How Do You Get Bed Bugs And Tips On How To Get Rid Of Them

Bed bugs are parasitic generally nocturnal insects that live by sucking blood from warm blooded animals like humans, rodents, birds, and bats. In order to do so, they inhabit the nests and homes of their hosts. The most common species that infest human homes is known as Cimex lectularius. It can be found in all five continents of the world. There are also several other species of bed bugs.
In less developed parts of the world, crowded conditions as well as birds and bats living near homes, can increase the incidence and severity of bed bug infestations. Primitive sanitation does have some indirect connection with the severity of the infestations. However it must be borne in mind that bed bugs feed on blood and not dirt, and that any connection between cleanliness and bed bug infestations is only indirect.
There was a significant lowering of bed bug infestations after DDT was introduced as an insecticide, mainly for controlling mosquitoes, throughout the world during the middle of the last century. In the developed world, bed bug infestations became quite rare in the latter quarter of that century. However recently there has been a revival in bed bug infestations in the developed world.
This may be due to the effect of globalization and the huge increase in number of people who have started to travel. It is conjectured that now bed bugs spread mainly through the medium of infested hotels and other places of accommodation. Bed bugs can be carried home by travelers in their luggage as stowaways. They are also likely to spread to other hotels through the same method.
Another common method of infestation is exchange of clothes and furniture, some of which may have been infested. Apartment buildings and condominiums can be affected as a whole due to spreading of bed bugs through it, once one housing unit has been infested. Bugs travel through holes and crevices in the walls and through the medium of common areas in such buildings.
It is difficult to detect the infestation for some time because of the way the bed bug operates. It usually attacks the host only at night while the host is sleeping. Its bite is not painful due to the saliva being injected to the host while sucking blood. Bite marks only appear after the body becomes sensitized after repeated attacks. Even then, they are difficult to distinguish from other insect bites. Due to these reasons it is quite possible to end up with a severe case of infestation without being aware of it. However it must be borne in mind that bed bugs are not considered a disease carrier.
Once detected, prompt and comprehensive actions by the householder will totally eliminate the bed bugs. These actions are multifaceted and include thorough cleaning, laundering or heating, of infested garments and furniture, as well as application of insecticides to kill the bed bugs directly. There are also several other methods that can be used to control the infestation till a more comprehensive elimination program can be embarked on.
So while spread and infestation cannot be completely prevented, highly effective treatment methods are available to eliminate bed bugs completely from the home.

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Bed Bugs Alert - Know The Bed Bugs Symptoms

Many people these days are unaware of bed bugs symptoms. It is understandable since bed bugs together with some pests have been exterminated during the widespread use of DDT in the United States after World War I.
But because of international travel and immigration, these bugs symptoms are making a comeback. But people don't detect these symptoms until someone complains of excessive itching and has oval-shaped insect bite marks which are often mistaken as mosquitoes or dust mites bites.
When a household experiences a typical bed bugs symptoms, they don't check their mattresses, beddings, and couch upholstery for bed bugs. Member of the household just spray gel-type insect spray to kill cockroaches or mosquitoes. But this kind of insect spray does not kill bed bugs, and therefore, furniture and upholstery remain bed bugs infested.
* Bed bugs - symptoms of infestation
How do I know if my home is infested ?
A heavily infested home would have an offensive, sweet, musty scent. This odor is released by bed bugs' through their scent glands.
Another symptom to look out for is fecal or excrement stains, egg cases, and shed skins of bed bug nymphs in crevices, cracks or holes on the bed or near it. Furniture near the bed should be checked also. Bedroom wallpapers, bed springs and clothings in your dresser, should be examined for these reddish brown excrement stains.
Your living room couch should be checked for these stains, especially if you or any member of your family get bed bugs symptoms such as swollen bites after sitting from your couch. Every place in your house where a person stays more than 30 minutes must be checked for bed bugs.
-- Hiding Places
A thin crack or seams of mattresses are one of the hiding place of bed bugs. Bed bugs wants to live closer to their source of food, which is human blood, so cracks near the bed or around the bedroom and living room are the primary hiding places.
Once you find a bed bug in any parts of your house, the other parts of your house will undoubtedly have it too.
-- Finding Bed Bugs
Inspect your entire house the moment bed bugs symptoms are detected. Dismantle the bed, check the headboard, inspect the seams of of your mattresses. If you found reddish brown excrement and sheddings of insect skin, it means that your house is infested with bed bugs.
If you detected these symptoms, you must tear off your wallpaper too. Chances are that these creatures have created their bigger colony under the wallpaper. Every wood furniture that you own should be inspected too. They may have bed bugs too because bed bugs prefer wood or cloth as their hiding place rather than plastic or metal.
Empty the contents of your nightstands and examine it inside and out. Tip it over to inspect the crevices, cracks, recesses and corners of the woodwork underneath. Since bed bugs love woods, there is a big chance that they are hiding in there.
-- Some bed bugs facts
Bed bugs bites are often mistaken to mosquitoes or dust mites. So how would you know the symptoms? Below are some basic bite facts:
* Bed bugs feed by piercing human skin with its two elongated beaks.
* One of the beak injects saliva that contains anesthetic to reduce pain to pierced skin and an anticoagulant to keep the blood from clotting.
* The other beak sucks the blood.
* Bed bugs are nocturnal insects. They are very active during the night, especially an hour before the dawn breaks.
* Bed bugs are oval-shaped and flat, and they can therefore hide in extremely thin cracks which is the reason why their breeding site are very hard to find.
* An adult bed bug can live eighteen (18) months or longer without feeding and just stay in their hiding or breeding places until a host comes along and satiate their need for blood.
* Bed bugs are often called the hitchhikers because of their ability to travel long distances by riding on suitcases, luggages and clothings.
* Female bed bugs lay 300 eggs.
* After ten (10) days bed bugs nymphs are hatched from eggs.

