Fireside chat with a bed bug

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/18/denver-ranks-high-on-list-of-worst-bed-bug-cities/
This article and so many like it have people, including workmates of reader +Penny Innes of Aurora, Colorado asking "how do people get bedbugs?".  Having a number of long conversations with customers, particularly in the last two years, people want to know fundamental things about bed bugs.  How are they transmitted?  How do I know if I have them?  How do I get rid of them? Are they dangerous?  These questions can be answered and they can be answered well.  Extensive research into bed bug behavior and control methods are very developed and occurring globally  as you read this blog.  You can visit Wikipedia or even a bed bug focused web site such as www.bedbugcentral.com to educate yourself on everything that you have ever wanted or not wanted to know about bed bugs.  Fortunately though, you are reading my blog.  Being The People's Entomologist, and wanting to educate you, the people, in the ways of the bedbug, I arranged a special and unprecedented visit with a very seasoned and candid bedbug.  It seemed to me that so much of the information being disseminated about bed bugs and their behavior was biased by a hostile media reporting to a hostile audience.  I thought that it was time that I, the science-minded objectivist, give voice to the often maligned "pest", the bed bug.  What better way to answer people's questions about bed bugs than to probe the mindset, behavior, and motivations of an actual bed bug.

I was fortunate enough to arrange some time with a "typical" bed bug.    Leon Redbelly agreed to meet me on his own turf and visit about some of the things that he wants the general public to know about him and all of those identified as Cimex lectularius.  He asked me to keep his exact whereabouts private, but I can tell you that he lives on the backside of a wood crafted headboard, a desirable piece of real estate amongst his peers.  Freshly engorged from a blood meal, I found him receptive and more than willing to divulge the mysteries of bed bug life.

The People's Entomologist:  Leon, I would first like to thank you for this opportunity.  I realize that you don't often verbally communicate with your host species but I hope that you and I can forge new lines of open communication between our kinds with this interview.

Leon: It really is my pleasure, I believe that we bed bugs have enjoyed so much success over the last few years, and it is an honor for me to potentially be a spokesperson for my community.  Most of the feedback I overhear from humans is negative, which can be difficult, but I know in my heart that if my ancestors, the bat bugs, could see how developed and widespread we bed bugs have become(tearing up), they would be engorged with pride, and blood.

TPE: So let's talk about your typical day.  What is it common for Leon the bedbug to do on any given day? 
LR:  Oh boy, typical day?  I vascilate between something and nothing, some days I'm motivated  to find a blood meal and then mate, some days I'm not.  And I can't really tell you why either.
TPE: A blood meal eh?  I can tell by your protruded abdomen and bright red color that today was your day to eat.  Am I right?
LR:  You better believe it.  There I was, nestled tightly into my spot of the headboard, just sitting idly among my favorite things.....
TPE:  I'm sorry to interrupt, but to help our audience know you, please describe your favorite things before you go on.
LR:  Sure, sure.  Here's what makes a bedbug's home, really a home.  It has got to be a tight spot, us bedbugs are like cockroaches only sophisticated, we like to wedge ourselves into areas where the walls are touching our bodies.  It's the only way to relax.  We decorate our homes with our shed exoskeletons, our fecal spots, our fallen brothers, and eggs that never hatched.  These are all reminders of where we've been.
TPE:  Fecal spots? The idea of painting your own dwelling with fecal spots is a difficult concept for humans to understand, can you expand a bit?
LR:  One thing every successful bed bug knows is that you don't question a good thing, you capitalize on it.  All I can say is that fecal spots are the trail that I follow home each and every morning.  You want to find me?  Where's the feces?
TPE:  Very enlightening.  So let's return to your activities leading up to this moment.
LR:  As I was saying, I'm sitting idly, I spend a lot of time doing that.  So the glowing billboard on the nightstand says 2:00am, and I remember distinctly wave after wave of carbon dioxide floating past my corner of the headboard, and so warm!  It wasn't just the CO2 that was warm, everything was warm, like somebody turned on the heater.  So I said to myself "today is the day you do something Leon!"  When I got out there, I realized I wasn't the only one who smelled dinner, bed bugs of all sizes started pouring out, some of them obviously hadn't eaten in a while, but all of us out there headed in the same direction.
TPE:  What determines what size a bed bug is going to be?
LR:  In a word?  Nutrition.  When a bed bug nymph emerges from the egg, he or she knows that the only way they will advance to adulthood is by eating.  You've got five instars, or sheddings to accomplish before you're one of the big boys, and the only way you're going to get that done is by eating.  Guess what happens before you mate?  Eating.  What happens before a female drops her eggs?  Eating.  Why are my buffet pants at full capacity right now?  Eating.
TPE:  I think I'm starting to get the picture.  With such an emphasis placed on nutritional intake, what can you tell us about the physical act of taking a blood meal from a host?
LR:  Funny thing that is, how we feed on our host.  Let me ask you a question.  You humans, what do you think of anesthetics and anticoagulants?  You like em?
TPE:  Well, for certain medical problems, yes we employ both of those substances...
LR:  We know!  That's why we inject both of them into you while we extract your blood!
TPE:  Freaky.
LR:  Right?  I know.  So, I pick a spot, start injecting/extracting and somewhere inside of 10 minutes I am fat and happy.
TPE:  How happy?
LR:  Well, remember how I told you that eating has to occur before a little somethin' somethin' happens?  Well that happens.
TPE:  Leon, if I can stop you for just a moment to remind you about our conversation before the interview.....
LR:  I know, I know.  Humans have different standards of propriety and taboo when it comes to mating, I get it.  That's what you say, but I've watched Jersey Shore!  Don't pull your superior species rank nonsense on me!
TPE:  Leon, Leon, can we get back to the part of the interview where humans are learning about bed bugs?
LR:  Yes, forgive me.  I really need to watch my anger levels, I've got blood pressure problems, and I've been working on it is all I can say.  So do you want me to talk about mating?
TPE:  In a tactful way, yes.
LR:  So when a male bed bug is full of blood he tends to get all sentimental about ensuring a prosperous future for our kind.  Naturally, he displays that by violently and indiscriminately mating with anything that resembles another bed bug.
TPE:  Awwwwww.

