Editor's note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published on October 11, 2017.
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed only on blood, preferably human blood. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are flat and brown. However, after they feed on your blood, they swell and turn red.One These tiny insects are annoying and reproduce quickly, but are unlikely to spread disease.
These little vampires usually hide in mattresses, sofas, dirty laundry, or any small crevice they can find during the day. They don’t build nests or small homes, but rather move around in groups, making them a little more noticeable when you find them behind headboards, wallpaper, or bed frames. Their bodies are round like an apple seed, but flatten to the width of a credit card, making them easier to fit into small spaces.2
A female bed bug can lay hundreds of eggs during her lifetime. The average life cycle of a bed bug lasts between 10 months and a year and involves several stages.three If a viable host is found, the bug progresses through these stages very quickly, reaching maturity in about a month.4 Bed bugs in their pupal stage need to feed on blood at least once every few weeks to survive, but adult bed bugs can survive for up to five months without feeding on blood.5
Bed bug populations have been on the rise since 2004.6 There are several possible reasons why these tiny pests are making a comeback. Some researchers theorize that the increasing number of bed bugs could be due to resistance to pesticides or the difficulty of killing all the bed bugs in an area to eradicate the problem. Another reason could be how quickly humans have spread the problem around the world.
If there are bugs, I will travel.
Bed bugs rely on a variety of sights, smells, and temperature changes to get their next blood meal. Bed bugs live all year round, hiding in homes and hotel rooms, but they are most active during the warm summer months. More infestations are reported in the summer months, as more people travel. If you are traveling, you may be interested in learning how to prevent bed bugs from nesting in your home.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield in the UK investigated what drives bed bugs' behaviour in the absence of a viable host.7 They wanted to find a way to reduce the number of people moving around the world. In this small study, they placed two suitcases in two bedrooms. One suitcase was filled with clean clothes, and the other suitcase was filled with clothes that had been worn for a few hours.
One room even had pipes that supplied a steady stream of carbon dioxide to simulate human breathing.8 The scientists weren't surprised that the bugs in the carbon dioxide chamber were more aggressive in their search for blood hosts, as this behavior is well documented. But what they did notice was that the bugs seemed more attracted to bags containing previously worn clothing.9
The ability of insects to distinguish human odors appears to be central to the insect's dispersal, providing valuable information about the evolution of odors that attract insects.10
One way bugs have become world travelers is in the dirty laundry bags we carry home from our hotels. This study shows that keeping dirty clothes tightly packed may be the best way to keep parasitic hitchhikers at bay. It only takes two or three to completely infest a home after a few months.
How to Find Bedbugs at Home or While Traveling
Prevention is the key to keeping your home bug-free. You can’t stop small bugs from coming into your work clothes, but you can reduce the risk of bringing them home when you travel. In this short video, Lou Sorkin, a bed bug expert at the American Museum of Natural History, explains the bug’s life cycle and helps you decide where and how to look for them.
Check the bed bug report before booking a hotel.11 A free public database of hotels and apartment complexes across the United States and Canada. This database lists hotels by region, so if there are any reports of bed bugs at a hotel, you can find the hotels with the most specific reports in the list.
There are several ways to check for bed bugs when you arrive at your destination, whether it is a hotel or a friend's house. When you arrive, do not unpack your luggage, but instead place it in a clean bathroom tub or on an off-the-floor shelf while you inspect the room.12 A flashlight and a credit card can help you find bugs. Start with the pillow, remove the pillowcase, and look along the seams of the pillowcase for small insects, eggs, feces, or small blood stains.
Next, move to the bed sheets and covers, slowly lifting them and carefully looking along the seams that can be hidden. Remove the sheets, but not all the way to the mattress. Search along the seams and the small vents on the sides. Look thoroughly at all four corners of the bed, and don’t look at just one.
Look under box springs, upholstered furniture, curtains, headboards, and even under bedside tables. These are places where they can hide until the next meal. If you spot a bed bug, pack up and leave immediately.
When you wake up the next morning, check your sheets for small red blood spots that were visible after the bed bug bite. If you don't see them when you inspect them, but you find them the next morning, you can take preventative measures so you don't bring them home.13 Bed bugs can be picked up after you travel, when friends visit, or even on the clothes of an appliance repairman.
Therefore, even if you do not travel, it is a good idea to do a basic inspection of your home regularly to check for bed bugs. Bed bugs are more likely to be attracted to dirty clothes, so pack your clothes tightly when traveling to reduce the chances of bugs in your room returning home.
Bedbugs do not spread diseases, but they are harmful to your health.
