Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bed Bugs And Everything About It

Bed bugs are small parasites that live in our homes. The common bed bug and the tropical one are the two species of bed bugs that bite humans. The common parasites are the types that are commonly living with humans all around the globe. Tropical bed bugs, however, are commonly found in tropical places. The only food that they need to survive is the blood of warm blooded animals.

In one day, a female bug can lay as many as five eggs. In her entire life span, she can lay around 500 eggs. The eggs hatch after one to two weeks. The offspring is as tiny as a poppy seed and it needs blood immediately after birth for its nutrition and growth. They have to undergo five molting stages first before it turns to a complete adult. One feeding is needed to pass a certain stage and in a normal room temperature, it takes five weeks for a nymph to transform to a complete adult.

An adult insect is about one-fourth of an inch. Its oval-shaped body is thin and flattened. This characteristic allows them to pass through, hide or live in crevices and other small holes in the house. They have no wings but can move very fast. Its common color is rust brown but it also turns reddish brown after sucking blood. Their mouth is designed perfectly to pierce the skin and suck blood. It can sense the presence of their host from the warmth of its body and the carbon dioxide they release. They do not live on humans; however, they live on places that are near to humans for the purpose of food. It is only capable of reproduction after reaching adult stage.

Bed bugs commonly live in beds, mattresses and other home furniture. They are most active during nighttime and stay close to each other most of the time. It rarely go searching for food at daytime and they only do that if they are very hungry. It has the ability to survive without food for a long period of time. Their thin and flat bodies enable them to hide themselves in fissures or cracks when they are threatened.

Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures which make them hard to detect. Blood on sheets and other furniture are signs of the presence of bed bugs. They also emit a sickly smell that tells there is a huge number of bed bug in the area. Bed bug detection dogs can also be used to detect their existence.

Pest control is needed to get rid of these parasites. Keeping rooms and furniture clean and properly arranged helps prevent further infestation.

No comments:

Post a Comment