Bed Bugs – Creatures Of The Night
March 5, 2018 at 5:09 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Once nearly eradicated, these blood suckers have made a rapid comeback in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. This spread may be a global pattern. Traveling to and staying in hotels overnight in New York City is especially problematic as this city appears to be particularly affected. New York, however, is not unique. Bed bug infestations have been reported increasingly in homes, apartments, hotel rooms, hospitals and dormitories in the United States since 1980. Reports of bed bug infestations in San Francisco doubled between 2004 and 2006.
Bed bugs have superseded termites as the No. 1 urban pest, and they have evolved to outsmart the latest generation of chemicals used to control them. Bed bugs are no longer kept in check by insecticides called pyrethroids.
Bed bugs, known in Latin as Cimex (a bug) lectularius (couch or bed), are flightless, nocturnal, blood feeding parasites that preferentially dine on humans. Adult bed bugs are oval, flat, approximately 5 mm long. They resemble unfed ticks or small cockroaches, and are easily visible, even to the untrained eye. (About the size of an apple seed.) Adults are reddish brown in color, whereas immature bed bugs are much smaller and may be light yellow. They have a pyramid-shaped head with prominent compound eyes, slender antennae, and a long proboscis tucked underneath the head and thorax.
There are 91 species in the insect family Cimicidae, but only two species, Cimex lectularius (human bed bug) and lesser known C. hemipterus (tropical bed bug), readily feed on humans. Bed bugs feast on sleeping persons every five to 10 days and hide during the day in cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames. They are apparent only if a special search is made at night.
The common bed bug is one of the most widely recognized insects in the world. Its close association with humans has been documented for more than four millennia. The association of C. lectularius and humans dates to 1350 B.C. or earlier, as evidenced by well-preserved bed bug remains recovered in Egypt. According to one researcher, bed bugs are our oldest roommates.
Bed bugs are not native to North America, but were introduced by the early colonists in the 17th century. As mentioned earlier, the resurgence of the parasite has been recorded across the globe with an estimated 100 to 500 percent annual increase in bed bug populations.
Despite the long association between bed bugs and humans, there was little knowledge about the biology of this important insect and its close relatives until recently. This has changed with the increase in global bed bug infestations. Bed bugs have been found to release substantial amounts of histamine that cause an immune response resulting in a rash or respiratory problems. There is also new information regarding aspects of reproduction and ecology.
Feeding behavior in C. lectularius coincides with periods of minimal host activity, when bed bugs leave their refuge to feed. Bed bugs use two feeding tubes, one to inject an anticoagulant and mild anesthetic, and other to draw blood. An adult fully engorges in 10 to 20 minutes, after which it returns to its hiding place. Both sexes feed only on blood. Egg production in adult females and sperm production in males requires regular blood meals — an essential prerequisite for mating.
Recent studies show that bed bugs around the world have developed a resistance to the chemicals used to control them. Laboratory tests in the U.S., Europe and Africa demonstrate that today’s bedbugs can survive pesticide levels a thousand times greater than the lethal dose just a decade ago. Virtually all of these pests have evolved to outsmart the latest generation of pyrethroid insecticides used to control them.
Bed bugs today appear (1) to have nerve cells better able to withstand the chemical effects, (2) higher levels of enzymes that detoxify the lethal substances, and (3) thicker shells that can block insecticides. One possibility to explain the resistance is that many tropical countries have drastically scaled up mosquito control by spraying indoors and providing bed nets impregnated with pyrethroids. This has increased the likelihood of resistance and global travel and trade could have introduced the already-resistant bugs to the United States. Another factor is inbreeding. A single female that has been mated is able to colonize and start a new infestation. Her progeny and brothers and sisters can then mate with each other, exponentially expanding the population.