Many people believe that bed bugs do not spread disease. To date, no evidence of disease transmission has been documented.14 However, it has not been studied extensively. Some people are very allergic to the bites, and excessive scratching due to the itching can lead to secondary skin infections. Bed bugs first inject anesthetic into the area to prevent them from feeling the bite, so if you are having trouble sleeping because you think you have been bitten, it is likely due to anxiety and not the bugs.
The anxiety and stress caused by bed bug infestation can have psychological consequences for health and can lead to physical symptoms of stress. In one case, a woman committed suicide after repeated bed bug infestations. Researchers who studied this case concluded:15
“Our case report demonstrates that bed bug infestation may have triggered the onset of a negative psychological state that ultimately led to suicide… Given the rapid increase in infestations, prompt action is needed to not only control and eradicate bed bugs, but also to provide appropriate care for those infested.”
Studies have shown that people who live with bedbugs are more likely to report anxiety and sleep problems.16 Suicide, financial difficulties, mood swings and delusional behavior.17 Psychological and emotional impacts, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), have also been reported following bed bug infestations.
Complicating these psychological issues is the widespread misconception that bed bugs are a result of uncleanliness. Others may want to distance themselves from those with bed bugs as much as possible, which increases feelings of isolation and prevents people from seeking support from friends and family. Suddenly, they are infested with tiny insects that suck their blood and leave them vulnerable psychologically.
Avoid pesticides
You may want to get rid of these bugs as quickly as possible, but you should take precautions before using standard pesticide treatments around your family and pets. National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)18 A sharp increase in reported adverse effects ranging from mild to severe, including one death, has been reported from exposure to pesticides used to kill bed bugs.
In most cases, the illnesses were caused by overuse of pesticides in the area, failure to change pesticide-treated bedding, and lack of notification of chemical use. In one case in Ohio, the CDC issued a statement regarding health advisories:19
“These illegal applications occurred five times over a 72-hour period and included spraying ceilings, floors, and even beds and crib mattresses. Among the residents were families with young children who were experiencing typical health symptoms of pesticide poisoning, including headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and muscle tremors.”
A healthier, non-toxic treatment can kill bugs
Getting rid of bed bugs in your home requires focused and sustained effort. Bed bugs will not die overnight unless you use heat treatment. You should always be vigilant when leaving your home to avoid having bed bugs in your car or in someone else's home.
Bed bugs are very sensitive to heat. Extreme heat, called heat treatment, is often enough to kill bed bugs for a few hours. When your home is being treated, you can leave everything in the house except plastic, pets, and family members.
It is a bit more expensive than chemical treatments, but it is healthier and safer for everyone except bugs. For relatively small areas, try using a steam cleaner with an attachment to clean the bed, all furniture, and carpets.20
If it is summer, keep the windows completely closed and park your car in a sunny location to keep the heat inside the car at a temperature that kills the bugs. Rubbing alcohol is another way to help kill bed bug eggs.21
A 91% isopropyl alcohol solution in a spray bottle can be used to completely saturate areas that may contain eggs (e.g. upholstered furniture and mattresses). Bed sheets, pillows, blankets, and towels can be run through a dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes.22
Bag your clothes and seal them tightly until you are sure your home is free of bed bugs. Remove clean clothes as needed and only remove them when you are sure your home is free of bed bugs. Other natural methods of killing bed bugs include diatomaceous earth, which does not evaporate or disappear until you vacuum it up.23 They work by cutting through the insect's outer membrane. Essential oils such as tea tree oil, lavender oil, and peppermint oil are effective repellents.
Unresolved questions remain about the safety of biopesticides
A biological pesticide called Aprehend,24 Developed at Penn State University, the product was approved for sale in states in 2017. It is a proprietary formulation of fungal spores that attach to insect legs. Within 20 hours of contact, the spores germinate and settle on the insect’s body, effectively killing it.25
In the method of killing insects using chemical pesticides, direct spray contact is not necessary. Instead, the fungus attaches itself to the legs of only a few individuals in the population, who then bring it back to the group and physically transfer the spores to other individuals while grooming.
In the laboratory, scientists were able to achieve nearly 100% eradication with just one application. The product also lasts for more than three months. This particular fungus was used as a pesticide in the past to control locust and grasshopper populations in Africa before the company's scientists turned their attention to bed bugs.
However, the long-term effects of releasing fungi on insect populations have not been extensively studied, and the effects may extend far beyond killing bed bugs in your home. So, to be safe, it’s a good idea to diligently follow the suggestions above before trying this new bio-insecticide.
