![]() When asked the fundamental question: "Have you experienced any bites or skin reactions from the bed bugs in your dwelling?" 70 percent of respondents said "yes" and 30 percent said "no." Interestingly, level of infestation had no appreciable effect on reactivity - about the same percentage of respondents reported having or not having a reaction whether they were living with low, moderate, high or very high numbers of bed bugs. In terms of ethnicity, 58 percent were Caucasian, 19 percent were African-American, 9 percent were Asian and 7 percent were Hispanic (another 7 percent did not specify). Fifty-eight percent of respondents were female and 42 percent were male, and subjects ranged in age from 1 to 90 years old. In 34 percent of these the infestation level was deemed low (10 or fewer observed bed bugs), 47 percent were considered moderate (11 to 100 bugs), 14 percent had high (101 to 500) numbers of observed bed bugs, while 5 percent had very high numbers (more than 500). As noted earlier, each respondent’s home had a confirmed bed bug infestation. The rest lived in condos/townhomes (9 percent), shelters (7 percent), dormitories (2 percent) or long-term care (less than 1 percent). About two-thirds (66 percent) lived in apartments and 15 percent resided in single-family homes. Additional information was obtained on respondent age, gender, ethnicity, type of dwelling and level of infestation (based on a visual inspection of the premises).Ī total of 474 individuals participated in the survey. All survey respondents resided in dwellings known to be infested with bed bugs as confirmed by each pest control company. Participation was voluntary and followed institutional guidelines for research ethics. The survey, conducted during spring/summer of 2009, was administered by pest control personnel to customers in Chicago, New York, Cincinnati, Louisville, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami. A multi-question survey was developed to assess people’s sensitivity to bed bug bites. The findings presented in this article have important implications for pest managers and the public. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted the largest survey of its kind involving sensitivity to bed bug bites. ![]() Such estimates are based on a handful of studies (some dating back to the 1920s and ’30s) often lacking in details or involving limited numbers of exposed individuals. Oft-stated statistics for non-reactivity vary widely - from less than 20 percent to more than 80 percent of the population. In those who do react, symptoms may be delayed days or even weeks, adding to the ambiguity of the encounter.įor those in pest control, it is well known that some customers do not react to bed bug bites, and that this can delay detection and timely intervention. Some of us experience characteristic itchy red welts while others show scarcely a mark. In addition, we all react to bed bug bites differently. Unlike fleas, ticks or lice, the bed bug scurries away to hidden harborages after feeding to digest its meal. Their bites are painless so the victim seldom realizes they were bitten until later on. Under cover of darkness, they feed while their hosts lay sleeping. In many respects, bed bugs are the perfect parasite.
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