Bed Bugs In The Big Apple

Unlike the struggling Mets and Knicks, bed bugs have again made headlines in New York City. In 2004, bed bug violations in New York City totaled 377 in 2004, up sharply from only two in 2002 and 16 in 2003. Reports of bed bug infestations continuously come from different parts of the US but those coming from New York are seemingly the most disturbing.

Hordes of bed bugs were found in a duplex apartment in Park Avenue, while residents of a Riverside Drive co-op spent $20,000 to get rid of these pesky insects. The comeback of bed bugs has been attributed by entomologists and pest control groups to the continued entry of immigrant settlers coming from third world countries, increased travel activity and use of less effective insecticides.

A new mattress bought from a department store may have been stored in a truck carrying a bug infested couch disposed by its owner. Bed bugs are not choosy on what type of place to dwell, as long as there is a warm body available nearby. Even a well-cleaned and maintained home will be good for them, unlike roaches or mice, which prefer to move in a filthy environment.

Once they enter a home, bed bugs can attach themselves to pants and crawl into neighboring apartments. Anybody that stays in a hotel has a chance of bringing home bed bugs and even some of New York’s best places to stay in have infestations.

Bed bugs have been found in private schools, hospital maternity wards and even in the waiting room of a local hospital in downtown New York. Bed bugs were almost an afterthought shortly after World War II by using DDT. However, concerns over the possible effects of the chemical to human health eventually resulted in the banning of its use.

Bed bugs have the scientific name “Cimex lectularius”. They don’t have wings unlike most insects and have a brownish color. Bed bugs move the similarly to nocturnal parasites whereas they are active in hunting for human hosts. They are normally inactive during the day and only come out during nighttime. Given this behavior people will only be able to discover them when their population has risen to hundreds or even thousands.

Human blood is the favorite meal of bed bugs but they can also feed on cats and dogs if they are left with no option. Bed bugs have highly developed mouthparts to bite and suck blood. The insects usually come out to attack when the person occupying the bed has dozed off to dreamland.

Bed bugs eat for as short as less than a minute to as long as 10 minutes. They can expand three times their original size once they are filled with blood. However, humans will have a hard time detecting that he is being victimized by a bed bug, as its bite is painless.

However, bed bugs do not transmit disease and the bite only results in an orderly trail of red wheals that dermatologists mistakenly identify as scabies or hives. The lifespan of an adult ed bug can last for as long as a year and a female can lay as much as 500 eggs.

Bed bugs prefer beds with many holes and tears and can even occupy egg foams, sleeping bags, cardboard stacks and even waterbeds. Waterbeds feature nooks and crannies and normally kept warm.

Insecticides bought from the local hardware have become ineffective in fighting bed bugs, as they have become more resilient over the years. Using a cockroach bomb will only scatter them in different areas of a room.

Pest control groups in New York have advised those with beg bug problems to wash and bag every piece of clothing in an infested room, as part of a pre-extermination procedure.

Garments or beddings badly infested should be thrown out, as these cannot be sprayed with insecticides based. Cleaning clutter is also a requirement, as spaces filled with belongings will just delay the inspection and treatment process.

In addition, bed frames and bureau drawers need to be taken apart, as various chemicals will be used in the treatment. Processes need to be done multiple times if the infestations are of the worst kind.

Despite various ways to fight bed bugs, people need to accept the fact that they are back and will continue to stay in the Big Apple.

For tips on pincher bugs and common household bugs, visit the About Animals website.

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Bed Bug Facts

Bed Bugs are small pest – the adult is smaller than a quarter of an inch in size – that feed on the blood of animals and, most disconcertingly humans.

Although not equipped with wings the bed bug does possess the ability to move very quickly and is prone to rapid infestation as a result.

The Bed Bug concern is a common one, as these tiny mites are known to have traveled from their place of origin in the Asian continent to the rest of the globe.

It is far from unusual to find an infestation of Bed Bugs, but what is essential is that we know where they live, how to find them and what to do about them.

The female Bed Bug will lay eggs any day; as she can exist for vast lengths of time – over a year – this results in a rapid explosion of the Bed Bug population.

The bed bug is in action at night – when we are sleeping – and the primary clue to the infestation of Bed Bugs is the presence of marks on the skin in the morning.

The bed bug will feed during the night, and as it feeds on the blood it leaves behind marks of its presence.

A bed bug feeds by spearing the skin and inserting a tube with which it pulls out the required blood, and hence the victim will rarely be aware they are being bitten as they are normally asleep.

