Bed Bugs

2/15/2021

Sleep tight…and don’t let the bed bugs bite!

A common saying that many of us have heard or even said or been told by a loved one right before retiring from our day and getting ready to lie our head on down on a soft pillow.

Unfortunately, not having the bed bugs bite is more than a sweet metaphor for the more abridged version of “good night.”

Bed bugs are insects from the genus Cimex that feed on human blood. Their bites can result in a number of health impacts including skin rashes, psychological effects, and allergic symptoms. Bed bug bites may lead to skin changes ranging from small areas of redness to prominent blisters. Symptoms may take between minutes to days to appear and itchiness is generally present. Some individuals may feel tired or have a fever. Typically, uncovered areas of the body are affected. Their bites are not known to transmit any infectious disease and complications may rarely include areas of dead skin or vasculitis.

Bed bugs were mentioned in ancient Greece as early as 400 BC, and were later mentioned by Aristotle. And during the time of the Roman Empire, circa 76 AD, Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, claimed bed bugs had medicinal value in treating ailments such as snake bites and ear infections. But that was disavowed by the 18th century.

Bed bugs became a concern in Germany in the 11th century, and later in France in the 13th century. Their predominance in England was thought to have been introduced due to supplies of wood being used to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of London in 1666.

So, what are these little creatures and who invited themselves into our beds?!!

Bed bugs move about by crawling between nearby locations or by being carried within personal items. Infestation is rarely due to a lack of hygiene but is more common in high-density areas. Bed bugs spend much of their time in dark, hidden locations like mattress seams, or cracks in a wall. They are human parasites and their presence has dramatically increased since the 1990s. And while the exact causes of this increase is unclear, it is believed that this occurrence is due to  increased human travel, more frequent exchange of second-hand furnishings, a greater focus on control of other pests, and increasing resistance to pesticides.

The most common skin conditions associated with bed bugs are lesions measuring about 2-5 mm but may be as large as 2 cm in diameter and there may or may not be the presence of a central wound or puncture mark. Bites are usually present on areas of exposed skin such as areas not covered by sheets or blankets, such as arms, legs, feet, face or neck. The lesions due to bites may become secondarily infected due to scratching but systemic effects from bed bug bites are very rare. A central spot of bleeding may also occur due to the release of blood thinning substances in the bug’s saliva.

Transfer to new places typically occur in the personal items of the person they feed upon. Dwellings can become infested with bed bugs in a variety of ways, such as:

• Bugs and eggs inadvertently brought in from other infested dwellings on a visiting person’s clothing or luggage;
• Infested items (such as furniture especially beds or couches, clothing, or backpacks) brought into a home or business;
• Proximity of infested dwellings or items, if easy routes are available for travel, e.g. through ducts or false ceilings;
• Wild animals (such as bats or birds) that may also harbor bed bugs or related species such as the bat bug;
• People visiting an infested area (e.g. dwelling, means of transport, entertainment venue, or lodging) and carrying the bugs to another area on their clothing, luggage, or bodies. Bedbugs are increasingly found in air travel.

Though bed bugs will opportunistically feed on pets, they are not believed to be a factor in their spread.

To prevent bringing home bed bugs, travelers are advised to take precautions after visiting an infested site: generally, these include checking shoes upon leaving the site, changing clothes outside the house before entering, and putting the used clothes in a clothes dryer outside the house. When visiting a new lodging, it is advised to check the bed before taking suitcases into the sleeping area, and putting the suitcase on a raised stand to make bedbugs less likely to crawl in. Clothes should be hung up or left in the suitcase, and never left on the floor. Additional preventative measures include sealing cracks and crevices (which are often the sites where bed bugs reside), inspecting furniture, and for exposed travelers to decontaminate clothes and luggage upon returning home. One founder of a company dedicated to bedbug extermination said that 5% of hotel rooms he books into were infested. He advised people never to sit down on public transport; check office chairs, plane seats, and hotel mattresses; and monitor and vacuum home beds once a month (Whew! That’s a lot of work!).

Treatment of bedbug bites requires keeping the person from being repeatedly bitten, and possible symptomatic use of antihistamines and corticosteroids (either topically or systemically). Symptoms usually resolve without treatment in 1–2 weeks.

Avoiding repeated bites can be difficult since it usually requires eradicating bed bugs from a home or workplace; eradication is most effective using non-chemical control methods, such as . vacuuming carpets and furniture (often with scraping) into a disposable bag which is then sealed into a plastic bag to prevent re-infestation. Other methods include removing textile materials from an area and washing them in hot water (at least 140 °F) or freezing them at 25 °F (typical refrigerators do NOT reach these lower temperatures).  

There is no evidence to indicate that a combination of non-chemical methods plus insecticides is more effective than non-chemical methods alone. In addition, insecticides are mostly ineffective for the eradication of bedbug infestations as most bedbugs are resistant to insecticides, including pyrethroids which are found in approximately 90% of commercial grade insecticides. While insect foggers (known as “bug bombs”) can be effective, they may not be able to penetrate their typical hiding places (behind walls and floors). At this point, a professional exterminator may be necessary.

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game

Babe Ruth