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By Michael Kawula
Bed bugs are a terrible problem that terrorize homeowners, motels, apartment complexes, dorm rooms and all dwellings. These bugs are flat, oval looking, reddish brown, tiny blood sucking insects. Night bugs feed off your skin leaving bumps and can cause terrible allergic reactions. These insects travel throughout the walls of living quarters and are extremely difficult to contain. They can be found in furniture, sheets, pillows, comforters, mattresses and anywhere they can latch onto humans. These annoying insects are easily transported in clothing, suitcases and anything possible.
Detecting these bugs is not very difficult. Their bites cause itching and a burning feeling. Typically you will notice bumps on your skin and red blots. Looking for blood stain marks on sheets or carpeting can show a possible detection of bed bugs. These insects also tend to have a stale odor. Their feces are also easily detected on bedding with dark spots left from their body waste. A great way to detect is to place some strong tape upside down near your bedding and check the tape in the morning to see if any are stuck on it
Bed bugs are nocturnal insects and typically found in areas that people sleep. These insects also prefer a warm area and are found in mattresses, pillows and other sleeping areas. Individuals who travel are more prone to bed bugs as many hotels have infestation problems. Individuals who are also in the service business of going from home to home are more prone to attracting them.
It is strongly recommended that individuals consult an expert as they are hard to contain. Here are some solutions to try to contain or prevent bed bugs:
Steam Cleaners that release high temperature heat can kill bed bugs. Anything 120 degrees or greater will kill a bed bug. Make sure when steaming to steam baseboards as they can nest during the day in walls or tight crevices. Remember to have a steamer that can run an hour or more so you can efficiently do the entire room and surrounding rooms.
UV-C Wands such as the purelight UV Hand Wand are great tools. UV-C light will kill not only bed bugs but also dust mites. UV light wands are great for allergy suffers as they kill many things that cause allergic reactions and also are great for eliminating odors. Another great tool is the raycop vacuum which has UV-C light and is great for vacuuming your sleeping areas.
Microban X-580 disinfectant spray kills roaches, fleas, bed bugs, mold, odors and much more. Microban works very well with a fogger puremist machine or spray bottle. A fogger puremist machine allows you to disinfect a room or even in vehicles to freshen.
Night bugs are a terrible problem that create a very itchy annoying feeling. They need to be treated immediately and with caution. Serious infestation of these insects can be very costly. Remember to react promptly, check often and try one of the three suggested solutions for preventative measures. Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.
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Mike Kawula is an owner of Discount Cleaning Products and 123BuyIt, America’s #1 Online Retailer of Commercial & Residential Tools Cleaning Supplies & Office Supplies!
Reach by email at marketing@123buyit.com or 888-233-0851
Article Source: How to Kill Bed Bugs and Prevent Them – 3 Solutions to Eliminating Bed Bugs
Filed under Avoiding Bed Bugs, Bed Bug Detection, Bed Bug Remedies, Get Rid of Bed Bugs, How to Kill Bed Bugs by on Sep 29th, 2010. Comment. 
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They are disgusting.
There’s no denying it. Those little creepy crawlies that feed solely on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals, and make their homes in the comfort of your bed send a shudder through the spine.
Have you ever wondered what a bed bug actually is, other than something to cringe at?
There are around 108 species of these bugs, but the most common – the Cimex lectularius (found in temperate climates) – is well adapted to human environments, and brave enough to make its home in your mattress.
So what do they look like?
Do you really want to know? Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown, flat, oval, and have no wings. They have microscopic hairs covering their bodies, and a large adult can grow up to 5mm in length and 3mm in width. Babies are translucent and lighter in colour, but become darker as they mature.
The Common Bed Bug. Gross.
By nature, bed bugs are blood suckers. Typically, if one if sucking the blood of a human, it’s because no other prey is available. They usually feed just before dawn since they don’t like sunlight, but have been known to feed during the day. They’re attracted to us because of the carbon dioxide we emit, as well as our body heat.
“That’s sick. But how do they get up onto the bed?”That’s the gross part… they either crawl up, or they drop down from the ceiling or a wall. When they feed, they inject a small amount of anesthetic into the skin with one tube, and extract the blood with another tube for about 5 minutes before retreating back to their hiding places. The anesthetic is what causes the itching sensation when you notice the bite later on.
These bugs can live for 5 months to a whole year depending on the climate. The warmer and more conducive to feeding it is, the shorter their lifespan. A bed bug can survive in temperatures between 16°C and 45°C. Oddly enough, they can live up to a year without feeding.
Now that you have a clear picture of these creatures, the question remains…
Do memory foam mattresses get bed bugs?
Because memory foam mattresses are made from a more solid core and don’t have convenient hiding places, bed bugs aren’t as tempted to set up shop. It’s your headboard, bed base and sheets that you need to worry about, since they like to hide in small, enclosed spaces.
