
"But I'm not nasty and haven't stayed in pay-by-the-hour motel in ages. No, really!" you say. That doesn't matter. These bugs are on the move, care more about blood than dirt, and have more than one way of getting around:
- To move from one place to another, they stowaway on mattresses or stored clothes.
- Their sticky and hard-to-see eggs attach to pant legs, shoes, etc.... and go wherever those pant legs, shoes, etc...go.
- They congregate in the tufts & folds of mattresses.
- They know when you're asleep by your breathing patterns and wait until you're sleeping before emerging for a blood meal
Bite symptoms:
- Red bump with a dark red spot in the middle.
- Bites are aligned in a rough line or cluster.
- Bites are on face, neck, arms and hands.
Treatment at home: Vacuum, wash clothes with hot water, dry items in clothes dryer or place in a freezer. Heat items (example: bag up clothes & place in a car on a hot summer day). Hey, that reminds me of boyfriend's tick killing method. Death by fire, he likes to say. I'll leave it at that.
Home Pest Control bed bug service includes:
- Free Inspection
- Steamer treatment (w/pesticide)
- Vacuum treatment
- Dog service available for bed bug identification and location.
post author - Emily Barker
