PUBLISHED: 12-01-08

Bedbugs bite Chicago

Infestations of nocturnal blood-sucking insects on the rise

Most people remember being told as children to “sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite.” But since the late 1990s, these nocturnal, blood-sucking pests have been making a worldwide comeback and are leaving many Chicagoans with sleepless nights and lots of itchy bites.

Bedbugs were prevalent in the United States through the World War II era, but virtually disappeared after the use of synthetic pesticides, like DDT, became widespread.

Courtesy ORKIN, INC. - Adult bedbugs are approximately the size of an appleseed and can live for more than a year without feeding. They can endure extreme temperatures, making them hard to kill.

“You’ll hear a lot of different reasons as to why bedbugs have made a comeback,” said Jeff White, a research entomologist for the informational website, BedBugCentral.com. “But I don’t think we will ever be able to put our finger on one specific reason.”

The most important thing is to raise public awareness about bedbugs because many people either think they are a myth or have little understanding of them, White said. For example, some people think getting bedbugs is a sign of being unclean or is more frequent in poor communities, but White said that’s not true.

“[Getting bedbugs] has absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness or socio-economic class,” White said. “That is a big misconception about bedbugs-anyone can get them.”

These unwelcome, parasitic house guests are small, reddish-brown insects that feed on human blood. Adult bedbugs are about a quarter-inch-long, ovular in shape and relatively flat. They have no wings, and therefore do not fly, but are experts at hiding in the smallest of crevices, making them extremely difficult to get rid of.

Chris Enright, the Chicago central services manager for Orkin Pest Control, said in the past couple of years he has seen a significant increase in the number of calls his branch receives about bedbug infestations-from a couple of calls per month to a couple of calls per week.

Logan Square resident Joe Andert, 19, got bedbugs about two months ago and just recently had them exterminated. He said he started waking up with small, itchy bites but didn’t realize he had bedbugs at first.

“I thought I was allergic to [laundry] detergent, or something like that,” Andert said.

When the problem persisted, Andert said he and his girlfriend started investigating and heard about other people getting bedbugs in Chicago.

“We looked around [my apartment] but didn’t see anything,” Andert said. “Then an exterminator came to my house for a routine extermination thing, and he found [bedbugs] and told me and my landlord.”

Like Andert, most people don’t notice they have bedbugs until they wake up with bites.

It is unlikely that someone will notice the bugs without closer inspection because they are so adept at hiding. But if someone is waking up with itchy welts, which can sometimes be bloody, they may want to check for a bedbug infestation.

According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, although they feed on blood, bedbugs have not been shown to transmit any diseases and are not considered a serious public health threat.

“I don’t think I ever actually saw a bedbug,” Andert said. “If you don’t see them, it doesn’t mean you don’t have them.”

White said bedbugs reproduce at a relatively fast rate, with females laying about three to five eggs per day. It takes between seven and 10 days for the eggs to hatch. The whitish-colored eggs are about the size of a speck of dust and are very difficult to see with the naked eye. When bedbugs first hatch, they are only about one millimeter in diameter, roughly the size of a pin head, and are white until they feed on blood for the first time, which then dyes their roach-like exoskeleton a darker color.

They may not pose any serious health risks, but bedbugs are certainly an annoyance. Most people experience a red, itchy welt as a result of a bite, White said. There is an emotional impact, as well, because of the loss of sleep they can cause and potential embarrassment because of societal stigma associated with bedbugs.

Getting rid of bedbugs can be a difficult process, Enright said. The bugs are resilient and can go for up to a year without feeding, and because they are small and flat, they can easily slip into cracks and crevices.

“They hide in the most unbelievable places,” Enright said. “They will hide in bed frames, headboards and in the seams of the bed itself. And they lay numerous amounts of eggs.”

Bedbugs are the “ultimate hitchhikers,” White said, which makes them easy to spread. They can hitch a ride on handbags, backpacks and suitcases—as well as on people themselves.
“They will go anywhere [people] are,” Enright said. “We are their food.”

Eliminating bedbugs usually requires a professional pest control treatment. Additionally, there are several mattress encasement products available that can help prevent bedbugs from infesting a mattress box spring in the first place.

Enright said eliminating clutter in your house can also help get rid of them, as it gives them less places to hide.

Andert is not entirely sure how he got bedbugs, he said, but he might have gotten them from a friend, who also had them.

“They bought a lot of old furniture from garage sales and estate sales and that’s a great way to get bedbugs,” he said.

It’s been more than three weeks since Andert’s apartment was treated for the bedbug infestation, but he said he still feels itchy.

“I hate these f—–g bugs,” Andert said.

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