They’re are also found in spring mattresses, since they have many crevices and allow the bugs a lot of roaming space. DDT is a powerful chemical that has kept the critters away for decades, but unfortunately, there is worry that the insects have developed a resistance to the stuff. The best solution for getting rid of bed bugs in your spring mattress is to get rid of the mattress itself.
Bed Bug Infestation
Helenka Prochazka manages NovosBed, the world’s best Memory Foam Mattress company.
Article Source: Do Memory Foam Mattresses Get Bed Bugs?
Filed under Bed Bug Detection, Bed Bugs, Bugs in Bed, How to Kill Bed Bugs by on Sep 28th, 2010. Comment.
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Asthma and Allergies – How to Keep Bed Bugs From Biting
By Art Emiss
I remember as a child watching TV and hearing someone say to a child on the show: “Good night, sleep tight and Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” I asked my mother what it meant one time and she said that sometimes little bugs will bite you if your sheets are dirty. I always remembered that saying to this day. My mother’s explanation was not totally the best answer but was sufficient for a 10 year old.
The one thing that all of us need to understand, bed bugs are a blood-sucking parasite that has been around for thousands of years. It was mainly found in poorer areas of town and rundown hotels. Now that we have travel from all areas of the globe, there is a new resurgence of bed bugs in the United States. Part of this problem is compounded by insecticide resistance by the creatures. It requires new formulations of insecticides to stop the resurgence of the bugs.
Bed bug infestations are becoming even worse in peoples homes, apartments, college dormitories and hotel rooms due to people traveling. There are reported infestations in cities like San Francisco and New York City along with Miami Beach. It is hard to deal with them because they hide during the day in mattress cords, dark places of the box springs or in the backs of headboards or joints of wooden bed frames. You will always find them almost always near where people spend the night.
Individuals with Asthma and Allergies are usually very sensitive to bed bugs. It depends upon the person. I have one client who went to New York and stayed at a hotel. She had to leave the hotel in the middle of the night because of all the bites she said she had. She told me they looked like mosquito bites. Apparently, she is one of the very sensitive people to bed bug bites because her Asthma got real bad that nite and almost went to the Emergency Room.
People with Asthma and Allergies must be very aware of these creatures because of possible extreme reactions to their asthma or allergies, itching of skin like hives, and even anaphylaxis which requires emergency treatment with epinephrine. This can be serious for them and it is important to be very vigilant especially when traveling. When ever I travel, I check the bedding, mattress and box springs before I rent the room for possible signs of the bedbugs. I found some in one room in Orlando last year. Left the hotel and found another never to go back there ever.
In conclusion, people with Asthma and Allergies need to be extra vigilant while traveling to avoid contact with bedbugs. If you are staying in a strange hotel, know where the local Emergency Room is in the event you come in contact with these creatures. Not all individuals with Asthma or Allergies have reactions to common bedbugs. If you are concerned about these night creatures, see you Doctor for additional advice if you have bad reactions to bites.
If you have any questions, feel free to call us or visit our website.
To learn more about your home, visit our website at http://www.safe-homes.com or http://www.air-testing.com
We also offer a free service for all homeowners who visit our website plus a Free Report on Indoor Air Quality.
Mr. Art Emiss is available as a professional speaker to help educate your community or group function to educate your group on Mold, Asthma, Allergies and the Chemically Injured.
Article Source: Asthma and Allergies – How to Keep Bed Bugs From Biting
Filed under Bed Bug Bites by on Sep 26th, 2010. Comment.
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By Owen Jones
There is a whole generation in the developed Western world that is coming in contact with bed bugs for the first time in their lives. The Baby Boomers of the Fifties and Sixties and their offspring have never seen bed bugs in their native countries, because bed bugs were practically exterminated in the West in the 1940′s and 1950′s due to the extensive use of DDT to kill insects in general when the inner city slums were being cleared up after the Second World War. A comparable process went on in the United States.
This slum clearance and the killing of insects bolstered the conviction put about by rich people for decades that bed bugs went hand in glove with squalour and dirt. However, it is not true and in fact the opposite could be the case. Cockroaches and ants will feed off dropped pieces of food, but bed bugs do not. Bed bugs only eat blood. If they see a piece of cheese on the floor, they do not think ‘yum, yum, I wonder if it is Cheddar?’, as a cockroach might, they walk around it and make for the nearest shapely ankle instead.
The recovery in the number of bedbugs in the West since 1995 can almost definitely be attributed to the number of people making long-distance flights to Asia and Africa and increased immigration from those continents. These people are not the poorest and dirtiest in the world. Immigrants tend to be middle class to wealthy and long-distance flights are not made by the poor either.
