Bedbugs return to American homes at an unprecedented rate: what to do

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Bed bugs, small bloodsucking parasites that disappeared 40 years ago, are now returning to homes and hotels in the United States at an unprecedented rate.

For decades we knew about bedbugs only from books and films. Now everything has changed, and we need to take these parasites very seriously.

Bedbugs were widespread at the beginning of the 20 century. Then people regularly checked their presence in the house and took with them potent substances while traveling. But the creation of powerful poisons killed most of the bugs, driving them out of our home and mind. They became so rare that a new generation of pest control professionals could not identify them.

The last 5-7 years have changed the situation. They returned and began to spread in our beds, apartments and houses with double power. One of the reasons was the ban on potent substances. In addition, people travel more, and the new generation of bedbugs is resistant to modern poisons.

Here is what you need to know about bedbugs

They are small and flat.

If you've never seen bed bugs, they are small, flat, reddish-brown in color, about the size of Abraham Lincoln's head on a penny. They have an elongated body and a tiny head. They usually live where people sleep because they feed on human blood at night.

Unlike ticks or fleas, bed bugs do not penetrate the skin when they suck blood. They bite and then run off to digest the food.

They live off our blood.

Experts say that these parasites should be fed on human blood once a week. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that they can live for several months without a "bloody meal." In addition, the bugs have learned to adapt to the schedule of people. For example, if a person works at night, the bugs will adapt to bite during the day when he is resting.

They settle on the mattress

Bedbugs do not form colonies or nests. Most often they lodge in mattresses, at the head of the bed, in the dressers and behind the wallpaper. They are shy and do not like movement, so they “bite” us while we sleep.

Every third does not notice bites

Bedbug bites look like swollen wounds and can cause serious allergic reactions in some people. But a third of people do not experience any reaction, which is why parasites spread.

Clean has nothing to do with it.

It seems that the presence of bedbugs does not depend on how clean the house is. Unlike cockroaches, rats or flies that feed on dirt, bed bugs feed on blood. They only need the body. Bloody parasites were found in five-star hotels and resorts.

So where do they live?

Most often they are found in large areas of the city, but over time, the parasites also develop the countryside. The more people who come and leave the building, the greater the chance that they will find bedbugs.

Low-income housing can also be a den of bedbugs, since many people use old bedding and the building staff cannot take steps to solve the problem.

They do not tolerate disease

Blood parasites are not carriers of the disease. These are mainly allergies, irritation and itching, which prevents healthy sleep.

What to do?

Experts say that people bring the parasites into the house after they spent the night in a place with bed bugs and somehow brought them home.

It can happen anywhere: in hotels, in buses, on cruise ships and in hostels. That is why experts recommend checking beds at the hotel at check-in. Pull out the sheet, check the seams on the mattresses, headboard and pillows. Look for black little spots or yellowish shells that shed bugs.

Try to keep your suitcase closed all the time and lay it on a hard surface.

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