Bed Bugs are parasitic insects which are oval and brownish but appear reddish after feeding and also have flat bodies. A fully grown adult is around 4 to 5 mm long and resembles the size of an apple seed. They feed exclusively on blood and belong to the cimicid family, and Cimex lectularius is the most common species and feds mainly on human beings. Other species primarily feed on other animals, and good examples include Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrelli.
In Singapore, Cimex lectularius is the most common species, and even if the country has the equatorial type of weather, bed bugs are capable of easily adapting. They feed at night when their human host is fast asleep, and you can fail to know they are in your place because their bites are mostly painless. You might, however, feel itchy and small reddish sores appear on your skin as well. Bed bugs find their way in human habitat through hiding in luggage, used coaches or beddings, clothing and other items. They are mostly found in the beddings especially on the mattresses and its edges, headboards, box springs, folds among other places.
They are also not seasonal, and a single female bedbug is enough to give you difficult nights. Single female bed bugs can lay between one to seven eggs and close to 200 and 250 eggs in their lifetime. She can also prefer to avoid mating by hiding from male bed bugs to avoid disruptions and lay more eggs somewhere else. They suck human blood using their elongated beaks after piercing the skin and can feed for as long as three to seven minutes in one feeding. Bed bugs thrive in warm temperatures, and they are a nuisance. They can live for several months without feeding and even up to a year if the conditions are favorable and continue to lay eggs. They are mostly found in the bedrooms but can also relocate to other rooms and even in your neighboring apartments after long habitations.
SYMPTOMS OF BED BUGS
After several bites in your body and some period of bed bug infestation, below are some of the symptoms that you are most likely to see or experience.
Discomfort at Night
Bed bugs are most commonly found on the edges of the beds and where they can easily wait for human beings to sleep and feed on their blood. If you start feeling itchy while sleeping or laying in your bed late at night, then the bed bugs are most likely to be present. It is also during the night that they are most active.
Red swellings
Bed bugs feed on the human body parts that are easily accessible. You might see red welts in one body part which also has an irritating feeling that sometimes makes you scratch them.
Unpleasant and Musty Odor
A strong musty and unpleasant odor is another sign of bed bug presence in your home, especially around your bed. Nymphs (immature bed bugs) and adult male Bed bugs release pheromone to prevent mating when approached by male bed bug which tries to mate with any bed bug that has fed recently. When pheromones are released by a large number of bed bugs, they will produce a musty odor that will most likely get your attention. You can also feel this smell in other places such as hotel rooms or lodgings.
Rusty or Bed bug Excrement Spots
Immature bed bugs or nymphs shed their skin during their maturing periods, and if they are many, you will quickly spot them in the edges of the mattresses. They will also leave eggshells behind after hatching and fecal which makes their hiding spot appear rusty as well.
If you experience or see these symptoms, remove your beddings and assess them carefully by checking these signs. You can also look for these signs at the bottom of the boxspring and the crack of the nearby furniture or wood floor in your bedroom or under the carpet edges.
ACTION TO TAKE IN KILLING BEDBUGS
There are several actions that you can pick and help you in killing bedbugs and reclaim your comfort environment and perhaps a good sleep. These actions are:
Launder or Take the Infested bedding to the Laundry
Bed bugs cannot live for more than 20 minutes in very hot temperatures. One ideal way to deal with bed bug infestation in your home is by heating your beddings in hot water with temperatures of around 120 degrees and above. You can also dry your beddings with your household dryer by adjusting it to the highest heat setting for 30 minutes or more which is enough to kill the bed bugs.
Use Pesticides by yourself or Hire a Professional
You can also choose to use pesticide to control or kill the bed bugs in your home. However, because some of them can have hazardous effects on human, it is wise and vital to look for those that are registered with the National Environment Agency of Singapore. Improper application or use of certain pesticides can also be harmful to household members. To avoid such risks, choosing to hire a professional is also an ideal decision. A bedbug exterminator expert will effectively use the pesticide and completely get rid of this irritating infestation.
Assess your Beddings after Clean up or Treatment
One of the surest ways to ensure that you have completely get rid of bed bug after the initial clean up and heating or use of pesticide is by carefully assessing your beddings. The assessment will enable you to completely get rid of the bed bugs and control or kill them before they have reproduced and multiplied.
Bed bugs can give you headaches and deny you comfortable sleep for days or months. If you suspect that you have them in your home by seeing the symptoms of bed bugs mentioned above in your home, do not hesitate. Take action of killing the bedbugs immediately after seeing them instead of waiting and enabling them to give you disastrous nights and sleeps. You should also be very careful when traveling from one place to another even by air as they can easily attach themselves to your clothes or luggage especially if you are in a crowded place.