After feeding – which could be as long as ten minutes – the Bed Bug leaves behind a red mark which could swell and will irritate continually, bringing irritation and discomfort to the patient.

The problem about diagnosis is that the indications of Bed Bugs are often similar to many other skin infections.

Scabies leaves behind very similar indications to bed bug infestation, and other insect bites such as mosquito can also leave behind a similar tell tale mark.

Bed bug bites will usually appear on skin that is exposed while we sleep – the arms and legs, face and neck are all commonly bitten – and it is to these areas we should turn when looking for indications of the creatures.

The Bed Bug is a night feeding mite and it likes to dine on our blood; it also likes to hide and this is why it is found in our beds and furnishings.

While the Bed Bug does not nest like lots of other insects, it does fall to suitable places, hence many will hide together in the crevasses of a mattress, the inside of covers and linings and many dark and secure places.

Bed Bugs are frequently introduced into the home by persons who have been elsewhere and have possibly slept on a number of varied and frequently used beds.

A Bed Bug problem is not necessarily a case of dodgy hygiene, however, as a lot of hotels and guest houses have also been the source of the problem.

Bed Bug infestations increase very fast; with one female creature laying around five eggs per day it is easy to see how rapidly the colony can grow.

Nadeeka Johnson is an experienced article writer with over a 1,000 articles covering a wid variety of topical written at www.deadbedbugs.com

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Bed Bugs – a Serious Problem for Property Owners

Bed bug infestations have increased exponentially over the past three years causing panic among homeowners, coop members and property managers. In New York City 1,800 bed bug complaints were received in 2004. By last year complaints had more than tripled, topping 7,000. Concern that 2008 will see even more bed bug activity prompted the city to recently sponsor educational seminars for residents and property managers.

The problem is not limited to New York City and other large metropolitan areas. In recent years the age-old scourge has cropped up in all 50 states. The nightly news, local newspapers and blogosphere are full of reports of bed bug infestations. Numerous websites dedicate themselves to pinpointing the latest infestation sites and warning buyers and renters to steer clear. Luxury hotels have been sued by irate guests. Bed bugs have been reported in the tony co-ops of the rich and famous, in fashionable condominiums, in luxury apartments, in college dorms and in upscale suburban homes. Noted bed bug authority Michael Potter, an urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky, calls bed bugs the pre-eminent household pest in the U.S., on a par with cockroaches and rats. “This is one serious issue,” he recently told the New York Times. “This will be the pest of the 21st century – no questions about it.”

“History is repeating itself,” Potter said, explaining that many American beds were crawling with bed bugs before World War II. After the war, the use of potent chemicals like DDT spelled the death knell for bed bugs in America and most industrialized countries; but they continued to flourish in many other parts of the world. With environmental consciousness came less powerful, but safer chemicals that have allowed bed bugs carried in on the clothing and suitcases of international travelers to dig back into American beds.

“If bed bugs transmitted disease, what’s happening would be considered a huge epidemic,” says bed bug expert Dini Miller, an entomologist at Virginia Tech. “Though bedbugs have been shown to harbor 28 pathogens temporarily — including HIV and hepatitis B — numerous studies have shown the pathogens fail to thrive in the host enough to spread disease to people,” according to an article in the July 16, 2007 issue of U.S. News & World Report.

While they don’t pose a health threat, bed bugs routinely throw people into a state of hysteria. About the size of an apple seed, bed bugs have flattened, oval, wingless bodies that are a light to reddish-brown in color. Feeding on human blood for 3 to 10 minutes at a time, the proliferate nocturnal pests carry a psychological punch out of proportion to their size. “They come in the dark; they feed on you; they scurry away when you turn the light on,” said Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology at the University of California-Davis. Their bites can raise itchy red welts that bedevil their victims. There are stories of people dumping gallons of insecticide on their mattresses and dousing themselves with bug spray before they go to sleep. “I have people who call me in tears. They’re in hysterics,” admitted entomologist Richard Pollack of Harvard University.

Bed bugs are tough to kill. They have a hard cuticle for protection, can live for more than a year without feeding, and hide in tiny cracks and crevices making it hard for exterminators to reach them. Their eggs are tiny (about the size of a pin head), translucent and pearly white. Household insecticides won’t kill bed bugs and can actually cause them to spread as they seek new harborage. In fact, Potter and University of Kentucky researchers are starting to find bed bugs that are resistant to the pesticides commonly used to kill them.

