Bedbug has always been a thing of concern, especially in the rural areas where hiding places are many and also places where people come in and go with belongings. These insects disturb sleep as their peak feeding time is between midnight and 5 am.
What Are Bedbugs?
Bedbugs are small wingless parasitic insects that bite the exposed parts of humans and other warm-blooded animals. They are brownish in colour, but after blood meals they swell and are seen to be reddish in colour. They are called bedbugs because of their preferred habitats which is human homes: Sofas, bed mattresses, clothing, and other soft furnishings. They also prefer the dark and can stay up to one year in between meals.
Signs Of Bedbugs
Because they are similar to mosquito in disturbing humans sleep, it can easily be confused. But to confirm bedbug bites, you must find and identify the bugs themselves. To identify them, thorough examination has to be made;
- Carefully check for the bugs and eggs In their habitats
- Check for their excrement, that is a liquid that looks either light brown or black, and it usually either beads up or is absorbed by the material around it.
- Blood stain on the bed spread or pillow case
- An offensive, musty odor from the bugs’ scent glands
- Bugs tend to bite in a row of two or three because their are Interrupted while feeding and then comes back to continue.
- Bites can take up to 14 days to become visible but often appear within several days.
Causes
One can not really say is dirtiness, as bugs can live both in dirty and clean homes. They can be introduced into a new home by the acquisition of second hand mattress, furniture and other soft clothing furnishings.
It can be picked up in hotels, guest houses , where they can hitch a ride in luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items placed on soft or upholstered surfaces and then introduced into homes.
They can also travel or move from room to room within complexes or large apartment.
Does Bedbugs Transmits Disease?
There has been no known disease transmitted or caused by bedbugs, but they can cause other public health and economic issues.
It can cause an allergic reaction that can include severe itching, blisters or hives in some people while others may have no reaction to bedbugs bite.
Where Do Bedbugs Live?
Aside from hiding in soft clothing furnishings like;
- Sofa
- Bed mattresses
- Pillows and pillowcases,
They can also be found hiding in materials close to where people sleep or come around often like;
- Box springs
- Bed frame
- Headboards
- Objects or clutter near beds
They can also be seen;
- Under peeling paint and loose wallpaper
- Under carpeting near baseboards
- In upholstered furniture seams
- Under light switch plates or electrical outlets
Can Bedbugs Be Eradicated?
Yes it can though it may take time, and some time a combination of two or more treatment techniques is needed to get the best result.
This is because bedbugs multiply quickly and offer a varying degrees of resistance depending on the bed bug population.
How To Eradicate Bedbugs
Pest control professionals believe bedbugs can be removed through chemical and non-chemical techniques.
Simple steps to remove bedbugs without chemicals includes;
- Identified the materials harboring the insects
- Wash the clothes with detergent and hot water and dry with with the highest drier settings or just under the sun. Temperature above 50°C can kill bedbugs.
- Also freezing can be deadly for bedbugs, you can put your cloths in the freezer for a day as they will not survive it.
- Scrub your mattresses with a stiff brush to remove bugs and any cluster of their eggs.
- Cover your mattresses with tightly woven or zipped material for more than a year as bugs can live up to a year without feeding.
- Fix cracks in your paintings or wallpaper to reduce their hiding places.
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