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Bed bugs are small, oval insects but they can cause big problems if they infest a home. Bedbug infestations are becoming more common across Kansas says Jennifer Skiles, environmental health director and facilities manager at the Flint Hills Community Health Center.
In the last year we are seeing Bed bugs a lot more frequently, Skiles said. All through the state it is an increasing concern.
Bed bugs frequently enter homes undetected through luggage or used furniture. Since their bodies are flat it is easy for them to nest in very small spaces. Skiles says any area the width of a credit card can serve as a hiding place for the Bed bugs. Common hiding places include bed frames, headboards, springs, couch cushions and pillows.
They hide, Skiles said. A bed bug can fit into a crack or crevice that is credit card-thin. That makes them so hard to treat because you cant bomb, you cant really spray, because if they are stuck in a little crack (where) you cant get them.
Bed bugs require human or animal blood to survive. They usually bite when people are sleeping. They feed by biting the skin and withdrawing blood through an elongated beak. The Bed bugs feed for three to 10 minutes to become engorged and then they will crawl away and hide. Bed bugs can survive a long time without a blood meal.
There is a thought that if you encase your mattress a bedbug can still survive for a month without a blood meal, Skiles said. They are very difficult to get rid of.
Skiles says that Bed bugs bite and itch. Usually, the bites are initially painless but later develop into itchy welts. Bed bugs will bite any area of skin that is exposed while sleeping. If a person wakes up with itchy areas that they didnt have when they went to sleep they may have Bed bugs.
Getting rid of Bed bugs requires a great deal of effort and expertise. Skiles says it takes relentless work. It can also be an expensive process. Bed bugs can be treated chemically but they can only be treated where bed bugs are found. If the entire area is treated then the Bed bugs will spread throughout the home.
Usually a bedbug will stay within 10 feet of a known blood meal, Skiles said. So if you have a sleeping couch they wont drift further than that. Then at night when you are sleeping they are attracted and come to you. But if you start spraying chemicals they scatter everywhere.
Another good way to treat Bed bugs is heat. This method is known to be the most expensive, but also the most effective. Bed bugs are very sensitive to heat so instead of spraying pesticides some pest control companies will use steam. Skiles says they come in and basically cook your entire house. The benefit is that it only takes one treatment because the heat will kill the larva, the eggs and the living bed bugs.
Read more:
Bed bug Infestations increasing - Emporia Gazette: Center