So, how do you know if you have bed bugs? Well, the answer to that is, it depends on your immune system. You may have them and never know it, if you are not allergic to bedbug saliva. People say that bedbugs come out at night, but in fact, they are most lively about an hour before sunrise.
Therefore, if you want to look for them, this is the time to do it. Set your alarm for an hour before daybreak and switch the light on immediately. They are very fast movers if they have not eaten, otherwise they are quite sluggish and ponderous.
They usually live near the bed. Either in the mattress if it is ripped or behind the skirtings or wall paper. Bedbugs come in various colours, but the ones that only feed off humans, Cimex lectularius, are small (4-5 by 3.5 millimetres), brown, flat, but slightly rounded on top. They often look banded like a well-manicured lawn, because they have short hairs on their back. They are also wingless.
People think that bed bugs bite them in bed and this is true, but not only in bed. If you like to watch TV in your favourite armchair in the dark, they can get you there as well, which means that you are also at risk in the cinema. In fact you are at risk anywhere that people congregate: pubs, restaurants, buses, taxis, cinemas, hotels, motels, airplanes, nightclubs et cetera.
If you have bedbugs you may notice red or brown flecks on your sheets, this is either your blood or their excrement. you may also find bedbug skins lying around. Bedbugs have to shed their skins six times in order to become fully mature. These skins look just like bedbugs but with nothing in them.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with how you get bed bugs. If you are interested in this, please go over to our website now at Picture Of Bed Bugs for further details.
Article Source: How to Know If You Have Bed Bugs
Filed under Bed Bug Bites by on Sep 25th, 2010. Comment.
By Sharon Dell
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Although a licensed pest control operator will probably perform these tasks more effectively, safely and legally, they can be expensive, especially for a whole house. If you want to do it yourself, these steps to getting rid of bed bugs will help you: Start off by finding the bed bugs. Sometimes easier said than done; their flat shape enables them to fit into barely noticeable crevices the width of a credit card. Instead of ineffectual generalised spraying, arm yourself with a bright flashlight and target their nests. Search for adults, juniors and eggs, noting that sometimes individual eggs are scattered all over the home. Dismantle bed frames and stand the components on their edges. Look for the bugs themselves and the light-brown molted skins of the nymphs. Remove the gauze fabric under the box spring in order to inspect and treat because there is a good chance they are inside your mattress. Check under the fabric stapled to the frame in the box springs. Holes or tears in the gauze or fabric of the mattress probably means bed bugs and eggs will be inside. Because restrictions apply to treating mattresses with insecticides, pest control firms recommend infested beds be thrown out. But even if you do that, you need to get rid of the bed bugs already in your home, otherwise the new mattress will become infested too. Cracks and crevices of bed frames, attached side railings and supports, head and foot boards all need to be closely examined, especially if the frame is wood. Bedbugs prefer fabric, wood and paper more so than metal or plastic. If you cannot afford to replace the bed, vacuum it thoroughly. Brushing also helps. Try treating your bed with a portable steam machine. It helps but will not kill the bugs and eggs hidden inside the box spring or mattress. Apply insecticide on the mattress, box springs and bed components without spraying the mattress surface, bed sheets, blankets or clothing. After spraying and dusting, encase your mattress in one and the box spring in another sealable cover. If you just cover your mattress and box spring with plastic, the bed bugs will chew right through it. Cloth is probably more comfortable and more secure. Allergy supply companies sell zippered encasements for dust mite prevention. Keeping the mattress covers sealed for a year or 18 months ensures you destroy the bug’s life cycle. Inspect the bag regularly for damage; if you find any holes or tears, seal them with permanent tape and any trapped bugs will eventually die. Only apply insecticide to a mattress if the product label specifically mentions it, and very few do. Should you find one, apply it as a light mist to the entire mattress, opening seams, tufts, and folds so the chemical penetrates these hiding places. Allow it to dry completely before using. Never sleep directly on a treated mattress without bed linen and do not treat mattresses of infants or ill people. To stop bed bugs from crawling onto a bed, pull the bed frame away from the wall, tuck sheets and blankets in so they are off the floor and stand the legs of the bed in little dishes of mineral oil, or water with a drop of dish washing liquid. Remove and inspect headboards secured to walls since this is one of the first places the bugs head for. They also hide among stuff stored under the bed. Empty night stands and dressers, remove drawers, examine them inside and out, then turn them over to inspect underneath, looking for cracks, corners, and recesses. Check upholstered chairs and sofas, carefully inspecting seams, tufts, skirts, and crevices beneath cushions, especially when used for sleeping. Bed bugs like crawling upwards to hide in pictures, wall hangings, drapery pleats, loosened wallpaper, cracks in the plaster and ceiling-wall junctures. Other common places to find bed bugs: – Electrical boxes – Floor cracks – Cracks in wood molding – Wall paper seams – Beneath loose wallpaper near