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Bedbugs

Bedbugs (or bed bugs) are small, elusive, parasitic insects of the family Cimicidae. The term usually refers to species that feed preferentially on human blood; all insects in this family live by feeding exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals.

The name 'bedbug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat of infesting houses and especially beds or other common areas where people may sleep. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts.
Bedbugs have been known by a variety of names including wall louse, mahogany flat, crimson rambler, heavy dragoon, chinche and redcoat.

Largely eradicated as pests in the developed world (largely through the use of DDT) in the early 1940s, bedbugs have been resurgent since about 1995.

Biology

Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, flattened, oval, and wingless. Bedbugs have microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color and become browner as they moult and reach maturity.

Bedbugs use pheromones and kairomones to communicate regarding nesting locations, attacks, and reproduction.
The life span of bedbugs varies by species and is also dependent on feeding.

Environmental range

The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius) is the species best adapted to human environments. It is found in temperate climates throughout the world. Other species include Cimex hemipterus, found in tropical regions, which also infests poultry and bats, and Leptocimex boueti, found in the tropics of West Africa and South America, which infests bats and humans. Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily infest bats, while Haematosiphon inodora, a species of North America, primarily infests poultry.

Bedbugs can survive a wide range of temperatures and atmospheric compositions. Below 16.1 °C (61.0 °F), adults enter semi-hibernation and can survive longer. Bedbugs can survive for at least five days at −10 °C (14.0 °F) but will die after 15 minutes of exposure to −32 °C (−26 °F). They show high desiccation tolerance, surviving low humidity and a 35–40 °C range even with loss of one-third of body weight; earlier life stages are more susceptible to drying out than later ones. The thermal death point for C. lectularius is high: 45 °C (113 °F), and all stages of life are killed by 7 minutes of exposure to 46 °C (115 °F). Bedbugs apparently cannot survive high concentrations of carbon dioxide for very long; exposure to nearly-pure nitrogen atmospheres, however, appears to have relatively little effect even after 72 hours.

Everyone will tell you, it is not easy to get rid of bed bugs. However, there are simple way to get rid of it.

Protect your mattress and box spring: inspect, turn over, vacuum on them especially in the folds where the bug likes to hide. Treat your mattress and box spring with a high temperature steam unit. Do not forget to treat underneath the buttons too. Wrap your mattress and box spring in a bag and sell against allergies in large stores (WallMart, Zellers, Rona, etc.). Wash all bedding in hot water and dry in the dryer at high temperature.

Treat the furniture and accessories: Vacuum all crevices, nooks, chairs, etc.. Use a pyrethroid and diatomaceous earth (product for sale everywhere) for cracks that are difficult to access. Follow the instructions carefully and follow manufacturer's warnings.

Prevent bed bugs access to your bed: To do this, you can use the lids of plastic containers where you will lay the legs of the bed, taking care to coat a large circular band around the bed of petroleum jelly (Vaseline). It is also possible to use a codline adhesive on both sides, and go around the legs of the bed. This creates a physical barrier to counteract the bed bugs.

Vacuum frequently throughout the housing allocated in the slots, the electrical outlets and everywhere. This eliminates a large portion of the bugs, and young larvae.

Eliminate breeding places: Wash bedding often, cushions, remove any piece of cloth that could drag the ground. Bedbugs appreciate everything that drags to reproduce.

Protect your belongings: Put your spare bedding and personal belongings in bags. If you want to make sure there is no bug in your belongings, place your bag in the freezer for six days at -7 ° C or 3 days at - 18 ° C. The bugs will not survive.

You can call a professional exterminator to make insecticides. It is important to use a registered insecticide, with low toxicity to humans. Among them we find the products of pyrethrins and pyrethroids, which will be sprayed wherever we can find bed bugs. Boric acid, for its part is sprinkled into cracks, behind furniture, under radiators, rear edges, etc.. Unfortunately, treatment is not effective for the eggs. Sometimes you have to resort to chemical extermination more than once since the eggs of bedbugs sometimes take three weeks to hatch.

Caution: It is strongly recommended to call a professional to exterminate to get better results. Inadequate treatment can scatter the bugs and cause a state of widespread infestation in the entire building and nearby homes.