In laboratory tests these “super bed bugs” have survived commercial pesticides at more than 10 times the recommended dose. Researchers sprayed laboratory bed bugs and bugs from four different apartment colonies with pyrethoid insecticides, the most common professional insecticide used to kill bed bugs. When sprayed, the laboratory bed bugs, which had never been exposed to the insecticide, were decimated completely; however, there were few mortalities among the apartment bed bug populations. In fact, those insects were immune to sprays that were two to three hundred times the recommended dosage prescribed by the insecticide manufacturer.

Complicating matters, people often have trouble enduring pesticide treatments and the residues they leave. A revolutionary new bed bug eradication treatment, Cryonite, provides a safe solution. Popular in Europe and Australia but only recently introduced in the United States, Cryonite does not use chemicals or leave noxious or poisonous residues. Cryonite is a completely “green” solution to killing bed bugs. It’s safe for people with sensitive skin, allergies, asthma, medical conditions, babies, young children, the elderly, even pets. A totally dry method of pest elimination, Cryonite leaves no liquid residue which allows for immediate use of the home or building after treatment.

The kryptonite of the pest world, felling even super bugs that are resistant to ordinary pesticides, Cryonite uses rapid freezing to kill bed bugs, cockroaches and most other insects. Unlike traditional pesticides, Cryonite kills bugs in every stage of development. Bugs can’t hide from the pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) “vapor” that seeps into cracks, crevices and other hiding places. Cryonite works by applying thin layers of pressurized CO2 “snow.” As the CO2 hits surfaces, it vaporizes, causing extreme instant cooling of any organism with which the gas comes in contact. In effect, it freezes the cells of insects, crystallizing the water in their cells on contact. The insect is instantly immobilized and it takes only moments for death to occur. Bugs cannot scurry away and escape Cryonite. The fast-freezing gas kills adults, nymphs and eggs alike, unlike pesticides which are impotent on eggs.

Encasements are another important weapon in the property owner’s bed bug eradication arsenal. Encasements protect your investment in mattresses and box springs from bed bugs. If bed bugs occur, they can’t get through the encasement to infect mattresses and box springs. If bed bugs are already evident, they and their eggs are trapped inside the encasements where they eventually suffocate and die. Bed bug-proof encasements are made with breathable materials that are impervious to bed bug bites but guarantee a comfortable night’s sleep. Specially designed seams and zippers keep bugs from crawling in or out. Encasements are meant to remain on your mattress and box springs for as long as you own them, forever protecting your investment from bed bug infiltration.

Douglas Stern is the managing partner of Stern Environmental Group and a bed bug extermination expert. His firm serves clients in New Jersey, New York City, and New York. You can reach him toll free at 1-888-887-8376 or by email at info@sternenvironmental.com or at http://www.SternEnvironmental.com.
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2 Common Signs Of Bed Bug Infestation – Safety Tips For Hotel Guests

Are you aware of the fact that there are 90% chances for a popular hotel – a suite room or a presidential in a posh hotel to have bed bugs? Even you’re favorite hotel can have bed bugs without your knowledge.

Now you may wonder whether your hotel has got bed bugs or not. What are the symptoms and signs of bed bug infestation? Assuming that your hotel has got bed bugs, what can be done so that your house does not get infested when you return home?

The common symptoms and signs of bed bug infestation are as follows

1. Bed Bug Rash

Itching is the first sign. The rash begins with an itching sensation. The rash will not be visible but you’ll be able to feel the itch.

When a bed bug bites, it can be itchier than mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites, you can sense its sting and feel the sucking of blood. But when bed bugs bite, the itch can be felt only after a time period of minimum one hour. This is caused by the anesthetics in the bed bug’s saliva. They inject anticoagulant and anesthetics, to prevent blood from clotting, before it sucks your blood.

Bed bug rash can be sensed one hour after the bite. But in some cases, the rash appears only a few days or weeks later. This is determined by the body’s response to the chemicals secreted by the bugs.

How can you identify a rash caused by a bed bug? It begins with a, red, small and round (from being inflamed), bump which looks more swollen than a mosquito rash. Initially, only a swollen bump can be seen. In due course of time, the rash spreads all over. This indicates that many bed bugs have started biting you. But in some cases, the rash may look similar to a bite mark in sequence. This is seen in people who constantly move when they’re sleeping. Once the bed bugs notice movement around them, they quickly run back to their hiding places.

When you suspect a bed bug rash, examine it for a few days. The rash causes prolonged itching for days together .Also, a bed bug rash doesn’t heal as quickly as mosquito bites. It remains swollen for weeks together.

2. Bed Bug Odor

Next thing to look for is bed bug odor. What kind of an odor does it have?

