Nighty-night
Sleep tight
Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
How many nights did my mother tuck me in and recite that refrain?
Lately, the last line of that ditty has taken on new meaning. Bed bugs are out there. Their numbers are increasing, and they are developing more resistance to pesticides.
Although there is little evidence that they transmit disease, they are definitely a nuisance and can be difficult to eradicate.
First of all, the bite: painless in almost all instances. They can be multiple, and often in a row (or, as we say in the trade, “breakfast – lunch – dinner”). After a while, itch develops in most if not all cases. Rarely a secondary infection which requires antibiotics occurs.
A word of caution: one bug bite looks much like another. It is impossible to tell from a row, a cluster, or even an isolated itchy red spot exactly which insect is responsible.
The bugs can be found in cracks and crevices of mattresses, wallpaper, upholstered furniture, luggage, curtains, carpets, and picture frames… The live bug is about the size of an apple seed and is reddish brown in color. You might find a crunchy cast of shed skin. Other evidence of infestation is pinpoint blood spots on sheets and pajamas and black flecks (feces) on beds and bedding.
Bedbugs crowd where people crowd: hotels, homeless shelters, military barracks, college dormitories, and apartment buildings. In short, almost everywhere. Because they can live for up to 10 months without a blood meal, they have been found in vacant houses.
Prevention: As Ben Franklin said,”an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. To avoid bedbugs, avoid the places where they are.(DUH!) Since it is almost impossible to avoid a hotel stay now and then, carefully check out the mattress before you unpack. Keep suitcases off the floor and away from curtains. Don’t buy secondhand upholstered furniture or mattresses. You could be buying trouble.
Treatment: both heat and cold will kill the bugs. Wash clothes and bedding in water 120°F or higher. Twenty minutes in the dryer on high heat will also work. Several days of freezing (32°F or below) will kill the bugs. One novel idea is to leave the suspected items in a car with the windows up and parked in the hot sun for a day. Make sure you bag the items first so that your car does not turn into a bed bug limo. Vacuuming has been mentioned but it obviously can’t reach all places.
If you elect to treat with chemical insecticides, call in the professionals. This is not a do-it-yourself job.
COPYRIGHT TIMEWISEMEDICAL 2010
