PREVENTING BED BUG INFESTATIONS
The most important thing you can do to prevent bed bugs is to give them the respect they deserve. The modern bed bug has flourished for thousands of years (it’s ancestors for millions before that) by developing mind-boggling survival skills. They are not only excellent hitchhikers, which enables them to move from infested to non-infested environments with ease, but they can also remain dormant for up to a year if they sense that no blood meal is available.
Luggage brought home from a trip and second hand or vintage furniture should be carefully inspected for any signs of bed bugs. The cleanliness of your home has no bearing on the bed bug’s ability to find its way in and find a place to hide.
Bed Bugs 101
Everything you never wanted to know about the intrepid bed bug.
WHAT IS A BED BUG, EXACTLY?
The bed bug (or cimex lectularius) is a small brownish biting insect that feeds on human blood. Adult bed bugs are flat and oval and measure approximately 5mm in length (about the size of a flattened appleseed). Nymphs and eggs, though tiny, are also visible to the naked eye. Bed bugs hide during the day (mostly in dark cracks and crevices and other inaccessible places) and emerge at night (just before dawn in most cases) to feed. They are attracted to both body heat and the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath. A typical feeding takes between two and five minutes. Like mosquitoes, bed bugs first inject a small amount of saliva which contains an anaesthetic to numb the area and anticoagulants to ensure the blood flows easily. Unlike mosquitoes bites, bed bug bites generally leave no mark or itch. A person bitten for several weeks may develop a reaction to the anaesthetic in the saliva and, eventually, a mild allergic response in the form of red and/or raised welts similar to those caused by other insects.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BED BUG
Bed bugs have been around at least as long as civilization and perhaps as long as man. Fossilized remains, dating back almost 4000 years, have been unearthed at archaeological sites. There presence was recorded in ancient Greece as early as 400 B.C. and they were so common in ancient Rome that they were called simply cimex, meaning “bug”. As one of the few biting insects to evolve to have a taste for human blood exclusively, they’ve adapted incredible skills to find and stay with their human hosts. As ocean travel increased, bed bugs became master stowaways. By the 1500’s, they were widespread in Europe and soon after set sail with their human hosts to explore the Americas. Wherever people settled, bed bugs thrived. Up until the mid 1900’s, they were such a commonly-suffered nuisance that they found their way into bed-time rhymes.
Around the 1950’s, widespread use of pesticides (many of which have since been banned due to their toxicity to humans) seemed to all but end the bed bug’s reign of terror. But, the bed bug is back – with an attitude. Several factors, including increased ease of travel and migration of people and the cessation of routine pesticide treatment in hotels have likely contributed to a large resurgence of bed-bugs throughout the world. Since the late 1990’s, they have once again become a major nuisance in cities throughout North America, including Toronto.
BED BUG HIDING PLACES (UNCOVERED)
HOW TO SPOT A BED BUG PROBLEM
The most obvious sign of bed bugs in your home is complaints of insect bites that occurred during the night. Unfortunately, as 50% of people develop no response to bed bugs, this is not always the first indication (one of the reasons bed bug infestations have been allowed to take hold so freely). It’s a good practice to regularly inspect your home’s bedrooms for signs of bed bugs – eggs and feces being the easiest to spot. Eggs are translucent white, about the size of a pinhead and shaped like a kernel of rice. Nymphs (newly hatched bugs) are shaped like an adult, but are very light coloured. Bed bug excrement starts as a liquid and appears as either a brownish/black stain or a tiny coagulated bead (not unlike a poppy seed).
We use nothing but heat to treat your home. No chemicals means there are no fumes, no residue and no corrosion. And, you can safely return home as soon as the treatment is complete. ThermaGone uses bio-diesel and/or diesel fuel and environmentally friendly heat-transfer fluid to generate and diffuse heat, creating the smallest possible environmental footprint.
Bed Bugs 101
Everything you never wanted to know about the intrepid bed bug.
WHAT IS A BED BUG, EXACTLY?
The bed bug (or cimex lectularius) is a small brownish biting insect that feeds on human blood. Adult bed bugs are flat and oval and measure approximately 5mm in length (about the size of a flattened appleseed). Nymphs and eggs, though tiny, are also visible to the naked eye. Bed bugs hide during the day (mostly in dark cracks and crevices and other inaccessible places) and emerge at night (just before dawn in most cases) to feed. They are attracted to both body heat and the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath. A typical feeding takes between two and five minutes. Like mosquitoes, bed bugs first inject a small amount of saliva which contains an anaesthetic to numb the area and anticoagulants to ensure the blood flows easily. Unlike mosquitoes bites, bed bug bites generally leave no mark or itch. A person bitten for several weeks may develop a reaction to the anaesthetic in the saliva and, eventually, a mild allergic response in the form of red and/or raised welts similar to those caused by other insects.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BED BUG
Bed bugs have been around at least as long as civilization and perhaps as long as man. Fossilized remains, dating back almost 4000 years, have been unearthed at archaeological sites. There presence was recorded in ancient Greece as early as 400 B.C. and they were so common in ancient Rome that they were called simply cimex, meaning “bug”. As one of the few biting insects to evolve to have a taste for human blood exclusively, they’ve adapted incredible skills to find and stay with their human hosts. As ocean travel increased, bed bugs became master stowaways. By the 1500’s, they were widespread in Europe and soon after set sail with their human hosts to explore the Americas. Wherever people settled, bed bugs thrived. Up until the mid 1900’s, they were such a commonly-suffered nuisance that they found their way into bed-time rhymes.
Around the 1950’s, widespread use of pesticides (many of which have since been banned due to their toxicity to humans) seemed to all but end the bed bug’s reign of terror. But, the bed bug is back – with an attitude. Several factors, including increased ease of travel and migration of people and the cessation of routine pesticide treatment in hotels have likely contributed to a large resurgence of bed-bugs throughout the world. Since the late 1990’s, they have once again become a major nuisance in cities throughout North America, including Toronto.
BED BUG HIDING PLACES (UNCOVERED)
HOW TO SPOT A BED BUG PROBLEM
The most obvious sign of bed bugs in your home is complaints of insect bites that occurred during the night. Unfortunately, as 50% of people develop no response to bed bugs, this is not always the first indication (one of the reasons bed bug infestations have been allowed to take hold so freely). It’s a good practice to regularly inspect your home’s bedrooms for signs of bed bugs – eggs and feces being the easiest to spot. Eggs are translucent white, about the size of a pinhead and shaped like a kernel of rice. Nymphs (newly hatched bugs) are shaped like an adult, but are very light coloured. Bed bug excrement starts as a liquid and appears as either a brownish/black stain or a tiny coagulated bead (not unlike a poppy seed).
PREVENTING BED BUG INFESTATIONS
The most important thing you can do to prevent bed bugs is to give them the respect they deserve. The modern bed bug has flourished for thousands of years (it’s ancestors for millions before that) by developing mind-boggling survival skills. They are not only excellent hitchhikers, which enables them to move from infested to non-infested environments with ease, but they can also remain dormant for up to a year if they sense that no blood meal is available.
Luggage brought home from a trip and second hand or vintage furniture should be carefully inspected for any signs of bed bugs. The cleanliness of your home has no bearing on the bed bug’s ability to find its way in and find a place to hide.