Bed Bug Video From National Geographic

This video is show how bed bug feeding your blood on your bed.

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

Bed bugs are present on all countries and in every continent. Though there was a significant lowering of bed bug infestations in the developed world during the second half of the twentieth century, recently that trend has been reversed.

Bed bug infestations can start from various sources. One of the most common forms of infestation is through contacts with infested furniture in hotels, motels, and other places of temporary accommodation. In fact a recent increase in bed bug infestations may have a direct link with the increase in the number of people who travel. Bed bugs are carried around in clothes and the luggage of travelers. However, it is rare to detect bed bugs in the clothes people are actually wearing at any given moment. Clothes that are carried in bags facilitate bed bugs to travel and spread. Another source of bed bug infestation is through the exchange of furniture or garments between people.

Once bed bugs enter a building they will spread throughout it. In buildings where there are multiple housing units, such as apartment blocks or condominiums, all of the units may become infested. This happens through the medium of common areas, as well as through holes and crevices in the walls used by utilities such as plumbing. Material used for separating housing units has a significant impact on the speed at which bed bugs spread through the complex. Buildings that have concrete separators have the least tendency to spread bed bug infestations through them.

Bed bugs feed on blood not on trash. As such, cleanliness does not arrest the spread of infestation directly. The idea that dirt causes bedbugs infestations is a misconception. However cleanliness, by depriving the bed bugs some of their hiding places, does slow down the infestation.

Because bed bugs have flat bodies they can hide in all sorts of unlikely places unseen. It is their ability to hide so completely out of site that has given arise to the second misconception; that bed bugs are so small that they cannot be seen unaided. Bed bugs can in fact be seen since they are about 4 mm in length. Even their eggs, which are about 1 mm in length, can be seen.

In order to stop the spread of bed bugs, infested households should act to eliminate the bugs as comprehensively and as promptly as possible when they are detected. If possible they should take the advice of professional pest control experts for this process. By taking prompt action and by acting as responsible householders and neighbors, bed bug infestations can be managed and controlled, and eventually eliminated.

From : freerepublic.com

Bed Bug Bite Picture

bed bug bites on elbow

bed bug bites on hand

bed bug bites on abdominal

Chicken Pox or Bedbug Bites A Definitive Analysis

Do you remember as a kid when the local board of health would send a man or woman to your house who would take a look at you, and say, “That’s Chicken Pox, all right!”

Then he or she would put a sign in your window which said in big black letters, “CHICKEN POX.”

Well, if it wasn’t chickenpox it was mumps, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, or the dreaded polio.

You don’t remember?

Well, I guess you are not of my generation.

We got shots for some of the childhood diseases of our day, but not for all of them.

There where seven kids in my house and someone always had something. My mother wanted everybody to have the same disease at once. Once she put me in bed with my little brother so that I would catch whooping cough.

I didn’t catch whooping cough or anything else that came into our home, except one day after a marvelous career of complete immunity, I woke up with a rash.

Mother said, “John, you got chickenpox!”

“It’s just bedbugs. That’s all. The rash will go away.”

I knew I couldn't catch anything because I always held my breath around the sick.

We had to fight bedbugs back then. Everybody in our neighborhood did. I don’t know if the sparrows carried them to the rich side of town or not. But we had them.

We were continually tearing the beds apart, scrubbing the springs with lie soap, stomping, killing, maiming the bed bugs here and there. After such a cleaning, you could sleep well perhaps until the next Thursday, and then you had to go through the cleanup ritual again.

When I was in Korea before DDT was poisonous and softening the bird eggs and all, we were continually harassed by medical guys shooting DDT into our britches. That was so we would not get Bubonic Plague from the fleas in our bunkers.

I never got the Bubonic Plague, never saw anyone with the Bubonic Plague, and never heard of anyone with the Bubonic Plague. (After seeing seeing the plague documentary on the History Channel, I'm very glad of that. http://www.historychannel.com/classroom/admin/study_guide/archives/thc_guide.0037.html)

The DDT did the trick.

That’s how we finally got rid of bedbugs forever.

We used DDT.

I went to http://www.naturalginesis.com/remove_bed_bugs_the__nontoxic_way_.htm. The pictures there of bed bugs made my skin crawl! I hated those things when I was growing up. The little buggers would suck the blood out of you and swell up until they were the size of lady bird beetles, except they were hideous lady bird beetles.

