Bed bugs are a fairly disgusting household nuisance widely agreed to originate from bats in the Middle East.
Pretty much everyone knows what bed bugs are, but not many people know much about them outside of that. They are small insects that feed on blood; they are much like mosquitoes in that regards. However unlike mosquitoes, bed bugs camp out to catch their prey.
Bed bugs are pesky insects that live in furniture and bedding and bite uncovered areas of skin. People may worry that they have bed bugs due to poor hygiene, but it’s a bit more complex than that. They are attracted to:
Carbon dioxide – we actually produce more CO2 while we sleep and the insects can use this to find us for their next meal.
Body odor – they are lured towards the natural scents exuded by the human body. This explains why they are generally found in dirty laundry rather than clean laundry. So good hygiene and cleanliness can actually ward them off!
Heat – using structures on their head that are specialized at detecting heat, they are able to find human bodies to latch on to
Bed bug bites
Perhaps their most defining trait, outside of living in our furniture, is their bite. These bites can be very itchy, causing skin issues like rashes or even small blisters that can be very irritating for someone who has been bitten.
The reason why bites from these little guys are so itchy and irritable is because of a substance they secrete. Within their saliva is an anticoagulant agent. For those who aren’t versed in biology, that means it thins blood. Not all people have itching reactions from this, but most do. Scratching at the bed bug bites, much like other insect bite or any other injury or rash for that matter, tends to make the itching much worse.
To prevent infestations of these pesky fellas, there are several steps to follow. Cleaning up clutter and thoroughly washing any fabric items (bedding, furniture, clothing etc.) can really help to kill off a hive. Another helpful tip is to use heat to your advantage. Raising the temperature of a room using central heating isn’t going to cut it though. Instead, you will need to use specialist equipment to do the trick. Alternatively a black bin bag may work for smaller items (like items of clothing or baggage). For larger infestations, you may be out of luck though.
So, where are bed bugs from?
Bed bugs aren’t capable of flight or traveling long distances on their own. In order to travel they rely on hosts to carry them place to place. They hide away on clothing, suitcases and other fabric items in order to spread around and cause more mayhem. This journey is theorized to have started in the middle east.
I don’t mean to say that bed bugs all travel from middle eastern countries like Israel and Jordan all the way to our beds. Instead, i mean that bed bugs are thought to originate from bats in the middle east. That’s because native people used to share caves with them thousands and thousands and years ago.
Extra information
Animal-Club provides animal parties or animal handling workshops. You will be able to see, learn and interact with many wonderful animals with the help of our presenters. Our mobile zoo has many friendly animals such as rabbits, tarantulas, geckos, vinegaroons and more, perfect for an animal party. We can also , come over to your school for an animal school visit or arrange for an animal workshop with us where the children can learn about looking after animals and animal behaviour, and have fun too.