With a good introduction to bed bug behavior now in our knowledge bank, we will break there until next week.  What would you like to ask Leon?  If you have bed bug related questions or comments, comment below!  Thanks for reading, and as always you can find me, The People's Entomologist, at www.BenzelPest.com.  Or you can find me in Torrington, Gering, Cheyenne, Alliance, Sidney, Lusk, Wheatland, Scottsbluff......
 

Why do I have (insert pest species here) in my house?

"Since it can be said that humans are generally creatures of habit, the state of a person's home has been known to physiologically influence their behavior, emotions, and overall mental health".  That statement about the value of the place we call home comes from the Wikipedia page about 'home', under the heading 'psychological impact'.  Knowing that the condition of a person's home fills such an important role in their psyche, effecting behavior, emotions, and mental health, it is completely understandable for a person whose home is infested with wasps, spiders, ants, termites, mice, or bed bugs, to ask "Why are these pests in my house?!"
Most of us consider our home, at very least, to be our own retreat from certain routine struggles in our life, whether that be the elements, work, traffic, school, social pressure, or Wal-Mart.  Home is where we cultivate our own identity, pursue our preferences, and nurture the ones we love.  So when spiders invade our laundry room, ants invade our kitchen, wasps invade our backyard, termites eat our door trim, or bed bugs (you can finish that one if you like....),  we react with all types of emotion ranging from shock to disbelief to outrage to lasting emotional trauma.  If you think that I am overstating the real psychological effects of insects in the home, I invite you to contact me or any other pest management professional for some real case histories, with names changed of course. 
A brief look at the factual realities of why certain pest species happen to end up inside our dwellings may leave you with an appreciation of how few and how infrequently these pests take up residence in our home, and may, in fact, leave you wondering why more unwanted organisms are not competing with you for certain basic needs inside your own house!
Let's take a look at insects in particular, knowing very well that focusing only on insects leaves out very significant pests like mice, rats, pigeons, spiders, clover mites, and ticks.  However, zooming in on insects alone allows us to learn a bit about pests that we most encounter inside of man-made structures.  For starters, insects are among the most diverse groups of animals on the planet, including more than a million described species and representing more than half of all known living organisms.  Now, to summarize a comparison, if we generously inflate our numbers and simply refer to ourselves as primates, it took me about 10 minutes to realize that we do not rank highly in the groups of known living organisms in terms of numbers.  Simply put, there are way more of them than there are us.  Secondly,  insects may be found in nearly all environments, the exception being that only a small number of species occur in the oceans, a habitat dominated by another arthropod group, crustaceans.  Again, I have not researched this very extensively, but the similarities between crustaceans and insects seems to me to be remarkable and probably has something to do with their successful oceanic domination. And to put a finer point on the prior point about insects being found in nearly all environments, humans are the most widely distributed primate on earth.   Hmmmmm, humans are present in most places on the earth, insects are present in more places on the earth than any other organism, and there are many, many, many, more insects on earth than humans(so much so, in fact, that the total volume of just the termites on the earth in terms of weight is greater than that of all humans).... Now how did those ants get up on the counter?
Let's talk about one final point regarding invasive insect species before I leave you to enjoy your pest-free kitchen, couch, deck, or wood shop.  Conducive conditions!  All living organisms on this earth (with the exception of pandas in my own opinion) have an innate desire to thrive and reproduce.  To accomplish these goals they seek conditions that will allow them to optimally achieve this.  Many of the pest species that we loathe and work so hard to manage here in Western Nebraska and Southeast Wyoming (not unlike pests the world over) are looking for food, shelter, and desirable temperature and humidity levels.  Does that sound like anyone you know?  Fact is, while we put so much effort into to creating the perfect environment for ourselves to thrive in as we do inside our home, we are creating the most desirable environment for the insect pests we so detest.  When they find it they realize that the struggle is over and it is time to thrive!  So why are these pests in you house?  Why not?  It's great to be in your house, that's why you're in it everyday!
Thank you for reading my blog to this point.  This last week I received some great compliments on something that I have dreamed about doing for a long time, so with your support I will continue.  Don't be afraid to post comments telling me that something was inaccurate or even just plain dull.  Conversely, if you found my post informative or entertaining, please comment on that as well.  If you have a question, post it.  If your kids have a question, I look forward to having a 'kids ask' post now and then because kids love bugs.  In short, I was surprised at how many people read my blog in the last week, so if there is anything I can do to be The Peoples Entomologist, just ask.  Find me at www.BenzelPest.com.