the bed – Inside radios, phones, clocks, television sets and smoke detectors. When open, tap the smaller appliances into a bag or on sticky tape so the bugs do not jump and hide – Under the tack board of wall-to-wall carpeting, especially behind beds and furniture. – Amongst clothing stored in closets – In laundry – Within wicker furniture – Secondhand beds, bedding and furniture; newer mattresses offer less hiding places. Since infested bedding, curtains, pajamas, garments and soft toys cannot be treated with insecticide, they need to be bagged and laundered in hot water, 120 degrees Fahrenheit minimum and dried using the hot setting, or discarded. When fully dry and very hot, dry them for another 20 minutes in the dryer and not naturally on the clothes line. Dry cleaning works too but either tell the dry cleaner they are infested, or before you take the items to him, place them dry into a clothes dryer at moderate setting which will be below 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. The same with toys, shoes, backpacks and items not washable; heat them in a clothes dryer for 20 minutes. Or wrap them in black plastic bags and expose them to direct sunlight for at least a few days. After washing, drying and dry cleaning, bag the items in sealed, airtight bags until you next use them. Bedbugs also die when exposed to below freezing temperatures for at least two weeks. So if you have the space you can put some items in the freezer. Raising or lowering the thermostat is not good enough. Overall cleanliness is key, so start by thoroughly cleaning the infested rooms as well as adjoining ones. Vacuum accumulated dirt and debris. Dislodge eggs by scrubbing infested surfaces with a stiff brush and reduce clutter to limit places they can hide. With a powerful suction to remove bed bugs from cracks and crevices, vacuum along baseboards, around bed stands, headboards, footboards, mattress seams, tufts, buttons, edges of the bedding, edges of carpets, especially along the tack strips to remove bugs and eggs. When finished dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag by sealing it in a trash bag. Steam clean the carpets to kill bugs and eggs which vacuuming may have missed. Steam cleaning does not work for mattresses though; it can lead to mold, mildew and dust mites. Treat your home with a product whose label specifies bed bug control and it must have a long lasting residual effects, otherwise they will return. Carefully read the label and apply only if you fully understand the instructions. Do NOT apply any insecticide or pesticide to mattresses or surfaces which are in direct contact with a person unless the label specifically says so. Some products contain chemicals not safe for people and pets. Bug treatment products are usually one of three types: 1. Insecticidal dusts Contain finely ground glass or silica powder and cause the bugs to dry out. Apply only to cracks, crevices, wall voids, attics and hollows, for example a tubular bed frame; these are places where bed bugs hide. Do not spread dust over carpets or under carpets where people or animals tread. 2. Contact insecticides Contain one or more pyrethoids which knock down and kill bugs shortly after contact. Should be applied as spot treatments to cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide. 3. Insect growth regulators These affect the reproduction cycle of insects and reduce populations. They do not kill quickly so often supplement other insecticides as part of the overall bed bug treatment plan. Products available to consumers with the ingredients pyrethrin, resmethrin (0.3% spray) and allethrin are effective. Others even more potent may only be used by professionals. Protect all food and eating utensils from insecticides. After ten days, apply a second treatment to kill the hatching nymphs. And after another ten days, a third treatment. Changes you need to make around your home Caulk and seal all holes. Fill all cracks and crevices in the walls, around baseboards and moldings. Repair cracks in plaster and glue down loosened wallpaper. For your protection, remove nests or roosts of birds and bats in and on the home, and seal all screen openings. As a home remedy you can try sprinkle boric acid powder in their nests but not directly on your mattress. Inorganic materials, such as diatomaceous earth, also known as silica dioxide or silicone dioxide, and silica aerogel may kill them but are unlikely to sort out your whole problem. Try spreading this non-toxic powder you buy from feed and supply stores, around the perimeter of your room and when the bed bugs cross the powder, they coat themselves in it, become dehydrated and die. Also insert in crevices and cracks. Baits and adhesive-based traps do not work for bedbugs. Neither do foggers, bug bombs or total release aerosol insecticides; they actually scatter the bedbugs and make extermination more difficult. Natural remedies like undiluted tea tree oil may give limited relief but are unlikely to eliminate a bed bug infestation. Some home remedies include applying bleach which kills on contact and spraying hot steam from a high powered steam cleaner into cracks for three seconds at a time. But bed bugs are persistent, resilient insects. They can withstand the heat up to 100 degree temperatures, a short spell in your freezer, multiple pest control treatments and can live for a year without eating. If you want to completely get rid of them, you need to aggressively persist until you no longer get bitten and there are no longer any signs of habitation. For pictures, how to prevent bed bugs and more about them generally see Get rid of bed bugs or for something completely different, go to natural gas tankless water heaters. Article Source: How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself
Filed under Get Rid of Bed Bugs by on Sep 17th, 2010. Comment.
