Oct 26, 2006 12:06 am US/Eastern
Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite!
A CBS 2 Guide To Understanding, Eradicating Bed Bugs
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite!How many times have you heard that expression? Chances are, too many to remember. But if you're fortunate, you've never actually been bitten by a bed bug. The tiny blood-sucking parasites' bites produce painful sores.
Unfortunately, the number of cases of bed bugs is increasing in the Tri-State area, an annoying phenomenon that is also prevalent in other parts of North America and in Europe. So CBS 2 presents this guide to understanding, and eradicating, bed bugs.
Bed Bug Information
Harvard: Bed Bugs Biology And Management Mayo Clinic: Bedbugs HowStuffWorks.com: How Do Bed Bugs Work?Eradication Information NYC Dept. Of Health And Mental Hygiene: Bed Bugs National Pest Management AssociationCBS News Bed Bug FAQWhat do bedbugs look like?
-- Bedbugs are flat and oval shaped and are a light reddish brown, though they're darker just after feeding. Adults grow to be about a quarter of an inch long. Bedbugs cannot fly, but they do crawl quickly. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches.
What do they eat?
-- Blood from humans and animals. They are active mostly at night and hide during the day near where people sleep. Adult bedbugs can survive more than a year without eating.
How do I know if I have bedbugs?
-- If you awake with itchy red welts that weren't there the night before, you might have them. Other telltale signs are dark spotting from bedbug fecal matter on mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards, and spots of blood on sheets, mattress or walls.
How do you get rid of bedbugs?
-- Most experts say professional exterminators are required to thoroughly eliminate bedbugs, and several follow-up visits may be needed. The bugs cannot survive extended periods in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so all bedding needs to be washing in water of at least 120 degrees or can be placed in a deep freeze, but the chilling period must be at least two weeks long.
How do I avoid getting bedbugs?
-- Secondhand furniture should be carefully examined for signs of bedbugs. Travelers should also check hotel beds and behind headboards thoroughly for signs, including pulling back bedding to check the mattress seams for small dark specks of bedbug fecal matter. When in a hotel room, place luggage on a rack, not the floor or furniture.
(Source: "Bed Bugs" by Michael F. Potter, entomology professor and urban entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.)
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