The reference site carries products to kill pest. I’m sure they are not in competition with most of us, so I used them as a reference anyway. One of their testimonials says:

“I kept waking up with mysterious bites and on occasion found blood spots on my sheets, suggesting they were the culprit. Sure enough, I found some bed bugs upon further inspection the day after I bought your product. They were all over my apartment! I only found a few, but one was in the living room, one was in the bedroom, one was in the kitchen and a baby was even in the bathroom!” (The person who gave the above testimonial didn't have chickenpox!)

“Vampires!”

That’s what they call bedbugs at the reference site.

I agree! My skin is crawling from thinking about the little creeps.

My mother didn’t believe me, of course. Mothers seldom do in such matters. The man came from the health department, put the sign on the window, CHICKEN POX, and left.

I said, “Momma, I’m going outside to play.”

“You can’t go out, not for 10 days.”

I said, “Mother, I’m not sick. I want to play. These are bedbug bites.

It did no good. I never got a fever nor did I become ill, but I did get quarantined like my paternal grandfather did at Ellis Island.

After much research, I’ve found that they had to have bedbugs on the Mayflower.

I’m descended from George Soule who was the 35th signer of the Mayflower compact.

At http://members.aol.com/calebj/soule.html you will find that George was born in 1595-1602, England and he died 22 January 1679, Duxbury, MA He married Mary Buckett in1626, at Plymouth and had nine kids.

I ought to know a bedbug bite when I see one.

The End

P.S. I want you to know that I restrained form using a great deal of profanity in describing the bedbugs in this article.

copyrightฉJohn T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com)is a retired R&D engineer and VP of a Fortune 500 company. He is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering), poetry, etc. Former editor of international trade magazine. More info: http://www.tjbooks.com Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (wealth-success books / flagpoles)

Bed Bug Bite

I just turned on the news a minute ago and wondered why there weren't news flashes regarding when -- and perhaps where -- people are turning on the news. Sometimes it is a slow news week, and there's not much to read in Newsweek, so maybe this could take up some space. I think that's how Neptune got there...

What I am really wondering, though, is how bed bugs got their reputation. Don't worry, there is no need to inspect your bed spread, although I heard the spread does improve the taste of toast. But I've been thinking for at least 32 seconds about the history of bed bugs and why they are among the most feared creatures in the world, and possibly in the universe, assuming that other worlds have beds. Think about it. We don't tell people, "Don't let the rabid dogs bite" or "Don't let the spiders bite" unless we're in the White House, in which case all warnings are figurative anyway. Everywhere else the line a person hears before sleeping is "Don't let the bed bugs bite," as if bed bugs are worse than the nightmare the person will likely have anyway...

I feel sorry for that sucker who was actually bitten by a bed bug, because he can't shrug off the warning like the rest of us can. In fact, he's the reason we use the statement to begin with:

Victim: Well, I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

Victim's Acquaintance: Be careful in there. You remember what happened the last time you went to bed, right?

Victim: Yeah, yeah, I remember.

Victim's Acquaintance: Well, don't let the bed bugs bite. Not again.

I just hope there's no worldwide phenomenon of people being bitten by all kinds of animals while sleeping, because that's just too many things to list while wishing someone a good night. And just imagine if a person was bitten by a sheep while sleeping. That would throw the whole sleeping process for such a complete loop that we'd all probably just stay awake forever. Think about how stale the Fruit Loops would get...

In between the previous paragraph and this one I decided to take a few minutes to do some research. After all, research can save lives, and the typical reader checks out this column to have his or her life saved -- or maybe it's to read about lime Life Savers. Regardless, I've read that bed bugs are commonly found in homes that have bats in the attic. Now, I know what you're thinking: "That's good to know. I'll go to the attic right away to get rid of those darn bats." But don't act so quickly! Remember: those bats are protecting your old boxes, including your Yahtzee game. So slow down and think before you do something you'll regret in a day or two...

It is said that a room with bed bugs typically has a distinct odor. Furthermore, black spots may be found on sheets, or there may even be small blood stains that are evident. So before you blame your crazy aunt for coming over to your house and leaving a trail of her own blood, understand that she probably never made it past the attic after her entrance through the chimney. The same applies to Santa Claus, I'd imagine...

