Alabama officials warn: Don’t let the bedbugs bite | AL.com | World, Bed Bug Registry Map

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Tiny, unwelcome guests could be setting up house and climbing into bed with unsuspecting Alabama residents.

Bedbugs are back.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a joint statement in August confirming what some travelers and pest control companies already knew -- the blood-sucking ectoparasites are causing problems across the country, with the number of reported cases reaching hundreds of thousands.

"For years and years you didn't hear of anybody with bedbug issues," said Sallie Lee, a Jefferson County urban extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "With an increase in international travel, we are seeing many of the problems center on cities with international airports."

Source: Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bedbugs can live for months without a meal, Lee said. They can hide in suitcases and make their way across the country, even into Alabama.

"We do not know of any outbreaks here," Lee said. "However, that does not mean they are not here. When you bring your suitcase back from anywhere, you have the opportunity of bringing home uninvited little critters."

Lee gets about 18 calls about possible bedbugs from Jefferson County residents each year, about half of which are legitimate bedbug problems.

Professional pest control companies have noticed a sharp increase in bedbug infestations for the past nine years, with the number of cases increasing each year, said Martha Craft, spokeswoman for Rollins, Inc., the parent company for Orkin and other pest control companies.

She said an increase in travel and a lack of bedbug knowledge play roles.

"People don't know what bedbugs are anymore," Craft said. "Back in the '30s and '40s everybody knew what a bedbug looked like. Everybody knew bedbugs were great hitchhikers. They love seams of mattresses, seams of clothes, anywhere seams occur. They can hitchhike not only on clothes, but suitcases, camera bags, purses ..."

Hotels are an obvious risk, she said.

"When is the last time you checked into a hotel and then pulled back the sheets and checked for bedbugs?" Craft said. "I do it everywhere I go."

Blood meal

Bedbugs are small, flat insects that feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals, according to information from the CDC and EPA. They are reddish-brown, wingless and about the size of an apple seed.

One of the easiest ways to identify a bedbug infestation is by bite marks that appear on the face, neck, arms, hands and any other body part. These marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people.

When bedbugs bite down, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that usually prevents a person from feeling the bite, according to the CDC and EPA.

Bedbugs can cause a variety of health issues, although they are not known to carry disease. The most common reaction to a bedbug bite is a slightly swollen area that itches like a flea or mosquito bite. Some people may develop a mild to severe allergic reaction to the bite, or a secondary infection such as impetigo. Infestations also can cause anxiety and insomnia, according to the CDC.

The Alabama Department of Public Health does not keep track of bedbug infestations in the state. They refer all bedbug cases and calls to the Cooperative Extension System.

Lee said she recommends a combination of professional treatment, house cleaning and a new mattress, in many cases.

Many professional pest control companies advise against people buying and using pesticides on their own, especially since some bedbugs are known to be resistant to almost all pesticides registered to treat them.

Craft said the companies can use heat treatments, raising the temperatures in a room to 120 to 130. "That kills live insects and eggs and larva," she said.

Both Lee and Craft said controlling a bedbug infestation will not be easy, but it is best to catch the problem early.

"We suggest that people get rid of the clutter, vacuum and throw out the bag. It doesn't work to vacuum a room and then leave the vacuum cleaner full of bedbugs in the closet. They will just crawl back out," Craft said.

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Alabama officials warn: Don't let the bedbugs bite | AL.com