Thats Gross: Bed Bugs
It has been said that if you wait long enough, what was fashionable years ago will become fashionable again. This appears to be the case with pests as well, especially bed bugs.
Years ago, parents would say to their children just before putting them to bed, “Good night – don’t let the Bed Bugs bite.” This saying is certainly making its comeback.
The increase in international travel has been mentioned along with pest management treatments being less toxic as reasons for their resurgence in recent years.
An infestation may occur simply by being a guest at a hospitality facility that has Bed Bugs and having one hitch a ride home with you. They can easily enter your luggage, clothing or some other personal item. Their ability to reproduce quickly is the reason to catch them early. A female may be fertile without a male being present. Each female is able to produce 1-5 eggs per day amounting to over 200 during her life span (some may generate 12 per day and over 500 in her lifetime). These facts stress the need to act quickly when you suspect a Bed Bug problem, as the pest is the most difficult to eliminate due to its ability to hide in the tiniest crack or crevice as well as travel from one unit to another. In one case it took a year and a half to eliminate them from an apartment building of 150 units.
Bed Bugs must have a blood meal in order to molt to maturity (a total of 5 instars or phases) and may live extended periods of time in between meals. It will feed for 3-10 minutes and consume three times its body weight, traveling from 15-20 feet every night to feed. They will feed every few days if their host is available. It excretes part of its previous meal while feeding, leaving stains as a telltale sign of their presence.
Now that’s gross.