Parasites under the sheets a summer hazard

Pest control experts warn bedbugs could be popping up in the next few months as the parasites reach their peak infestation season.

“They tend to increase over summer months no matter where you live,” said Dawn Gouge, a pest management specialist at the University of Arizona. “Vacations, students returning from college, and increased indoor temperatures increase the rate at which bedbugs develop.”

Bedbugs are blood-feeding insects about the size of an apple seed. They not only live in beds, but also crevices between furniture, walls and flooring. They are more active in certain areas of the home based on when and where a person is sleeping.

“They are naturally nighttime feeders,” Gouge said. “(But) if you work nights and sleep days, they’ll adjust to your sleep patterns. All they require is someone to sleep on a piece of furniture.”

An infestation usually starts when people bring second-hand or rented furniture into their homes, particularly mattresses. The more places it’s been, the more likely it picked up unwelcome pests.

Bedbugs are notorious hitchhikers and often will move from hotel beds to visitors’ travel clothes. It’s also common to catch them from clothing stores, whether the merchandise is used or new. When a person who already has bedbugs on their own clothes is trying on items, bedbugs will take the opportunity to cling on to the store’s outfits.

Often, people don’t notice bedbug bites on themselves, but will seek medical advice because they mistake them for another ailment.

“I have probably seen more cases of bedbugs than I realize,” said Dr. Andy Schatzki of Agave Family Physicians. “The rash is similar to other rashes caused by other problems, like scabies.”

The bites are no more dangerous than a mosquito bite.

Dr. Hiram Rivera-Padilla, an internal medicine specialist at the Banner Health Center in Maricopa, said the bites heal spontaneously within one week. The only serious complication comes from scratching the bite, which could increase the risk of infection.

“We’re not near the top (of infestation problems), but not at the bottom either,” Gouge, of the UA, said. “We think air-conditioned homes help. Anything that pulls humidity out of atmosphere makes it hostile to bedbugs.”