The first clue many people have is a mysterious rash. This rash may appear very differently in
members of the same family getting bitten by the same population of this icky
insect. Sometimes it shows as tiny to
medium sized spots which can be darker, lighter, or redder than the surrounding
skin. These spots can be raised similar
to a mosquito bite or they can even be slightly sunken like a tiny
indentation. They may itch, hurt, or
burn. Some people experience the
itching, pain, or burning without any visual rash at all.
The rash can be much worse for people who are allergic. Individual bites can appear as large mosquito
bites. They sometimes itch, burn, and
hurt all at once. Small or large raised
red areas that resemble welts, hives, a slap mark, or a burn may appear and
persist. They can become infected and they
can cause scarring.
Elderly people and young children may have infected feeding
areas that they are not aware of. Bed
bugs inject an anesthetic when they bite.
This anesthetic can be very effective.
It is important to encourage everyone to do full body checks on a weekly
basis. Children and the elderly may need
help and encouragement. Many other
health issues can be detected by skin checks, so it is a good habit for
everyone to cultivate in any event.
Keeping that anesthetic in mind, some people can be living
with a fairly heavy infestation and not have a clue. This makes it very important to inspect
bedding and mattresses for bed bug signs on a regular basis. Before you start stripping your beds to do
your inspection, you want to gather some supplies. If you disturb bed bug nests and are not
prepared to kill them on sight, they are going to head into your walls. Once they get into your walls they are very
hard to kill. However, if they are
already there, do not despair. If you
think you are in this situation, let me know.
I will cover it in a future article.
Meanwhile, arm yourself with a spray bottle full of
isopropyl alcohol (70%); a good sized magnifying glass; and a bright penlight,
flashlight, or other movable light to help illuminate the bugs and their eggs.
Seventy percent isopropyl alcohol is an effective contact
poison for bed bugs. Do not use a higher
concentration. The higher concentrations
evaporate too quickly to do the job, they are highly flammable, and they are
more toxic to you. Lower concentrations
won’t kill the bugs. Keep in mind that even
the 70% isopropyl alcohol is toxic to human beings. It is less toxic to us than most
insecticides; but you should still take it seriously. Having a set of goggles close by and a face
mask or a bandana is a good idea. Open
the windows as well. If you find a few
large bed bug nests you may be spraying quite a bit of the alcohol.
Now that we have our supplies we are ready to begin our
inspection. Start by looking very
closely at the top of the bedding. If
there has been any bed bug activity, you may notice feces. Like the rashes bed bugs cause, their feces
can take many forms. They may look like
fly specks, tiny gritty grains of ‘dirt,’ small spots of goop, or irregular
stains—in shades of black, brown, amber, or red. In small infestations the stains may be pale
in color and tiny. As the infestations
grow, the stains also tend to grow and darken in color. A new small infestation can be hard to
detect. But a large well established one
is not something you want to be faced with. So, look carefully.
While you are inspecting for feces, keep your eye out for
the bed bugs themselves. Adults are
about the size and shape of a sesame seed. Add a tiny head to the narrow end,
with piercing mouth parts, and legs extending out to the sides slightly back
from the head. Color the creature red and
you have the general idea. The bodies
are somewhat translucent, and they are segmented as well, which allows them to
swell and elongate as they feed. Bed bug
eggs look a lot like tiny grains of rice.
They vary in size quite a bit, but 2 – 4 of them could sit on top of a
sesame seed. When first laid they
glisten and are sticky, allowing them to adhere to many surfaces. When first hatched, bed bugs are translucent
and about half the size of their egg. The hatched egg cases remain attached to the
surfaces they are laid on, and will dull and darken in color and collapse over
time. As the immature bed bugs feed,
they slowly take on pigment. Right after
a meal the digestive track may appear black. The insect itself will slowly change
color as it matures; from cream to yellow, amber, and finally the red of the
adult.
If you find bugs or eggs, and you may need the magnifying
glass and the flashlight to find them, spray them immediately with the rubbing
alcohol. Soak them well. Keep an eye on them. If they try to escape, spray them some
more. They like to hide in tucks, seams,
and folds, and by blending in to the patterns on fabric.
After you finish inspecting the top layer of bedding, do not
pull it off the bed and inadvertently shake it over the floor or carpet. This will just spread any of the bugs and
eggs around that you missed and help them escape. Roll each layer up separately, looking for
bed bug signs as you go. If bugs or
feces are found, place bedding in a plastic garbage bag and seal tightly with a
twist tie or something similar, right away. Repeat your inspection for each layer of the
bedding, right down to the mattress(es), and then carefully inspect the
mattress(es) as well, spraying any bugs or eggs you find as you go. Also inspect the bed frame and headboard very
carefully. Bed bugs are known to nest in
narrow cracks in wood, recessed screws and bolts, and in hollow metal tubes and
fittings.
Hopefully, you won’t find any bed bugs. If you do, or if
your friends or family members do, you can find simple tips on killing bed bugs
when doing your laundry, as well as tips for helping friends and family members
in my previous bed bug article published in the December 21st
issue. If you don’t still have it on
hand, you can read it on my blog, where I have added bold subheadings so you
can find the specific information easily.
<http://harvestsgardeningsecrets.blogspot.com/2016/12/avoiding-bed-bugs.html>
If you find bed bugs or feces, repeat the entire inspection
process on a weekly or even twice weekly basis.
Every bed in the house needs inspected, as well as any other places that
people tend to sit or lounge for long periods of time. If you continue to get bit, find bugs, or new
feces on subsequent inspections, I can share more tips on treating an
infestation in a future article. Please
feel free send me an e-mail with your request.
Your personal information will be kept completely confidential, of
course. (You can also leave your questions or tips in comments.) Harvest McCampbell, harvest95546@yahoo.com.
~~~
Copyright 2017, Harvest McCampbell. Please feel free to use the buttons below to share. All other rights reserved.
