Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite by Bill Cowley, Cowleys Pest Services
A few decades ago, the only talk of bed bugs was when moms were tucking in their kids and telling them to sleep tight. Entomologists had no reason to study them and New Jersey bed bug complaints to pest control companies were unheard of. During the 1940s, the potent pesticide DDT had largely eradicated them. After DDT was banned, bed bugs made a strong comeback. New Jersey, with its dense population and close proximity to New York City, has been particularly hard hit with the resurgence of these insects.
Why do bed bugs rank at the top of the insect gross-out meter? Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals, preferably humans. We may not like roaches and ants, but at least they do not use our blood as their food source. Bed bugs locate us by our warmth and the carbon dioxide in our breath. After a bed bug pierces the skin, a raised bump will appear, often accompanied by intense itching because of an allergic reaction caused by the proteins in the bed bug’s saliva.
Bed bugs are masters of the art of stealth. Because of their size (an adult is about the size of a flattened apple seed), they are able to hide in cracks the width of a playing card. Their flat elongated bodies can even fit in the stitching holes of a mattress. The first indication of an infestation is usually bites on the host. Thereafter, the telltale bed bug signs are discovered -- red spots on the sheets from blood-engorged bugs crushed during the night as well as light brown or black fecal spots. Also, an offensive, sweet, musty odor from their scent glands may be detected when bed bug infestations are severe. Bed bugs are often not discovered until their population has grown into the hundreds or even thousands. Changlu Wang, an entomology researcher at Rutgers specializing in bed bug eradication, once found 1,300 bugs in a single trap he had set overnight in an apartment in Bayonne.
Scientist and pest control professionals agree that bed bugs cannot be gotten rid of easily. People often waste time and money trying to deal with these infestations on their own and their efforts are counter-productive. The bed bug population continues to increase and they become more dispersed throughout the home . The only successful resolution to bed bug infestation is a multi-tactic approach that is coordinated by a licensed, professional pest control service. Otherwise, you won’t get rid of them short of abandoning of your possessions and moving to another location. And even then, there is no guarantee that a few won’t move with you.
Prevention and early detection are the most important steps in protecting yourself from a bed bug infestation. Always be on the lookout for possible infestations, especially if you live in an apartment or dormitory. If you are staying at a hotel, don’t assume it is bed bug-free. Even Five Star hotels have had infestations. Check the mattress and linens. When returning from a hotel visit, thoroughly inspect your luggage before bringing it into the house. Don’t be dismissive of insect bites. Periodically inspect your mattress. Most important, contact a professional pest control service immediately if there is a potential bed bug problem. For bed bug infestations, every day left untreated is another day for these pests to become more entrenched in your home.
You can read more about us and about our company history. See why you should choose Cowley's. We offer customers help with residential pest control, commercial pest control, residential termite management, and offer other additional services. We help customers exterminate bed bugs, termites, wood destroying insects, beetles, carpenter bees, ants, rodents, ticks, stinkbugs, and offer bird control and nuisance wildlife services.
