Bed bug invasion

As young children, many of us were frightened of monsters in the closet or those "dust bunnies" under the bed our moms kept talking about. But when Mom tucked us in and told us, "Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite," it brought a slight giggle.

Well, giggle no more. What was thought to be a problem dealt with several generations ago has come back to haunt our restful sleep.

"According to surveys, there was a 300 percent increase in bed bug reports between 2000 and 2001," said Randall Armstrong, Lauderdale County agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service.

"Bed bug complaints increased another 70 percent the next year and another 70 percent from 2002 to 2003."

Bed bug infestations were once thought to be the result of poor housekeeping. Bug experts now know better. Even the most meticulous housekeeper is subject to an infestation of bed bugs.

According to the extension service, bed bugs are wingless and can hitch a ride from infested areas to noninfested areas. They can be transported on clothing, in luggage, in furniture or bedding that is being moved.

Once inside a home, bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices.

They prefer hiding places close to the sleeping host, such as in seams or in buttons of mattresses, coils of bedsprings, cracks in the bed frame, upholstered furniture, picture frames, behind loose wallpaper, along baseboards and moldings and around windows and door frames.

Armstrong said bed bugs can live for more than a year and go without food for months.

"Females lay hundreds of eggs," he said. "Because the adults and the nymphs hide in cracks, they can be difficult to reach with an insecticide."

What do you look for if you think you have a problem with the little blood-sucking creatures?

According to Michael F. Potter, an extension entomologist with the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky, adult bed bugs are about ¼-inch long and reddish-brown with oval, flattened bodies.

He said bed bugs like to hide during the daytime and come out to feed on the host's blood at night, usually while the host is sleeping.

The first signal that you may have bed bugs is the appearance of welts and irritations on your body after sleeping. The bites usually can be found around the upper body: the face, neck, hands and arms.

The bites can be painless and undetectable in some people, but other people may be more sensitive to the bites.

Itching and welt formation occurs when a person has an allergic reaction to an enzyme in the bed bug's saliva.

Close inspection of bedding may reveal fecal smears and blood spots visible on pillowcases, sheets and mattresses. Heavy infestations of bed bugs, Potter said, are accompanied by a distinct odor.

But there is a bright side, Armstrong said.

"Bed bugs are not known to carry human diseases," he said.

Armstrong also said there are simple methods to control bed bugs.

The legs of the bed can be placed in soapy water or coated with petroleum jelly or double-sided sticky tape.

"Bed bugs cannot climb polished glass or metal easily, and they don't fly, so the legs of the bed can be placed inside glass jars or metal cans," Armstrong said.

Heat 97 to 99 degrees will kill most bed bugs, as will temperatures below 48 degrees. In other words, pulling your mattress and box springs outside in extreme temperatures may help to rid them of the little critters.

Steam cleaning of infested mattresses and pillows is also effective in killing bed bugs living in seams and buttons.

If using an insecticide spray or dust, pestproducts.com advises taking the bed apart. Spray the bed frames, slats and springs with enough spray to thoroughly wet them, paying particular attention to the tufts and seams of the mattresses.

Woodwork and all walls in the bedroom should be sprayed at least 2 feet above the floor.

Before putting on clean sheets and pillowcases, the mattress and pillows should be thoroughly vacuumed.

For details on bed bugs and other household infestations, contact the extension office at 766-4846 in Lauderdale County; 386-8570 in Colbert County; or 332-8880 in Franklin County.

Teri T. Thomason can be reached at 740-5742 or teri.thomason@timesdaily.com.