By: Gene Rodriguez, III
You probably shuddered as you asked yourself, "Where do bedbugs come from?" Although it was thought bedbugs were all but eradicated from North America in the late 20th century, they have made a comeback in recent years.
Where Do Bedbugs Come From These Days?
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, oval insects. These flat, reddish-brown pests survive by drinking the blood of mammals-particularly humans. They take their name from the fact that they are mainly nocturnal and like to hide in bedding and the cracks in furniture. But where do bedbugs come from? Here is the answer that may surprise you:
- It's not your cleaning. For years, many people associated bedbug infestations with dirty homes. As it turns out, bedbugs could care less about the state of your bedroom-they're only interested in your blood.
- On the wing. Bedbugs have been known to travel on bats and birds such as swifts and swallows. Removing the nests of these flying animals around your home is a good way to keep bedbugs at bay.
- World travelers. The primary vector for bedbug travel is travel itself. Bedbugs have perfected the art of stowing away in the clothes and luggage of people who stay at infested hotels. The ability of bedbugs to flatten their bodies makes it easy from them to hide in seams and folds until they reach a new destination.
- Common walls. Once inside a building, bedbugs can crawl through tiny cracks and voids in walls into adjacent rooms. This migratory trick means that buildings with multiple dwellings (like dorms, apartments and hotels) are likely to see bedbugs quickly spread once they've entered the premises.
- Border control. If you have the least suspicion that you may have stayed in a bedbug-infested room, seal your bags in a dark plastic bag and place them outdoors, in the sun. Bedbugs are susceptible to extremes of heat and cold. Exposing bedbugs to 15 minutes of 115-degree F heat or 2 days of 0-degree F temperatures will be enough to kill bedbug eggs, nymphs and adults.
- A silver lining? Although bedbug bites itch and scratching can lead to infection, bedbugs themselves don't transmit infections or diseases.
