This is one inconvenience that we need to see the back end of
quickly. Thus this report is great news and will surely be
implemented.
The bed bug has been making a thorough comeback simply because it
requires draconian measures with the full commitment of society to
eliminate it. Thus when we inevitably lower our guard and give it a
chance it gets on board.
In ten years it has gone from zero to been an expensive threat
everywhere. Having a powder to produce a hostile environment is a
solution that every building manager will be happy to deploy.
By Deborah
Mitchell on November 23, 2012
Bed bugs are a
significant health problem not only in some homes, but also when
traveling and staying at hotels, motels, and similar accommodations.
Now scientists have discovered a new natural approach to eliminating
these pesky, biting creatures, and the research results have been
encouraging.
Can we say bye bye bed
bugs?
The resurgence of bed
bugs in the United States and other countries has triggered great
concern about the health and economic implications of their presence.
These creatures may be minute, but they are mighty and resistant to
elimination methods, as their widespread appearance around the world
has illustrated.
Fighting bed bugs has
proved to be a challenge, but researchers at Pennsylvania State
University may have an answer. It appears that a natural fungus
called Beauveria bassiana, which causes disease in insects, is
devastating to bed bugs.
Beauveria bassiana is
a fungus that kills pests when its spores attach to the insect's
skin. The fungus germinates and penetrates the pest's body and over a
period of 3 to 5 days, kills the insect.
Senior research
associate in entomology Nina Jenkins, who headed the new study,
reported that she and her colleagues have been encouraged by the
results of their research with bed bugs and the fungus. Basically,
all of the bed bugs they exposed to the fungus on either
paper or cotton jersey (a common material used in bed linens where
bed bugs are often found) died within five days.
The researchers noted
other benefits of using the fungus. One, the pests were affected
regardless of sex, stage of life, strain of fungus, or feeding
status. Two, once the bed bugs were affected by the fungus, they
carried it back to their hiding places, which means they infected
other bed bugs and thus extended the impact of the fungus.
Jenkins announced that
after exposing half a group of bed bugs to the fungus for one hour,
"the fungal spores were transferred from the exposed bug to
their unexposed companions, and we observed almost a hundred percent
infection."
This is a critical
finding, because bed bugs are so tiny and can infiltrate areas that
are difficult to reach and treat. Bed bugs are often found in bed
linens, but they also hide in cracks in the floors and walls, under
rugs and carpeting, and even behind wall sockets.
Other treatments for
bed bugs
Bed bugs need to be treated at two levels. One is the source: the underlying infestation often requires the services of a professional exterminator, who may need to use both nonchemical treatments along with pesticides. Nonchemical techniques you can take include thoroughly vacuuming your home, including crevices and cracks in the floors and walls; washing bed linens and clothing in water hotter than 120 F to kill bed bugs; placing linens and clothing in a clothes dryer set at medium to high heat for at least 20 minutes; or attempting to freeze the bed bugs by leaving linens and clothing outside in a freezing environment for at least several days.
Professional
exterminators often have the ability to use machines to raise the
temperature of rooms in your home to a level that will kill bed bugs.
Use of these machines does not necessarily guarantee bed bugs hiding
deep in mattresses and furniture will die, however.
To treat bed bug
bites, you can use hydrocorticone creams or take an oral
antihistamine. You can also elect to do nothing and wait through the
itching from the bed bug bites, which typically disappears within a
week or two.
Discovery of the
ability of a fungus to kill bed bugs is exciting, and the
investigators are conducting more research. Jenkins noted that "We're
working on the next step, and we have more funding to support these
studies," which is good news for anyone who is worried about bed
bugs.
SOURCE:
Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
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