Have you ever heard the saying, "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite"? I've often wondered why people said that and whether or not a bed bug was a real thing or just something made up. Anyway, I saw a special on Animal Planet about the worlds biggest blood suckers and the bed bug was mentioned there. I decided to look up a little more information on it. Anyway, here are some of the facts that I found:
- Bed bugs are so named because they like to feed on us while we sleep. They often lie in wait in placed near our beds. The often can be found living in or on mattresses.
- Because they feed at night while we are sleeping, most people don't even realise that they are being bitten. Some people develope small welts and/or irritated and ichy skin (where bitten). Some people though have no reaction at all. Bed bugs are not believed to carry and trasmit any diseases. The only medical concern with the bugs is that they can sometimes make a persons skin ichy.
- Bed bugs are very resilient. Nymphs (young bed bugs) can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year.
- Infestations of bed bugs used to be treated with the chemical DDT, which was very effective. Since this chemical is no longer allowed to be used, bed bug populations have been growing. There are still methods for controlling and getting rid of these bugs but they aren't quite as effective as DDT.
For more information on bed bugs along with some cool pictures check out the
University of Kentucky's entomology website (the picture above was obtained there).
