At times one may be asleep at night and feel some niggling pain on his or her body and wonder what is causing it. This could be a bite from a bed bug. One may wonder and imagine what a bedbug is and how it maneuvers. A bed bug is a small, oval, brownish insect that feeds on animal or human blood. After that, however, its body swells and becomes reddish. When a home is infested with these insects, one never sleeps comfortably because they always suck blood every night, given that’s the only source of nourishment for them.
In Sophie’s home, the children kept complaining of uncomfortable, sleepless nights because they were always being bitten by unknown insects at night. According to her children, they said cockroaches used to bite them at night, but she never took this seriously because she knew cockroaches don’t bite.
One morning she woke up with a swollen red spot on her face, something which left her bewildered. She presumed that some insects had infested her home and were the same that were biting her children for the past month. Immediately, she began a frantic search and she found a tiny, oval, brownish insects, and some were reddish and swolen. Luckily, she knew how a bed bug looks, and it dawned on her that bed bugs were the root cause of the problems in her house.
Therefore, throughout this article I would like us to know the causes, symptoms, preventive measures and treatment of bed bugs.
Causes of bed bugs
Many people associate bed bugs with filthiness but this is not true.
According to Mayo Clinic, bed bugs are associated with increased international travels, changes in pest control practices, and insecticide resistance. Bed bugs don’t mind whether the environment is clean or dirty. All they need is a warm host and plenty of hiding places.
Bed bugs infestations usually occur around, or close to where people normally sleep. They hide in the cracks and crevices of: Mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards where they have easy access to people.
Again their flattened bodies make them to fit into tiny spaces.
Bed bugs can also be found under peeling paint and loose wallpaper, under light switch plates or electrical outlets and under carpets.
They always spread by moving from one site to another through clothes, luggage, bedding, furniture and boxes.
Symptoms
It can be difficult to distinguish bed bug bite from other insect bites or rashes.
The bites of bed bug are usually; red, often with a darker red spot in the middle, it will be itchy, arranged in a rough line or in a cluster and located on the face, neck, arm and hands.Some people have no reaction to bed bug bites.
Preventive measures
To prevent bites you should do the following;
- Cover up- Bed bugs do bite exposed skin; therefore when you sleep you need to put pyjamas that cover all your body to avoid exposure.
- Bug spray- Buy sprays that are effective to kill bed bugs. Here, you don’t have to confuse with insecticides that kill mosquitoes, cockroaches and ticks for they are not effective.
To prevent infestations do the following;
- Inspect any old furniture and used mattresses before taking them in your house because these could be a home of bed bugs.
- Eliminate any neighboring bird and bat habitat that may serve as a refuge of bed bugs.
Treatment
The itchy red spot usually disappears on its own after a few days and if you develop a skin infection from the bites, then your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.
To secure your home from bed bugs, you need to use proper insecticides or pesticides, and you spray in all places that bed bugs could be hiding. Here, you have to ensure that you spray in all bed bug hiding places.
I am sure that this article will be useful to Sophie and any other person that has a similar problem, for you that has never experienced this hope that when one day you fall a victim then you know how you will handle the problem