One way to prevent bed bug bites is to cover up. Because bed bugs do not tend to burrow under clothing, it may be possible to avoid bites by wearing pajamas that cover as much skin as possible. It is also wise to place luggage on tables and dressers instead of on the floor. To be completely safe, it is wise to check mattress seams in hotels for bed bug excrement. If your home is infested, your best bet is to hire a professional exterminator. They use portable devices to produce steam, heat or freezing temperature to kill the parasites.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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Once nearly eradicated, these blood suckers have made a rapid comeback in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. This spread may be a global pattern. Traveling to and staying in hotels overnight in New York City is especially problematic as this city appears to be particularly affected. New York, however, is not unique. Bed bug infestations have been reported increasingly in homes, apartments, hotel rooms, hospitals and dormitories in the United States since 1980. Reports of bed bug infestations in San Francisco doubled between 2004 and 2006.
Bed bugs have superseded termites as the No. 1 urban pest, and they have evolved to outsmart the latest generation of chemicals used to control them. Bed bugs are no longer kept in check by insecticides called pyrethroids.
Bed bugs, known in Latin as Cimex (a bug) lectularius (couch or bed), are flightless, nocturnal, blood feeding parasites that preferentially dine on humans. Adult bed bugs are oval, flat, approximately 5 mm long. They resemble unfed ticks or small cockroaches, and are easily visible, even to the untrained eye. (About the size of an apple seed.) Adults are reddish brown in color, whereas immature bed bugs are much smaller and may be light yellow. They have a pyramid-shaped head with prominent compound eyes, slender antennae, and a long proboscis tucked underneath the head and thorax.
There are 91 species in the insect family Cimicidae, but only two species, Cimex lectularius (human bed bug) and lesser known C. hemipterus (tropical bed bug), readily feed on humans. Bed bugs feast on sleeping persons every five to 10 days and hide during the day in cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames. They are apparent only if a special search is made at night.
The common bed bug is one of the most widely recognized insects in the world. Its close association with humans has been documented for more than four millennia. The association of C. lectularius and humans dates to 1350 B.C. or earlier, as evidenced by well-preserved bed bug remains recovered in Egypt. According to one researcher, bed bugs are our oldest roommates.
Bed bugs are not native to North America, but were introduced by the early colonists in the 17th century. As mentioned earlier, the resurgence of the parasite has been recorded across the globe with an estimated 100 to 500 percent annual increase in bed bug populations.
Despite the long association between bed bugs and humans, there was little knowledge about the biology of this important insect and its close relatives until recently. This has changed with the increase in global bed bug infestations. Bed bugs have been found to release substantial amounts of histamine that cause an immune response resulting in a rash or respiratory problems. There is also new information regarding aspects of reproduction and ecology.
Feeding behavior in C. lectularius coincides with periods of minimal host activity, when bed bugs leave their refuge to feed. Bed bugs use two feeding tubes, one to inject an anticoagulant and mild anesthetic, and other to draw blood. An adult fully engorges in 10 to 20 minutes, after which it returns to its hiding place. Both sexes feed only on blood. Egg production in adult females and sperm production in males requires regular blood meals — an essential prerequisite for mating.
Recent studies show that bed bugs around the world have developed a resistance to the chemicals used to control them. Laboratory tests in the U.S., Europe and Africa demonstrate that today’s bedbugs can survive pesticide levels a thousand times greater than the lethal dose just a decade ago. Virtually all of these pests have evolved to outsmart the latest generation of pyrethroid insecticides used to control them.
Bed bugs today appear (1) to have nerve cells better able to withstand the chemical effects, (2) higher levels of enzymes that detoxify the lethal substances, and (3) thicker shells that can block insecticides. One possibility to explain the resistance is that many tropical countries have drastically scaled up mosquito control by spraying indoors and providing bed nets impregnated with pyrethroids. This has increased the likelihood of resistance and global travel and trade could have introduced the already-resistant bugs to the United States. Another factor is inbreeding. A single female that has been mated is able to colonize and start a new infestation. Her progeny and brothers and sisters can then mate with each other, exponentially expanding the population.
One way to prevent bed bug bites is to cover up. Because bed bugs do not tend to burrow under clothing, it may be possible to avoid bites by wearing pajamas that cover as much skin as possible. It is also wise to place luggage on tables and dressers instead of on the floor. To be completely safe, it is wise to check mattress seams in hotels for bed bug excrement. If your home is infested, your best bet is to hire a professional exterminator. They use portable devices to produce steam, heat or freezing temperature to kill the parasites.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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