Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy
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Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy A Free eBook Provided By: Larue Pest Management Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy Bed Bugs Are Back, Baby! The Resurgent Bed Bug Infestation When we say “Bed bug infestation,” you say, “Really? Aren’t bed bugs like so 20th century?” It’s true. Bed bugs were largely eradicated as pests in the United States in the early 1940s. But (and that’s a fairly big ‘but’) although we thought we left them behind in our past, bed bugs have resurged in the past decade, kind of like leggings and Scott Baio. And to epidemic proportions like, well, leggings and Scott Baio. With a resurgent bed bug infestation, it’s important to understand that bed bugs have a long history bugging (pun intended!) human kind. It’s believed that bed bugs originated in the Middle East, specifically in caves inhabited by bats and humans. Greek philosopher, Aristotle, gives them a shout out in his writings probably in his Classification of Living Things. We bet he said something along the lines of, “These creatures not only want to share my bed with me, but also take my blood! The nerve. The bloody nerve! If only there were an effective treatment offered by a reliable southwest Florida company who also just happened to be very good looking, oh! But one could only wish!” Later, a 77 CE Roman book, Pliny’s Natural History claimed that bed bugs had medicinal value in treating ailments such as snake bites and ear infections. This belief lasted until the 18th century. Bed bug infestations were considered rare in England until 1670, when it was believed they had been brought over to London with supplies of wood to rebuild the city after the 1666 Great Fire of London. So, when the Europeans decided to colonize America, bed bugs came with the territory, or came onto the territory. With the widespread use of DDT, the number of bed bug infestations was practically eradicated; however, bed bug populations in the United States have increased by 500 percent in the past few years. This could have something do with the advent of cockroach bait in the early 1990s. The use of residual insecticides was drastically reduced, giving bed bugs the opportunity to thrive. With the recent bed bug infestations, be sure you are protected. Contact us to help you sleep better at night! Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy 1. It’s Not Just Beds. Rid Bed Bugs from their Secret Locations. The bed bug’s namesake is a little misleading. A more appropriate name could very well be, “How did they get there? I want them out!” bug. The point is, if you want to rid bed bugs from your home, you might have to think outside the box—or bed. Bed bugs are super annoying because they happen to be good at everything— like your high school’s homecoming queen. Bed bugs travel easily and quickly along pipes and boards, and their bodies are very flat, which allows them to hide in tiny crevices. They are sneaky little things and know how to stay out of the light, preferring to remain in such places as your mattress seams, mattress interiors, bed frames, nearby furniture, carpeting, between the pages of books— watch out Harry Potter!— baseboards, inner walls, tiny wood holes, and/or, (not that we’re assuming you have any) room clutter. So why are they called bed bugs, then? If you sleep in your bed, whether or not you splurged for the 2000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, bed bugs will more likely than not be sharing it with you because YOU are their meal ticket. No food stamps needed here. Just you. Gross, huh? Bed bugs tend not to travel further than 100 feet from their personal All-You-Can-Eat buffet (aka YOU), and will usually remain close to their blood supply in the same bedroom or living quarters where people sleep. But think. If you want to rid bed bugs from your home, you must think like a bed bug. Your bed might not be the only place you habitually open a package of Oreo’s and fall asleep while watching Real Housewives of Orange County. If you want to rid bed bugs, think about yours and your family’s patterns, where you nap, where you rest, etc. This includes upholstered chairs, love seats, sofas, plush furniture, futons, etc., as well as other non-traditional beds such as camping cots, floor pads, hide-a-beds, bean bags, strollers, cradles, etc. Bed bugs are opportunists that will attempt to nest in any of these sleeping structures if given the right circumstances. If children are in the house, bed bugs may also hide in toys and other recreational objects or in areas where younger ones play and/or nap. Creepy! Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy Other unassuming places bed begs have been found in include but are not limited to: Door hinges Electrical fittings Fire alarms Lighting fixtures Inside electronic devices Purses Suitcases Speakers Shoes Underneath linoleum Scattered paper Velcro Seriously? What could possibly dwell in Velcro unless it was truly evil? It’s time to make sure you are prepared to rid bed bugs from the secret locations in your home. Contact us now! Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy 2. Mini Vampires. Don’t let the Bed Bugs Bite. Just like bed bugs in the United States, vampires are re-surging to epic proportions in pop culture. It’s cool to be a vampire. It’s cool to even be seen with a vampire. Just ask any thirteen year old reading Twilight or watching True Blood. And while, from what we understand in vampire culture, vampires can be quite dangerous, they’re at least always, always, incredibly attractive. That, unfortunately, cannot be said for bed bugs. But wouldn’t it be a completely different story if the pests sharing your bed with you were irresistibly magically good-looking? That’s not the case here. What do vampires and bed bugs have in common? One thing. Bed bugs bite and so do vampires. But bed bugs do not look like this: Nope. They look like this: Robert Pattinson Cimex Lectularius (Bed Bugs) Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy Now that expression “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” might really mean something to you. That’s what’s biting! Ick. So let’s chat bed bug bites. The most observed bites are generally raised red bumps or flat welts accompanied by very intense itching as opposed to a vampire bite, which usually involves a love affair and some dramatic action. Most observed bites consist of a raised red bump or flat welt, and are often accompanied by very intense itching. The red mark is the result of an allergic reaction to the anesthetic contained in the bed bug’s saliva, which is inserted into the blood of its victim. Reactions to bed bug bites may appear indistinguishable from mosquito bites although they tend to last for longer periods. People react differently to bed bugs, and individual responses vary with factors including skin type, environment, and the species of bug. This also means the presence of itchy welts cannot be used as the only indicator of a presence. So while bites are the most obvious clue that you have bed bugs, it’s possible for an initial infestation within a household to be asymptomatic and go undetected. In some rare cases, allergic reactions to the bites may cause nausea and illness. In a large number of cases, estimated to be fifty percent of all people, there is no visible sign of bites whatsoever, greatly increasing the difficulty of identifying and eradicating infestations. And while bed bugs are not known for spreading disease like their BFF’s, the flea, bed bug bites in certain small percentage of individuals may cause anaphylactic shock. In some cases, consistent bed bug bites can lead to anemia. Since bed bugs lack the charm of, let’s just say, Robert Pattinson, take action! Contact us now to keep your home protected from those creatures of the bite. Learn more by visiting www.LaruePest.com or calling (800) 314-8813. Copyright © 2010. Larue Pest Management. All Rights Reserved. Bed Bugs: 12 Tips to Help You Sleep Easy 3. Bed Bug Treatment: This is NOT a do-it-yourself project. Like we mentioned in our chapter “It’s Not Just Beds. Rid Bed Bugs from their Secret Locations,” bed bugs are nifty six-legged creatures who are great at finding places to stay alive and drink your blood. For this reason, bed bug treatment is not the easiest thing to do. The reappearance of bed bugs has presented new challenges for pest control due to their developed resistance to various pesticides including DDT, and organophosphates. In fact, using DDT on today’s bed bug makes it more active! One of the most natural bed bug treatment procedures is to introduce natural enemies of the bed bug.