Since bed bugs are nocturnal, they hide in dark places during the day before feeding at night. Placing glow-sticks all over your house, so that there is no dark crevice, will assure that these creatures will seek a house more conducive to their ways, although this other house is probably not nearly as well-decorated. Realize that bed bugs feed on wild birds, in addition to domestic animals, bats, and humans. So pretending to be a wild bird all day isn't your best escape, unless you are a wild bird, in which case it's good you aren't afraid to be yourself. And I thank you, wild bird, for reading...

Bed bugs are most commonly found in old rooms and hotels, as well as in places which are considered unsanitary. Something tells me, though, that if you are living somewhere unsanitary, you have other issues besides bed bugs, such as the fact that you are sleeping in your own filth. This aside, the best way to not let the bed bugs bite, wherever you live, seems to be ignoring their existence. When they hear, "Don't let the bed bugs bite," their obvious reaction will be one of the following:

a) Hey, they're acknowledging us, but in a negative way. Let's go do some serious biting.

b) I hope no one has caught on to our Yahtzee fetish in the attic, especially those darn bats.

So by not giving the warning, and using some other bedtime greeting instead, you're saving yourself in the process. You see, the purpose of this column is not to stop you from getting a good night's sleep, because we all know that's what fire trucks and crickets are for. Instead, please take this column as a warning that bed bugs do exist, and you know what? They're a lot like news flashes. That's right -- they come when you're watching late-night television, and they leave you with an empty feeling after they take some of your blood. Yes, exactly like news flashes, yes...

But I digress.

Greg Gagliardi is a teacher and writer. His stream-of-consciousness weekly humor column, "Progressive Revelations," has been ongoing since 1998. ()

BED BUG ARTICLES

- Bed Bugs Update. The Executive Housekeeper
- Black plastic for bed bug control - this myth is busted!
- Encasing mattresses in black plastic will not provide thermal control of bed bugs, Cimex spp. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).
- Bed bugs: the unwanted guest.
- The resurgence of bed bugs in Australia, with notes on their ecology and control.
- Has the Tropical Bed Bug, Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), invaded Australia?
- Between the sheets with bed bugs: their ecology and control.
- Bed bug management & control.
- Bed bug management: a case study.
- A survey of bedbugs in short-stay lodges.
- Do bed bugs carry disease?

Link : http://medent.usyd.edu.au/bedbug/papers.htm

Bite Back with Bed Bugs on the Rise

(NC)-There's no doubt: bed bugs are still biting.

According to experts at Orkin Canada, the bed bug resurgence can likely be contributed to an increase in travel, changes in treatments, and incorrect management of infestations, among other factors. The pests' nocturnal habits and ability to survive for a year without a meal, in extreme temperatures and in almost any location - from homes to hotels to cruise ships - only add to the challenge.

The size of an apple seed, adult bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped insects that are light tan to brown in color. Bed bugs feed only on blood, and the pests swell and turn a reddish color after eating.

"Bed bugs are great hitchhikers and can travel easily from place to place," said Orkin Director of Quality Assurance Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D. "Anyone is susceptible to an infestation - we've treated multiple infestations in the past year in homes, small motels and luxury resorts. While it's never been proven that bed bugs transmit disease, it's important to stop an infestation before it gets out of hand."

To help identify and prevent bed bugs, travelers should follow these tips:

. Monitor for small brown or red stains on sheets that emit a musty, sweet odor, similar to soda pop syrup.

. Check for the pests along mattress seams and tags and behind baseboards and headboards. Bed bugs travel 15 to 20 feet to feed, so examine furniture (upholstered, wood, or even metal) and window treatments near the bed, as well.

. Be on the lookout for itchy, bloody welts on the skin, which may be a result of bed bug bites.

. After traveling, wash all clothing immediately and keep the luggage outside of the living space - preferably in the garage.

. Trap any suspicious pests and show them to a pest management professional immediately.

Bed bugs are extremely difficult to treat, so trust an experienced professional to determine the best treatment options. More information is available online at http://www.orkincanada.ca or toll-free at 1-800-800-ORKIN.

http://www.newscanada.com