Bedbug Bedtime Stories

Have you ever had the feeling you are not in alone in bed? Have you ever woken up the next morning and seen bug bites on your body, but you don't recall being bitten or seeing any bugs? You may have been bitten by Cimex lectularius, the common bedbug. The reddish brown insect is wingless and measures up to 5/8" in length. It hides in cracks and mattress springs in beds, wooden furniture, behind wooden picture frames near beds, floors, walls, lighting fixtures, and loosened wallpaper during the day and emerges at night to feed on humans, their preferred host. Bedbugs can also live off of mice, birds, cats, dogs and guinea pigs. The good news is there is no evidence bed bugs transmit disease, the bad news is they are time consuming to eliminate.

The bites are extremely itchy. Rarely, a person can have a severe allergic reaction from the bites and develop asthma and anaphylaxis. An infestation may be recognized by a red or brown stain or flecks of black, which are the bug's excrement on sheets or mattress seams. When large numbers of bedbugs are present, a sweet musty odor can be detected. Bedbugs emit pheromones to attract other bedbugs.
They can also sneak into your luggage at the hotel and return home with you.

What to do if you have or suspect you have bedbugs:

1. Hire a professional exterminator.
2. Reduce clutter in your rooms to decrease hiding places for the insect.
3. Thoroughly clean. Scrub infested surfaces with stiff brush to dislodge eggs.
4. Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter on maximum suction setting to remove bugs from crevices, mattress seam, bed boards, etc.
5. Clean all luggage.
6. Seek dermatologic treatment for the bites. Not getting the itch treated can lead to uncontrollable scratching leading to infection and or scarring.
7. The bug will die at temperatures of 45° Celsius and above. Wrap items in plastic and place outside in the sun for 2 weeks. You may want to put a thermometer in the bag to ensure the temperature has been reached.
8. Do not discard furniture. It can be treated by heat or steam professionally.

To avoid bed bug infestation:

1. Examine luggage carefully during travel.
2. Do not buy used or refurbished mattresses. Do not buy the floor model mattress in the store even if it is an amazing buy.
3. When purchasing antique wooden furniture, check for bugs. Cimex lectularius can comfortably live for 1 year without food.
4. When buying used clothing, bedding, etc. dry clean or wash in hot water before using or wearing items.
5. Do not place your suitcase or clothing on the hotel floor. Use the luggage caddy or the dressers.
6. Wear pajamas to bed.
7. Silverfish droppings and termite droppings may be confused with bed bugs' cybala. Inspect ceilings and walls and seal if necessary with latex caulk.

Do not scratch the bites. They may become secondarily infected and scarred. See Dr. Wong and she can prescribe appropriate therapy to clear the bites quickly and relieve itching.