With the rise in international travel and the banning of the pesticide DDT in many countries, bed bug populations have risen all over America. It’s estimated that one in five Americans either has had bed bugs or knows someone who has. The award-winning YouTube channel SciShow lists what you need to know about bed bugs.
‘
When fully grown, bed bugs are only the size of an apple seed and are as wide as a sheet of paper. They prefer human blood, but will drink the blood of pets.
Since they are silent, tiny, and usually give bites that do not hurt, your home may host thousands of bed bugs without you knowing it.
Despite their common name, bed bugs live all over the home and even in your car. When you hire bed bug extermination services, you’ll be amazed where these critters can fit their almost flat bodies. They can live in picture frames, inside your phone, and even in the heads of screws.
Bed bugs evolved with people. They used to feed on bats, then turned to people when they started living in caves. Bed bugs used to have wings. Even today, you can see tiny stumps of stunted wings. The ancient Romans thought that crushed bed bugs, when made into a drink, cured snakebite. No wonder the Roman Empire fell.
