Author Archives: Pest Controller

What about bedbugs in hotels?

Many news reports in recent years have focused on the discovery of bedbugs in even upscale hotels, and a number of lawsuits have been filed by guests in these fashionable hotels who awoke to find hundreds of bedbug bites covering their skin. Searching on travel-review web sites regularly reveals information and even photos confirming the presence of bedbugs in numerous hotels.

Since bedbugs can arrive on the clothing or in the suitcases of guests from infested homes or other hotels harboring the pests, hotels can be an easy target for bedbug infestations.

In addition to hotels, bedbugs have been found in movie theaters, office buildings, laundries, shelters, in transportation vehicles, and other locations where people may congregate.

Bedbugs live in any articles of furniture, clothing, or bedding, so they or their eggs may be present in used furniture or clothing. They spread by crawling and may contaminate multiple rooms in a home or even multiple dwellings in apartment buildings. They may also be present in boxes, suitcases, or other goods that are moved from residence to residence or from a hotel to home. Bedbugs can live on clothing from infested homes and may be spread by a person unknowingly wearing infested clothing.

Bedbugs bite and suck blood from humans. Bedbugs are most active at night and bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. The face, neck, hands, and arms are common sites for bedbug bites. The bite itself is painless and is not noticed. Small, flat, or raised bumps on the skin are the most common sign; redness, swelling, and itching commonly occur. If scratched, the bite areas can become infected. A peculiarity of bedbug bites is the tendency to find several bites lined up in a row. Infectious-disease specialists refer to this series of bites as the "breakfast, lunch, and dinner" sign, signifying the sequential feeding that occurs from site to site.

Bedbug bites may go unnoticed or be mistaken for flea or mosquito bites or other types of rash or skin conditions, since they are difficult to distinguish from other bites. Bedbugs also have glands whose secretions may leave odors, and they also may leave dark fecal spots on bedsheets and around their hiding places (in crevices or protected areas around the bed or anywhere in the room).

Bedbugs have not been conclusively proven to carry infectious microbes. However, researchers have implicated bedbugs as possible vectors of American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease), and studies are ongoing to determine whether bedbugs may serve as carriers of other diseases.

The majority of bedbug bites are not serious. The only known serious consequences are severe allergic reactions, which have been reported in some people after bedbug bites.

Reviewed by William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR on 6/21/2013

More:
MedicineNet: Bed Bugs

healthsection Health Topics A-Z Healthy Living Featured Conditions eHow Now eHow Health Public Health & Safety First Aid How to Treat a Bed Bug Bite

Joe Bruni

Captain Joe Bruni has over 30-years experience as a street firefighter and company officer. He also completed a great deal of research with other instructors who have co-authored articles with him. He has experience as a department training officer in the Fire and Rescue Safety & Training Division. He gets a great deal of pleasure and excitement from watching firefighters put learned skills into practice. He strives to touch the future of the fire service by passing on his experience, knowledge, and techniques that he has learned over the years. He has written several articles for Fire Engineering Magazine which are available upon request. In today's firefighting world, the amount of actual structure fires has dropped almost 50 percent. He believes training efforts have to be increased at all levels using experienced instructors who can pass on the knowledge.

Treat bed bug bites and stop the discomfort and itching. Learn more about treating bed bug bites with tips from a firefighter in this free first aid video.

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Originally posted here:
Video: How to Treat a Bed Bug Bite | eHow

carol says:

August 30, 2012 at 2:31 am

I am so glad I came to this site, as it at least I dont feel alone in this battle Im fighting! It is 2am and I am sitting in my new recliner that my sister gave me last spring!! I love my recliner, but it is ruined as of tonight when as a last resort I decided to sleep in it since I have been driven out of my bed from these unrelenting bloodsuckers!

I am trying to type this and get relief at the same time from the terrible itching that has robbed me of my sleep for several nights now.Anyway, now as I said, my new recliner is ruined because even after covering it with plastic and then covering with a new sheet I just took out of the package, it still was stained with vaseline I had put on my arms from all the bites and itching Im going throughI also resorted to covering it with corn starch which seems to brush right off, but Im afraid the vaseline is here to stayIm heartbroken about my recliner and the whole mess in general!!

Oh, I just killed one crawling up my arm as Im typing right now and it was filled with MY blood!!!I dont know what to do or where to turnIm a senior citizen and I am on a limited income so I cant spend alot of money on this.I am so discouraged and sleep deprived that before I started typing this I sobbed for at least an hourI live in an apartment complex for people 65 and older and someone came down the hall and knocked on my door and ask me if I was alrightI just said I was having a bad night which is an understatement!!!

Is there anything I can do one my own since I am afraid the manager will make me pay for any treatment and also start all kinds of concern for everyone elseIt is very embarrassing even though I know this is very come anymoreI am at my wits end!!!

Jeffrey says:

August 19, 2012 at 10:09 pm

Hey Emily, sorry about that and Im having the same trouble. I thought they were the same as mosquito bites but these BB bites seem to leave nastier and move visible scars. They are all over my feet and thighs/arms. I have no idea if the scars from itching are permanent or not and am also looking for advice?

Joanne says:

Visit link:
How to Treat Bed Bug Bites - Bad Bed Bugs