If you’ve been browsing the internet lately, you’ve likely heard the disquieting news of the bed bugs of Manhattan: namely, numerous bed bug infestations on the subways and other public areas of New York City. While bed bugs are commonly known to thrive in urban areas for many reasons, including a larger human population, a high number of apartment buildings, and increased mobility, the severity of this infestation has caught many by surprise. How can these pests spread so fast, and what can be done? To answer these questions, it is necessary to look at the basic features of this notorious insect.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny yet infamous insects who often make their homes in mattresses and breed in the thousands. These bugs are so small that they can pass through a stitch hole in a mattress and will lay as many as five eggs in a day, or more than 500 over the course of their lives. Worst of all, their food source is blood, often human, but bed bugs can live several months without food, waiting for a new food source. Because of these features, they are one of the most heavily reviled pests in the modern world.
How Common Are These Insects?
Frighteningly, bed bugs have flourished in the United States: one out of five Americans has either had a bed bug infestation in their home or knows someone who has encountered them. This is because bed bugs are incredibly hardy and industrious: typically, the insects live within 8 feet of where people sleep, but they have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a single night. Additionally, bed bugs have been shown to withstand a wide range of temperatures, from nearly freezing to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes them frustratingly difficult to kill, and allows them to breed with relative ease.
How Can You Kill Bed Bugs?
While some people have called for the use of DDT and other pesticides to treat the Manhattan infestation, modern bed bug populations are highly resistant to the insecticides that are typically used for their control. Moreover, many professional bed bug treatments may pose a threat to people, animals, and even harmless, environmentally-friendly insects in the area. However, a natural bed bug treatment is available that can keep families and pets safe: thermal remediation, services. This heat treatment for bed bugs heats a residence to 140°F and retains this temperature for two hours, or at 130°F for three hours. Thermal remediation for bed bugs is one of the best bed bug treatments available, as it is able to kill the insects at all life stages, including eggs. Additionally, thermal remediation is a non-toxic and natural bed bug treatment that presents no ill-consequences for humans or pets. What do you think? Is it time for Manhattan to invest in this natural bed bug treatment?
