Not letting bedbugs bite becoming harder to do

Published Dec. 15, 2010
By Airman 1st Class Heather Holcomb
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- For children, bedbugs are as creepy as the boogey man, but the thought of tiny insects crawling in and out of mattresses and sucking blood in the middle of the night is enough to give adults goose bumps, too.

Bedbugs look like apple seeds and are small, nocturnal parasites that that usually live within 8 feet of where humans sleep. They commonly feed on the blood of humans but have been known to feed on birds and other mammals as well.

Maj. (Dr.) Wendi Wohltmann, 81st Medical Group dermatology clinic chief, said that bedbugs are an increasingly common problem.

According to the National Pest Management Association, there's been a 71 percent increase in bedbug calls in the United States since 2001.

Bedbug bites are small red spots or bumps and can become itchy due to an allergic reaction. One distinct characteristic of bedbug bites is that they can occur in linear groups of two or three. These are often referred to as "breakfast, lunch, and dinner," and other insects usually don't bite in that manner.

Because bedbugs don't generally burrow under clothing, bites tend to occur in uncovered areas such as the face, arms and legs.

Dr. Wohltmann said bedbugs usually hide in the mattress or in cracks and crevices of furniture during the day, so the best way to find them is to set an alarm between 2-3 a.m. and turn on the lights. Then check the bed, seams, sheets, mattress, box spring and the cracks and crevices of furniture for any signs of infestation.

She said there are four things to look for:

--Adult bedbugs.

-- Nymphs, baby bedbugs that are smaller and lighter in color and can look pink or red soon after feeding.

-- Casts, the exoskeletons of bedbugs.

-- Small red or brown stains on the sheets -- the red stains are a result of inadvertently squishing the bugs at night and the brown stains are their feces.

The casts and stains may be visible during the day, so Dr. Wohltmann suggests switching from dark sheets to white sheets to better identify an infestation.

"Bedbugs are a unique type of infestation because they are especially difficult to eradicate. Unfortunately, they commonly survive standard pest control measures," Dr. Wohltmann said, "Many people end up throwing away their mattresses, box springs, and other affected furniture after multiple failed attempts at extermination."

The Center for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend using an integrated pest management system. This involves using monitoring devices, removing clutter where bed bugs can hide, applying heat treatment, vacuuming, sealing cracks and crevices to remove hiding places, using non-chemical pesticides and judicious use of effective chemical pesticides.

The CDC and EPA also said that bedbugs are becoming pesticide-resistant and that it is wise to seek professional help instead of attempting extermination yourself because this can be ineffective and add to the resistance.

Dr. Wohltmann said inspecting can help prevent the complex process of extermination. She said to inspect second-hand items such as mattresses or upholstered furniture carefully prior to bringing them into your home. At hotels, do an inspection upon check-in and place luggage on tables or dressers instead of on the floor.

"Many patients are concerned that they have bedbugs; luckily most of the time they don't," said Dr. Wohltmann,"If a person has skin lesions that may be from bedbug bites, they should examine for infestation."

She said that if infestation is confirmed, management of the facility should be notified immediately and homeowners should call a professional exterminator. If infestation isn't confirmed, make an appointment with a healthcare provider to examine possible causes of the lesions.

If skin lesions are itchy or bothersome, Dr. Wohltmann suggests using hydrocortisone 1% cream or camphor-menthol topical ointment.

"It is controversial as to whether bedbugs are able to spread hepatitis B and American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and the feces of bedbugs may be a factor in asthma," said Dr. Wohltmann.

However, bedbugs are not a sexually transmitted disease. It's possible to get bites from sleeping in someone's infested bed and carry eggs home, but it is not contagious from one person to the next.

Also, bedbugs aren't indicative of filth - they've been found all over the world at hotels in all price ranges.

"Bedbug bites don't usually cause any permanent damage to the skin; however, infestation can have a profound effect on mental health and wellbeing, as well as costing time and money for eradication," Dr. Wohltmann said, "It's best to get infestations treated promptly and thoroughly. The only way to prevent new lesions from forming is to get rid of the bedbugs permanently."

For more information go to: http://www.cdc.gov.