Bed bugs have posed a domestic annoyance ever since the days of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. But the story of bed bugs goes back even further, to prehistoric times. Bats and birds were their earliest hosts, but eventually, humans became their unwilling prey.Various Medieval accounts mention bed bugs around Europe, but they weren’t common to London until the 18th century. Bed bugs possibly arrived with imported lumber used to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of London. With the Industrial Revolution and the resulting population explosion of major cities, bed bugs continued to proliferate.In the 20th century, the advent of affordable indoor electric heating made it possible for bed bugs to survive, grow, and breed year-round. Bed bugs also posed a serious health threat on US military bases during WWII. With the use of pesticides like DDT, bed bug populations were reduced.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs look similar to a number of other pests, such as fleas, ticks, booklice, carpet and spider beetles, and cockroach nymphs. Before investing time and money dealing with bed bugs, it’s important to verify that they actually are present in your bedding or furniture.
The two typical species of bed bugs are Cimex lectularius (the common bed bug) and its tropical cousin, Cimex hemipterus. An adult bed bug is ovular, reddish-brown or brown, and 5-7 mm long (roughly the size of an apple seed). Unfed bed bugs may appear flat, while bugs who have just fed on a blood meal may appear round like an oblong balloon. They may appear to be striped because of patterned hair growth. Bed bugs have two antennae, six legs, and a small set of vestigial wings — that is, non-functional wings that still exist from an earlier evolutionary iteration of the bed bug species.
If you have determined that your home is experiencing a bed bug infestation, one of the first things you’ll want to do is reduce the amount of clutter in infested areas. Do not bring items from an infested room into other areas of your home, which would only spread their presence. Instead, throw away items you do not need, and as a courtesy to others, bag them up and seal them before you do.
For items that you do need, pack these things into sealable containers or bags. You will want to move these containers or sealed plastic bags to a different part of the home where they won’t be disturbed for 2-5 months, after which time any bed bugs inside will most likely have died. Where applicable, you can wash these stored materials (like clothes) once you remove them from their quarantine.
Move the bed at least six inches away from the walls. If you can afford it, throw away your bedding. While your extermination process might not coincide with the best time to buy a mattress, it might certainly be the most necessary time to reinvest. If you can’t buy a new mattress, vacuum the mattress, box spring, baseboards, and bed frame thoroughly.
Enclose the mattress bed bug mattress protector, which will starve any remaining bed bugs. These kinds of bed bug encasements prevent them from reaching and feeding on sleeping bodies. Make sure that new bedding materials do not touch the floor.
Bed bugs are not limited to impoverished, over-crowded areas. They spread easily and can exist anywhere. With the increased amount of global travel, this means that any area can be impacted by the presence of bed bugs. Everyone should take bed bugs seriously, especially if they have exposed their living space to potential risks, such as taking in used furniture, clothes, bedding, or carpets. While bed bugs might not transmit disease like some pests, they can pose a serious nuisance and for some individuals even trigger an adverse allergic reaction or psychosomatic stress and insomnia.
Having a clean home doesn’t guarantee the prevention of a bed bug infestation, but cleanliness can help you notice signs of bed bug activity. A cluttered home gives the little critters more places to hide and makes bed bug control more difficult. Fortunately, bed bugs cannot survive extreme heat, cold, or even live without a ready supply of blood from prey. Cleaning, vacuuming, and reducing clutter are perhaps some of the easiest and most direct steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a bed bug infestation.