A Hotel where there’s plenty of bed bug infestation had this obnoxious, musty, sweet-smelling, odor that bed bugs release. You may find this smell under the headboard and mattresses. If you find a sofa with cracks or a wooden chair in your hotel, check whether they’ve got bed bug odor.

Bed bug odor isn’t easily detectable in hotels with negligible or minimal amount of infestation,

How do you avoid the hotel bed bugs from attacking your house?

Take out all the things from your suitcase the previous night. Bed bugs are efficient hitchhikers. Bed bugs can survive without food for days together. If there are bed bugs in your suitcase, they can attack the entire household.

Check your wooden things for bed bugs. They are attracted to wooden items, paper and cloth. These are the substances that support their survival.

Use water-based insect destroyer and spray it around your suitcase, and that the bed bugs can be thrown away. put your clothes and other things in a clean, dry bath tub. Bed bugs can’t stay in tub crevices as the tub is made up of ceramic or marble and it gets wet quite often.

Wash the used clothes before going back home. Remember, this isn’t a trivial issue. Once your bedroom gets infested with bed bugs, it quickly spreads to neighboring rooms. Destroying bed bugs is really difficult. You may even have to even condemn your sofa and bed to get rid of bed bugs.

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Battling The Distribution Of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are insects that do not have wings. They are roughly shaped oval. They measure, once fully grown, from four to five millimeters long. You might find the next piece of information unexpected, but bed bugs are fast runners.

There are easy to see on white linoleum or marble floors, but very difficult to spot on brown wooden floors. This is so because bed bugs are rust brown in color and they even change into a deeper red brown when they finish a blood meal.

The fact that bed bugs are dorsoventrally flat assists their distribution. Since they are so thin, they can squeeze in and fit in very narrow cracks and crevices, oftenly ones that may be found on the floor. Because of their great skillful hiding, bed bugs are very hard to detect.

Bed bug distribution also adds up to the any pieces of information about the two main species of bed bugs that bite human beings.

First, is the common bed bug, more scientifically called cimex lectularius. This kind of bed bug is found in any crevice as long as it is around room temperature. They are of greater distribution in Australia. May it be remote or urban, common bed bugs do not care, only as long as they are distributed to an area that copes well with their needs.

Another kind of bed bugs is the tropical bed bug, or cimex hemipterus. This bed bug has been guessed to be distributed in the tropics a long time ago. However, it was only recently recognized by the medical entomology department. This department can tell you more information about the distribution of the cimex hemipterus in the tropics.

Bed bugs are also distributed finely in human dwellings, bat caves and bird’s nests. In truth, the habitats that have been recently mentioned are the ones found to be most suitable for these said bed bugs. Why? It seems to be quite obvious. Bed bugs are distributed to these habitats because of their offered warmth and hosts they can feed on.

However, you must always remember tht bed bugs are never evenly distributed throughout the environment. You will come to notice that instead of being distributed in the environment, bed bugs are distributed mainly in harborages.

When human dwellings is the subject, the harborages are inclusive of the crack and crevices that you can find, sometimes not find, in your house’s walls, behind your wallpaper, furniture and wood paneling, or even under your carpetting.

Bed bugs are more usually not so prone to activity during the night, but will feed on anything during the day, especially when hunger strikes them. So, most likely, these said bed bugs would be distributed to trees and leaves and roots and absolutely anything that they can land on and strike their fancy.

Bed bugs can also be distributed to clothing, in bedding or even your luggage. However, much to their dismay, they do not have appendages that could allow them to cling, possibly to hair feathers or fur. This would bring you to the conclusion that bed bugs leave to feast on their hosts but once done with that thing they do, they leave their hosts since they have nothing to cling with in the first place.

Adult bed bugs live exclusively as parasites that feed mainly on warm-blooded animals, the best example, and probably the most usual, would be human beings. Since bed bugs can be distributed to poor housing conditions, then it would be conclusive that the infestations o fbed bugs can be found in these places too. And if these said bed bugs do get distributed to domestic premises, then the room they will most probably attack is the bedroom.

You already know of the fact that bed bugs are distributed to cracks and crevices where they most typically hide, but you probably would find this quite surprising. Throughout this essay, have you ever wondered or asked yourself why these insects are called bed bugs? It is because they love to distribute themselves in bedrooms, specifically in the vicinity of where the host, in this case, human beings, sleeps. Oftentimes, they would even habitate in the host’s sleeping place itself, the bed. Its distribution in bedrooms are also inclusive of bed frames, behind skirting or wallpaper and the matress itself.

To read about silverfish bug and bug habitat, visit the About Animals site.

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