Things to Look Out for Bed Bugs

By Elnora Cephas


Bed bugs decide to make a comeback in the states and college campuses aren't immuned from attack.And the ones are just the colleges that have made the nation's news. Many schools keep news of the bed bug infestation hush hush. It isn't exactly a fantastic selling point for incoming students.

Bedbug infestations have raised dramatically during the last five years so it will be not unusual for college campuses using highly mobile populations for being affected. Bedbug reports by pest management companies increased by 71% between 2000 and 2005, good National Bug elimination Association (NPMA). Within a national survey of bug control companies, University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter, a noted bedbug expert, found, "A whopping 91% of respondents reported their organizations had encountered bedbug infestations in past times two years. Only 37% said they encountered the infestation more than five-years ago."

The infestation have been reported to all 50 states, primarily in homes, apartments, hotels and motels. However, 2% in the infestations reported in past times year have been around in college dormitories. "The last Yr have been particularly active," Cindy Mannes, NPMA director of public affairs, noted last spring. "They are turning up like never before in hotels, hospitals, college dormitories, and multi-family housing units, and also single-family homes."

An age-old scourge, bedbugs, like lice and fleas, were common bedfellows before World War II. The creation of DDT-based pesticides following the war allowed America to eliminate these nuisance pests; however, the infestation are still common in most parts of the entire world. The banning of DDT in early 1970s, as well as increased worldwide travel and also the rise of pesticide-resistant bugs, is mainly responsible for a resurgence of bedbugs worldwide.

As they definitely don't transmit disease, these bugs can traumatize their victims. Regarding the size of an apple seed, these bugs have flattened oval, wingless bodies that happen to be light to reddish-brown colored. Feeding on the blood of humans for three to Ten mins at a time, the nocturnal pests possess a psychological punch beyond proportion for their size. "They can be found in the dark; they feast upon you; they scurry away if you turn the sunshine on," said Lynn Kimsey, director in the Bohart Museum of Entomology for the University of California-Davis. Its not all victims interact with bed bugs, however their bites can leave itchy, red welts. Victims can be nervous and jumpy, constantly feeling phantom bites and crawling skin. "I have those who call me in tears," said entomologist Richard Pollack of Harvard University. "They're in hysterics."

The infestation are especially tricky to control in multi-unit buildings like dormitories. The small insects multiply rapidly; females typically laying 500 eggs throughout their six- to 12-month lifespan. A number of bed bugs may result in a major infestation within a short time. Not drawn to filth or food, bedbugs hitch a ride in to a building on luggage, clothing, bedding, boxes or used or rental furniture. They spread easily on students' clothing and belongings, in reconditioned mattresses purchased by some colleges, and thru building ductwork, electrical and plumbing conduits, elevator shafts and wall voids. If the bed bug infestation can be found in a room, it's likely that adjacent rooms and rooms within the floors above and below can also be infected.




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