Cute Stuffed Bed Bug
I was out looking on the web to find information about a stuffed plush animal. Not just any stuffed animal but a Stuffed Bed Bug. As I was doing my research I figured why waste the info when I could just share it with everyone. It might just come in handy if you come across any bed bugs that are not cute little stuffed animals.
Bed Bugs are nasty little vampires that hide during the day and come out at night to feast on mammals. That mammal could likely be a person sleeping in a room that has become a bed bug cottage.
These are reddish brown, flat, oval shaped bugs that are about the size of an apple seed. They are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide, 2 things that a sleeping human can't do anything to control. The little beast then crawl over to the dinner plate, YOU, and "bite" you. They have 2 feeding tubes, one is inserted to inject saliva that contains anticoagulants to break down your blood. While the other tube sucks out the blood. They are nice enough to also inject a bit of anesthetics with the saliva so maybe you won't feel it as much. Thoughtful little bugs aren't they?!
Bed bugs have been around for thousands of years. They are hardly little bugs that can go up to a year without eating. By eating, I mean sucking the blood out of you. They had been a problem way back in history, until some really smart people found a way to kill them off. They used DDT...yes, it killed off the bed bugs but was also extremely toxic to people & pretty much anything that would walk, fly, or swim. Some species of bed bugs can live for up to 15 minutes in -25 degrees F.
So from about World War 2 until now, you rarely ever heard about bed bugs in the United States. I for 1 am happy that I have not encountered the little monsters. Now it seems as more and more places in the USA are finding the critters of the night are back. Many hotels, hospitals, and apartments are reporting infestations of the bugs. It is believed that most have been carried in from other countries by international travelers.
Getting rid of these dastardly creatures is another problem. Obviously, DDT is not an option. Bats won't eat them...not that you would wnt to bring a family of bats into your bed room but, it was a thought. The good news is that the bed bug does have some natural predators. Cockroaches, mites, ants, centipedes, and spiders will eat them.
Ok, so maybe that is only good news if you are the Adams Family and have those other insects for pets. Me, I'd rather keep all of them out.
There have also been studies on killing bed bugs with such natural ingredients as Neem Oil, Black Cohosh, tobacco, eucalyptus, and even cannabis.
One of the other natural things you can try that does work well on ants is diatomaceous earth. It is said to cut into or puncture holes in the hard exoskeleton which leads the bug to die of dehydration.
Other things you might do to help cut down or kill as many of the critters as possible, even after contacting an exterminator.
Hint - After the use of DDT and other pesticides, bed bugs are very resilient so do everything you can to prevent or help get rid of the problem.
You can bag up clothes, linens, stuffed animals...and try some of the following to kill your pet bed bugs and their eggs.
Put the bags in a freezer. This would mean putting outside at below 32 degrees F or in a deep freezer for several days. Some bed bugs will not die from this, they will just go into a hibernation mode.
If it is summertime and you can put the bagged items in a enclosed automobile where temps will get to at least 115 degrees F for a few hours...this should cook the little vamps and their eggs.
You can also put all the clothes, pillows, plush toys...into a dryer for at least 20 minutes on high or medium heat. This should also kill all stages of the bed bugs.
To help cut down on the number of bed bugs you are trying to get killed off...VACUUM! You will never get a vacuum into all the crevasses, wall outlets, base boards....So this will not rid you of the problem, it is just a way to help. Always place the vacuum bag into a sealed plastic bag & dispose of it. I would even take that plastic bag and put it out in the hot car trunk for a day just to make sure.
As far as bed mattresses, couches, and other large furniture goes...you may just have to dispose of it and get new once all of the bugs and their eggs are gone from your home.
There you go. This should give you a bit of important Bed Bug Information to help keep you and your family save and not made into lunch for bed bugs.
Now I need to go back to the Plush Stuffed Animal project that started all of the creepy crawly bug stuff. ;-)
Bed Bugs are nasty little vampires that hide during the day and come out at night to feast on mammals. That mammal could likely be a person sleeping in a room that has become a bed bug cottage.
These are reddish brown, flat, oval shaped bugs that are about the size of an apple seed. They are attracted to heat and carbon dioxide, 2 things that a sleeping human can't do anything to control. The little beast then crawl over to the dinner plate, YOU, and "bite" you. They have 2 feeding tubes, one is inserted to inject saliva that contains anticoagulants to break down your blood. While the other tube sucks out the blood. They are nice enough to also inject a bit of anesthetics with the saliva so maybe you won't feel it as much. Thoughtful little bugs aren't they?!
Bed bugs have been around for thousands of years. They are hardly little bugs that can go up to a year without eating. By eating, I mean sucking the blood out of you. They had been a problem way back in history, until some really smart people found a way to kill them off. They used DDT...yes, it killed off the bed bugs but was also extremely toxic to people & pretty much anything that would walk, fly, or swim. Some species of bed bugs can live for up to 15 minutes in -25 degrees F.
So from about World War 2 until now, you rarely ever heard about bed bugs in the United States. I for 1 am happy that I have not encountered the little monsters. Now it seems as more and more places in the USA are finding the critters of the night are back. Many hotels, hospitals, and apartments are reporting infestations of the bugs. It is believed that most have been carried in from other countries by international travelers.
Getting rid of these dastardly creatures is another problem. Obviously, DDT is not an option. Bats won't eat them...not that you would wnt to bring a family of bats into your bed room but, it was a thought. The good news is that the bed bug does have some natural predators. Cockroaches, mites, ants, centipedes, and spiders will eat them.
Ok, so maybe that is only good news if you are the Adams Family and have those other insects for pets. Me, I'd rather keep all of them out.
There have also been studies on killing bed bugs with such natural ingredients as Neem Oil, Black Cohosh, tobacco, eucalyptus, and even cannabis.
One of the other natural things you can try that does work well on ants is diatomaceous earth. It is said to cut into or puncture holes in the hard exoskeleton which leads the bug to die of dehydration.
Other things you might do to help cut down or kill as many of the critters as possible, even after contacting an exterminator.
Hint - After the use of DDT and other pesticides, bed bugs are very resilient so do everything you can to prevent or help get rid of the problem.
You can bag up clothes, linens, stuffed animals...and try some of the following to kill your pet bed bugs and their eggs.
Put the bags in a freezer. This would mean putting outside at below 32 degrees F or in a deep freezer for several days. Some bed bugs will not die from this, they will just go into a hibernation mode.
If it is summertime and you can put the bagged items in a enclosed automobile where temps will get to at least 115 degrees F for a few hours...this should cook the little vamps and their eggs.
You can also put all the clothes, pillows, plush toys...into a dryer for at least 20 minutes on high or medium heat. This should also kill all stages of the bed bugs.
To help cut down on the number of bed bugs you are trying to get killed off...VACUUM! You will never get a vacuum into all the crevasses, wall outlets, base boards....So this will not rid you of the problem, it is just a way to help. Always place the vacuum bag into a sealed plastic bag & dispose of it. I would even take that plastic bag and put it out in the hot car trunk for a day just to make sure.
As far as bed mattresses, couches, and other large furniture goes...you may just have to dispose of it and get new once all of the bugs and their eggs are gone from your home.
There you go. This should give you a bit of important Bed Bug Information to help keep you and your family save and not made into lunch for bed bugs.
Now I need to go back to the Plush Stuffed Animal project that started all of the creepy crawly bug stuff. ;-)
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