A resurgence of Cimex lectularius, better known as the common bed bug , has turned playful bedtime sendoffs into truly fearful warnings. This resurrection can largely be attributed to the halt in using the pesticide DDT that nearly eradicated bed bugs in the United States in the 1950s, leaving little to no defense against the uprising miniscule offenders today. Adding to this effect is the fact that bed bugs are nocturnal in nature, preying on sleeping people across the world. They feed on human blood, leaving only a trail of red itchy welts or localized swellings on the skin as calling cards of their appearances.
While red marks may be an indication of an infestation, they are definitely not a confirmation. Finding these critters is no easy task, as they are approximately 4-5 mm in length with a flattened form, allowing them to hide in crevices and creases with ease. While often found hiding all over the house, their favorite spot to conceal themselves–in the event that a mattress cover or pillow cover are not being used–is in or around the bed, hence their name. Being so close to their primary food source gives them the opportunity to feed every 5-10 days, though they are able to live up to 18 months without eating. .
A bed bug will dine on human blood for approximately 5-15 minutes before it will be fully engorged, more than tripling its size. This change has been known to cause misidentification as it becomes round in shape, different from its naturally flat shape. Additionally, when it is an adult it becomes brown in color, except after feeding when it takes on a dark red hue due to the intake of human blood.
Because of their miniscule size and innate ability to hide, bed bugs can enter the home in a multitude of ways, including any type of object that can be transferred from one home, apartment, condo, hotels, etc., to another. This transferability, coupled with their hyperactive reproduction, allows their wrath to be widespread very quickly, especially in homes that are older or have many cracks and crevices, messy cluttered homes, and homes where mattresses or pillows are not covered with some sort of allergen-reducing encasements. To get a feel of their ability to infest an entire house, here are some reproduction facts:
• Females lay eggs in clusters of 10-50 in just one day
• The eggs are whitish in color, pear shaped and approximately 1 mm in length
• A female will lay up 500 eggs during her lifetime
• Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks time
• In one year’s time, three generations of can be produced
• Newly hatched nymphs—as they are called–begin to feed on human blood immediately
• Nymphs are colorless and the size of a pinhead
• A nymph will go through five molting stages before becoming a full adult, feeding during each stage
Though these wingless vampires have been known to be brimming with pathogens—hepatitis B and plague included—they have not been shown to be a transmitter of disease. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not thought of as being a medical threat, making them more of an annoyance then anything else.
Some people try to live with bed bugs in their lives, though they often are covered with welts and scars from scratching all over their bodies. No distance is great enough to be protected once they have entered your home. They have been known to travel over 100 feet on their own to feed, making merely disinfesting your bed and using mattress and pillow covers a futile act.
In order to be fully rid of these pests, a home needs to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that every crease, crevice, floorboard, outlet and corner has been cleaned and rid of them and their eggs. Furthermore, every hole and crack should be filled and caulked, leaving little to no room for already existing eggs to penetrate the home. Once your house is rid of infestation, you should use a complete, zippered mattress encasement, a complete zippered pillow encasement, and a zippered encasement for your box spring. This traps any existing critters inside, essentially permanently removing them from their food source, and disallowing new bugs from hiding in their beloved hotbeds.
-Ben Anton, 2007

Want to learn more about how to prevent bed bugs in your home?
Visit the CleanRest website to view a wide selection of mattress covers and other allergen-reducing encasements.