Roger Mitchell contributed this article. [http://www.HealthyPlan.org] has other well-written and helpful articles related to Bed Bugs like Bed Bugs Checking In At The Best Hotels [http://www.healthyplan.org//sitemap/Bedbugs_Checking_In_At_the_Best_Hotels.html] and Traveling Bed Bugs [http://www.healthyplan.org//sitemap/Traveling_bedbugs.html]. This article may be used only in its entirety with all links included. Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Roger_Mitchell

Bed Bugs 101

Bed bugs are parasitic creatures that feed on blood and humans are their favorite target. They operate using two mouth parts - one that injects anesthetic to cause numbing; and the second is a straw-like mouth part that is inserted into a host to suck blood. So bed bugs don't bite, they suck!
The most sobering fact: they can live more than a year between feedings. In other words, once they feed, they can travel by hitchhiking onto luggage, clothing, furniture, etc., they can travel between walls in multi-unit buildings apartments and hotels), and they can hide inside an electrical outlet in a vacant home for more than a year and still be alive and kicking waiting on the next victim.
Some people have allergic reactions to the anesthetic that show up typically 10 days to 2 weeks after bed bug interaction, therefore, the evidence is often misdiagnosed. Some people have no reaction whatsoever. There are people who have much more severe reactions and can show signs almost immediately.
These are nocturnal creatures with incredible skills at hiding. They often hide along the seams of mattresses, headboards, and artwork above the beds, but do not be fooled into thinking they are confined to the bedroom. They can hide anywhere on anything - anywhere there is a hiding place from light.
Diligence is one of the best tools of prevention. Look for them - they are round, flat, and reddish-brown - almost the size of an apple seed. Signs are streaks or dots of blood that will look like rust. Inspect where you go, sit, ride, and sleep.
This is NOT a socio-economic problem - they are equal opportunity feeders. They are also found everywhere humans live and gather which is basically everywhere. All forms of public transportation, theaters, retail stores, businesses, schools, and even hospitals have these nightmarish creatures.
The reason for this resurgence is pesticide resistance. Pesticide resistance occurs when a population of pests is exposed to a pesticide - a certain percentage will live and then pass that immunity on to their offspring. Soon, the entire population is immune to that pesticide. DDT was widely used to treat bed bugs before we knew it was so evil and now pesticides on the market today have less and less ability for control.
Your best bet is to prevent getting them in the first place. While many products claim repellent qualities, Greenbug for People, a natural cedar based product, has emerged the clear winner. The pest control industry often shuns natural products but toxic chemicals certainly aren't doing the job and besides that, well, they are toxic.
Bed bugs are here and are only going to get worse. Pesticides are not the answer so education is paramount to prevention. Be aware, inspect, repel, and share the knowledge of bed bugs so that you can protect yourself from these things that will not go away.

Louise Hodges, along with her husband Dan, are the owners of Greenbug All Natural Pest Control Products. A lifelong devotee to the health of the environment, she is grateful to be able to offer a safe alternative to toxic pesticides. Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Louise_Hodges