“Don’t let the bedbugs bite” |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2011 06:54 AM PST The bedbug epidemic that swept the nation is far from over locally. The tiny insects that multiply rapidly, live by sucking blood and like to share mattresses and couches with humans are keeping Shelby County exterminators busy. Unlike fleas and cockroaches that are relatively easy to kill with fogging and sprays, bedbugs are sneakier and harder to eradicate, said Mike Dooley. The owner of Mike Dooley Pest Control, 835 S. Noble St., has fought Shelby County bugs and other undesirable creatures for 30 years, and he said that the bedbug problem is getting worse, not better. "Five years ago, I had never even seen a bedbug," Dooley said. "Now they are everywhere." Dooley points to international travel and and increased mobility as sources of the problem. He insists that the problem will not go away on its own and, and often not through treatment by amateurs."Most of the time, it takes a professional treatment to get rid of bedbugs," he said. "People sometimes try it themselves, but in the end, most of them call an exterminator." Part of the problem in exterminating bedbugs is their small size — about the size of an apple seed — and their amazing ability to live 12 months or more without food. They also lay hundreds of eggs that quickly hatch into more of the pesky insects, and the egg cases are clear and difficult to see. Pat Bruner, owner of Advanced Pest Management, 230 E. Washington St., said most people call an exterminator after they notice a bite on their skin. People don't usually feel the bug bite. The bedbug has two sharp beaks; one of them injects an anesthetic to numb the skin, and then the bug sucks blood with the other beak. In most cases, the bites don't show up until the next morning. Some people are much more sensitive to the bites than others. "For most people," Bruner said, "bites are almost always the first sign. Sometimes people aren't sure what is going on." Dooley said bedbug bites are often in a straight line, while flea bites are more random. The bedbug likes to bite and suck, then move up and repeat the process for three to 10 minutes until it is bloated with blood. Bruner added that the stigma attached to having bedbugs can keep people suffering and not making the call. "Some people don't even want the exterminator to know that they have bedbugs," he said. Dooley and Bruner both agreed that bedbugs don't care about the socio-economic level, race, sex or nationality of their hosts. Bugs can arrive on people's clothing, hair, purses, shopping bags or suitcases. They love to hitchhike. Dooley added that those who buy clothing, bedding, upholstered furniture and mattresses at garage sales or secondhand shops are especially prone to carrying the bugs into the house. "I always go on jobs in an unmarked truck," Dooley said. "Some people are very worried about the neighbors seeing an exterminator truck parked next door." Dooley said people are sometimes so upset when they find bedbugs that they immediately start to get rid of their furniture without even waiting for him to treat it. "It is best to get rid of clutter in the home before treatment," he said. "People have to get rid of piles of clothing or empty boxes and trash before I can do a good job of getting rid of bedbugs. I won't treat the houses of people who won't cooperate with me and do their part prior to the treatment." Bedbugs particularly like carbon dioxide, so they are attracted to humans, who blow out carbon dioxide every time they exhale. Advanced Pest Management has a device people can rent that helps determine if there are bedbugs in a room. It plugs into a receptacle and emits heat and CO2, so it attracts any bedbugs in the vicinity, and they drop into a little attached pit where they are captured. The device costs $75 per week to rent, but Bruner said it provides peace of mind for people worried about whether or not their living quarters are infested. Apartments are more often infested than houses because the bugs can travel on wires and plumbing to get from one unit to another. Dooley said some landlords are paying thousands of dollars to get rid of bedbugs. It disturbs him when clients don't tell their landlords about the bedbugs because when they move out, sometimes the new tenants inherit the bugs. "Getting bedbugs doesn't have anything to do with whether you are clean or not," Dooley said, "but cleanliness can affect how easy or hard it is to get rid of them." Bruner and Dooley both suggested purchasing a mattress cover that will completely encase the mattress. If bugs remain in the mattress, they will die inside the encasement, but people should remember that it can take a year or longer to make certain the bugs are dead. People can eliminate the bugs on clothing and bed linen by washing them in hot water and drying them in a hot dryer, but they won't stay bug-free if there are bugs still in the mattress or other parts of the house. Bedbugs are found on public transportation, in movie theaters, hotels, casinos, restaurants, stores, offices or anywhere else that has heavy public use. Bruner said when his family stays in a hotel, he routinely checks the mattress to look for signs of bedbugs. The edges and creases of a mattress will often have a discolored area where the bugs have left fecal matter or traces of dried blood. He also suggests keeping clothing and suitcases away from the bed. "Psychologically, the idea of a bug coming out of your mattress and attacking you in your sleep is extremely upsetting for people," Bruner said. "We like to think of our beds as a safe place to let down our guard, relax and sleep." Most exterminators provide a free consultation for potential customers worried about bedbugs. It is easier to take care of the problem as soon as they are suspected and before they have a chance to multiply and spread all over the house, the experts said. All comments will be reviewed prior to being posted. The following is criteria editors will follow in deeming comments suitable for posting. The newspaper reserves the right to not publish any comment for any reason and is not responsible for the content of any comment that posts. If you have a question as to why your comment was not posted, please e-mail Editor Andrea Smithson at asmithson@shelbynews.com KEEP IT CLEAN: Avoid language that is obscene, vulgar, lewd or sexually-oriented. If you can't control yourself, it won't post. Beginning with stories published on the Web site Thursday, March 25, 2010, all comments will be reviewed prior to being posted. The following is criteria The Shelbyville News will follow in deeming comments suitable for posting. The Shelbyville News reserves the right to not publish any comment for any reason and is not responsible for the content of any comment that posts. If you have a question as to why your comment was not posted, please e-mail Editor Andrea Smithson at asmithson@shelbynews.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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