Where bed bugs hide in the home — Allison’s student essay

Where Bed Bugs Hide In The Home?

Skur skur, the sounds of an unknown monster laying underneath a child unable to rest play throughout the night. Skur skur, the slight noises continue as the monsters travel throughout the mattress. Little does the troubled child laying amidst the covers know that the monsters have infected the space where her body rests. The poor young child suffers through the night and awakes with small bites across her skin.

These unknown monsters are bed bugs and have been the hidden monsters known around the world. Sadly, this young child is not the first to endure the bites of these unwanted insects, but is in fact, one of the many. These insects have been notorious for being quite possibly the best hitch hikers around. Able to attach themselves to people, clothing articles, luggage, and other personal objects, these monsters can spread and lay eggs at extreme rates when not treated. 

These bugs can be among a few problems that a traveler can endure on their journeys. Capable of moving from one hotel to the next, these insects are usually associated in places of great travel such as hotels, Airbnbs, and apartments. Bed bugs are insects that feed on human blood and most commonly attach themselves at night, hints the real monster under the bed. A bite from one of these foul insects can lead to skin changes, rashes, allergic symptoms, and more.

Bed bugs are constantly in search for heat, as this indicates their host is nearby. With heat being the main attraction, these parasites are not only found in your bed, but they can be found in couch cushions, under the carpet, near pipes, and other places around the house. When checking into a hotel or other place to rest, it is recommended to do a deep search through the place that you wish to be staying in. Looking under mattress, pulling apart sheets, checking behind curtains and even picture frames is always a good idea. Many traveling sites also recommend traveling with cleaner that can be sprayed upon the bedding to help prevent any infectious bugs that could appear.

When looking for these pesticide disguised monsters, they can be seen as long brown insects around the size of an apple seed. Infestations can sometimes cause quite the mess to clean up. While rubbing alcohol automatically kills the organism when it makes contact with the insect, this is not always the most practical solution.

Leaving one bed bug behind can cause a whole new infestation if not treated fully. If the money is available, it is recommended to hire pest control to attend to the situation, especially if the problem is within your own house. Another household item that is a slightly cheaper alternative is defusing essential oils. Recent studies were even done in 2018 that actually proved that oregano essential oils are a reliable source when killing these bugs. Whether you hire pest control or try out a new home remedy, it is crucial to put these monsters to sleep before they disrupt more peaceful sleepers.

Author: Allison Stephens

University of Missouri

Student Scholarships

Every year Thrive Pest Control hosts an essay contest and the reward is a 1-year scholarship at a 4-year university in the United States. This blog post is one of those scholarships.