Better Pest Control Through Science

"Ever since they took the good stuff off of the market, I don't suppose there is much you can do.." 
The assumption here is that stricter standards and regulations on the products used to control pests such as bed bugs, termites, flies, and ants, somehow result in the use of less-effective products and methods going forward.  In my 12+ years in the structural pest management business, this is a viewpoint taken by many of the customers I've worked for, and unfortunately even some inside my own industry. 
Now don't get me wrong, I am not in favor of regulatory agencies burdening all types of pest control product users, including homeowners, with rules that make it nearly impossible to address serious problems, which I have seen attempted at times.  I would just like to counter the notion that "the good old days" were so good, and now we have to make due with our limited options.

Let me give you a brief demonstration of what I mean.  Bed Bugs and Termites.  Termites eat your house, and bed bugs eat you(or your blood more specifically).  These are serious pests that require serious actions to control.  Decades ago there were insecticides widely available that effectively controlled these and a number of other pests.  The simplified history is that the decision makers of the time decided that the manufacture and use of these products was no longer safe for the environment.  Let me break momentarily to tell you that I am not an expert in the area of global public health, third world countries, or the implications of an insecticide being available or not.  I am simply commenting on the realm of structural pest control inside of the U.S.  That being said, let's return to our demonstration using Bed Bugs and Termites.  Decades later, without the use of the old and very effective insecticides, are we able to control bed bugs and termites?  YES!  And in fact, in most cases we are able to control them more effectively for a number of reasons.  First off, once the old stuff was no longer available, there was a large unfilled demand for new products.  New products are based on science and in these cases, it needed to be new science.  The best pest control products usually result from the most in-depth scientific research which results in greater understanding of your target organism, which results in ingredients and modes of action that are more specific to your target pest.   More specific ingredients and modes of action usually result in lower exposure risks to non-target organisms, i.e. you, me, your family pet, the birds in the trees, and the fish in the river.  So, in shorthand, without the "good old" insecticides, scientists and manufacturers were forced to understand the bugs better, and make a new product which most likely kills just that bug and less likely the animals we don't want to harm.  Not to mention all of the non-chemical methods of inspection, prevention, and control that a person discovers when he better understands the insect he wants to control.
Now maybe I have taken my geekcraft too far out into the realm that is occupied by people who enjoy discussing pest control to even have one reader left, but my point is this; knowledge IS power, and in pest control that means the power to effectively control pest species.
Check out www.BenzelPest.com if you are looking professional service in Cheyenne, Torrington, Wheatland, Lusk, Scottsbluff, Sidney, Alliance, or anywhere close.
If you have any related subjects that you would like to see addressed on this blog, give me a shout.