What You Should Know about Bed Bugs
A resurgence of Cimex lectularius, better known as the common bed bug , has turned playful bedtime sendoffs into truly fearful warnings. This resurrection can largely be attributed to the halt in using the pesticide DDT that nearly eradicated bed bugs in the United States in the 1950s, leaving little to no defense against the uprising miniscule offenders today. Adding to this effect is the fact that bed bugs are nocturnal in nature, preying on sleeping people across the world. They feed on human blood, leaving only a trail of red itchy welts or localized swellings on the skin as calling cards of their appearances. While red marks may be an indication of an infestation, they are definitely not a confirmation. Finding these critters is no easy task, as they are approximately 4-5 mm in length with a flattened form, allowing them to hide in crevices and creases with ease. While often found hiding all over the house, their favorite spot to conceal themselves–in the event that a mattress cover or pillow cover are not being used–is in or around the bed, hence their name. Being so close to their primary food source gives them the opportunity to feed every 5-10 days, though they are able to live up to 18 months without eating. . A bed bug will dine on human blood for approximately 5-15 minutes before it will be fully engorged, more than tripling its size. This change has been known to cause misidentification as it becomes round in shape, different from its naturally flat shape. Additionally, when it is an adult it becomes brown in color, except after feeding when it takes on a dark red hue due to the intake of human blood. Because of their miniscule size and innate ability to hide, bed bugs can enter the home in a multitude of ways, including any type of object that can be transferred from one home, apartment, condo, hotels, etc., to another. This transferability, coupled with their hyperactive reproduction, allows their wrath to be widespread very quickly, especially in homes that are older or have many cracks and crevices, messy cluttered homes, and homes where mattresses or pillows are not covered with some sort of allergen-reducing encasements. To get a feel of their ability to infest an entire house, here are some reproduction facts:• Females lay eggs in clusters of 10-50 in just one day• The eggs are whitish in color, pear shaped and approximately 1 mm in length• A female will lay up 500 eggs during her lifetime• Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks time• In one year’s time, three generations of can be produced• Newly hatched nymphs—as they are called–begin to feed on human blood immediately• Nymphs are colorless and the size of a pinhead• A nymph will go through five molting stages before becoming a full adult, feeding during each stageThough these wingless vampires have been known to be brimming with pathogens—hepatitis B and plague included—they have not been shown to be a transmitter of disease. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not thought of as being a medical threat, making them more of an annoyance then anything else.Some people try to live with bed bugs in their lives, though they often are covered with welts and scars from scratching all over their bodies. No distance is great enough to be protected once they have entered your home. They have been known to travel over 100 feet on their own to feed, making merely disinfesting your bed and using mattress and pillow covers a futile act. In order to be fully rid of these pests, a home needs to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that every crease, crevice, floorboard, outlet and corner has been cleaned and rid of them and their eggs. Furthermore, every hole and crack should be filled and caulked, leaving little to no room for already existing eggs to penetrate the home. Once your house is rid of infestation, you should use a complete, zippered mattress encasement, a complete zippered pillow encasement, and a zippered encasement for your box spring. This traps any existing critters inside, essentially permanently removing them from their food source, and disallowing new bugs from hiding in their beloved hotbeds. -Ben Anton, 2007
Learning more about bed bug prevention is simple.
The CleanRest website features products and quality information on protecting your home from bed bugs.


Earth Science … Get Your Child More Involved In the World Around Them
Science is a fascinating subject for any age because of how applicable the concepts are to our everyday life. There are several different categories associated with science including, earth science, life science, and physical science. We will be speaking specifically about earth science for now. Earth science deals with the many different processes that take place on our planet. Earth science is inescapable and ever-present (which is part of its appeal in many cases). Below are some examples of specialties that deal with earth science. You will find brief definitions as well as some of the sub-disciplines that are part of that area of study.
Geology – Geology describes the land or rocky parts of the Earth's crust and its development over time. Major sub-disciplines include: mineralogy and petrology, geochemistry, geomorphology, paleontology, stratigraphy, engineering geology and sedimentology.
Geodesy and Geophysics – these disciplines investigate the figure of the Earth. More specifically this means the study of the earth’s reaction to forces and its potential fields that involve both magnetism and gravity. Geophysicists explore the science deep inside the Earth's core and mantle.
Soil science – Soil is considered the outermost layer of the Earth's crust. A soil scientist investigates the formation processes of the soil. Major sub-disciplines include: edaphology and pedology.
Oceanography and Hydrology – Geology describes the land and oceanography describes the ocean. This includes all marine and freshwater parts of the Earth. Major sub-disciplines include: hydrogeology and physical, chemical, and biological oceanography.
Glaciology – If you know what a glacier is you can probably guess what a Glaciologist would study (here’s a hint: the icy parts of the Earth).
Atmospheric sciences – Earth is more than just land and sea, it is the parts that we don’t see as well. Atmospheric sciences cover investigation of the gaseous parts (a.k.a. the atmosphere) of the Earth. Major sub-disciplines are Meteorology, Climatology and Agronomy.
So you see that there is no where you can go on earth to escape science. It is in the ground that we walk on, in the water we swim in, and in the air that we breathe. Who wouldn’t want to know more about earth sciences?!
Earth sciences are not only interesting but they can be beautiful too. You can get your child more involved in earth sciences by showing him the beauty of nature. Whether your child’s interests lie with finding shinny rocks or mountain biking, there are ways to apply science to the things that they love to do outdoors.

Just Science Projects is a great source for ideas about science activities and experiments for kids . Whether you're looking to teach a child to learn to analyze from science experiments , science projects, or science fair ideas make it great fun. Visit JustScienceProjects.com or call us at 206-498-6502.

Sunday, December 30, 2007