Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor in Urban Pest Management at Virginia Tech's Department of Entomology answered some of the questions viewers e-mailed Dateline after the report on bed bugs. Read below.
On preventing bites, hair Question: If you put on "Off" or some other insect repellant before retiring in a hotel will this prevent them from biting? Can they get in your hair? --Dolores Hill, Bessemer, Ala. Answer: Although we have not specifically tested mosquito repellants on bed bugs, we have tested repellant insecticides. Bed bugs do not seem to respond in the slightest to repellent insecticides. In fact, they will sit on top of them until they die. These results have been confirmed by the older bed bug literature (Usinger 1966) who stated that many repellant materials were applied to bed frames in an attempt to keep bed bugs from crawling up, but none had any effect. Because we have not tested repellants on skin, we cant say for sure whether bed bugs would be willing to stick their mouth parts though repellant treated skin or not. But we have found bed bugs to be very determined little creatures and I think it would be hard to stop a hungry bed bug. In addition, the repellants that you buy for mosquitoes last only a couple of hours before the effects begin to wear off. If you apply a repellant before getting into bed, a lot of the material could rub off on the sheets etc. Also, bed bugs are most active between 3 and 5 am, which is several hours after the time you would have put the on the repellant to go to bed. Bottom line, a repellant may prevent you from getting a bite or two but I do not believe that they will significantly hinder a hungry bed bug.
Bed bugs can get in your hair but the good news is that they really dont want to be there. Unlike fleas and lice that have bodies or claws that are specifically designed for navigating through hair, the common bed bug does not have these modifications. In fact, bed bugs need to set their front claws in a particular position so that they can insert their mouthparts into the skin just so, in order to be in the proper feeding position. Hair on the human head would make this very difficult. They would much prefer to feed on the bare skin. If they encountered your head first, they would most likely move to your face (many people suffer face bites) or some other less hairy area to feed. If you are bald, well, the head is fair game.
On sleep sacks Question: Would the silk sleep sacks sold as a travel accessory be any help at all against bed bug bites at a hotel? --L Hart , Irvine, Calif. Answer: Unlikely. Bed bugs can very probably feed directly through the weave of the sleep sack. Even if the bag were to offer some protection, the bed bugs could crawl to the opening of the sack and enter that way. The best defense is to inspect the bed (mattress and sheets) and the head board for signs of bed bugs. If you find any, report this to the management and request a different room.
On Lysol Question: When traveling I carry a can of Lysol spray and spray the bed with it. Is this helpful in getting rid of bed bugs? --Ennis, Tex. Answer: The only way that Lysol spray could help you is if you sprayed the bugs directly. The alcohols and propellants would probably kill bed bugs if you wetted them down with the material. However, dried spray on or around the bed would have no effect.
If you are traveling, always inspect your mattress for bed bugs by pulling back the covers and looking carefully at the seams and tufts for bed bugs or bed bug evidences (black fecal spots). If you find bed bug, dont spray them yourself. This may cause them to move around and infest other areas. Instead, contact the hotel management inform them of the bugs and ask for another room immediately. Leave the spraying to a professional.
On bed bug spray Question: Are the pesticide companies trying to develop an effective bed bug spray? --Diana Shea, Descanso, Calif. Answer: This is an excellent question. All pesticides that are labeled for use in the United States have to be registered by the EPA. To get an EPA registration, the pesticide product has to be thoroughly tested for acute and chronic effects on mammals (laboratory rats and dogs), the potential effects on birds, fish, and honeybees has to be documented, and the environmental fate (half-life) of these products in water or soil also must be quantified. The cost of having a product registered is now estimated to be around $ 100 million. This cost naturally limits the number of products that make it to the marketplace. In addition, there has been a 10 to 15 year trend in reducing the number of pesticide products that receive registration for use in the indoor environment. In short, it is very hard to get new pesticides registered that are labeled for indoor use (as opposed to agricultural use).
However, throughout this trend of limiting indoor pesticides, we were bed bug free. Like the EPA, many people have concerns about applying chemicals where children sleep or play. But, if bed bugs should become as big a problem as they were at the beginning of the 20th century, the public may demand that the federal government register products that are effective against bed bugs. We will just have to wait and see. At this time, we do not know of any product that is in development specifically for bed bug control.
Waking up with bed bugs Question: Why is it that I get bit but my husband does not? --Denise, Indian Trail, N.C. Answer: Bed bugs tend to aggregate together when they are resting. It is possible that you are on the bed bug side of the bed. Bed bugs dont switch back and forth from one host to another so if they find you first, you may be the only one bitten. It is also possible that your husband is getting bitten but does not have a significant reaction to the bed bug bites.
On where they bite Question: Will a bed bug ever bite a reproductive body part? --Tyler P., Brookfield, Conn. Answer: Yes. They do not discriminate; any body part that is accessible and with good blood flow is fair game to a bed bug.
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