User:Subhumanstitches

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are small. They can hide in any crack or crevice. The early stages of infestation are hard to spot. These insects can spread from room to room through duct work or false ceilings and can be transported from venue to venue on clothing and belongings. (Berg, 2010) Bed bug eggs are even smaller and almost clear. They stick to surfaces by using an adhesive substance that seep out from their bodies. Berg also said that it’s impossible to reduce infestations the way you might with cockroaches, by cleaning up food scraps, depriving them of shelter, and putting out bait.There's no doubt, however, that the wingless bugs, which inject an anesthetic to mask their feeding, make some people itch and spread the willies. "They come in the dark; they feed on you; they scurry away when you turn the light on," says Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California-Davis. And they are indeed tough to beat. Their waxy cuticle resists desiccation, and they can live for more than a year without a blood meal. Unlike head lice, which tend to die once they drop away from the scalp, they scatter into the cracks and crevices of a room, so exterminators have to track down and kill bugs individually. The eggs are tiny and easy to miss; overlook a few, and the bugs bounce back. (Voiland,2007) The only way of eradicating these insects is by means of washing pest-ridden articles in hot water. Another option would be to make the infected setting a very high dryer temperature or making very cold. Pesticides and other chemicals seem to have no effect against these bugs that have become a nuisance.

References

Berg, R. (2010). Bed Bugs: The Pesticide Dilemma. Journal of Environmental Health; Jun2010, Vol. 72 Issue 10, p32-35, 4p

Voiland, A. (2007). You Are Not Alone. U.S. News & World Report, 7/16/2007, Vol. 143 Issue 2, p53-54, 2p