THE BEDBUG. 9 



temperatures below this point. The most favorable temperatures 

 for activity are between 60° and 98° F.^ The activity of the insect 

 is controlled entirely by temperature and food supply, and, there- 

 fore, in heated houses the insect may remain active throughout the 

 wdnter. There is some protection in mnter, therefore, in sleeping in 

 cold bedrooms. 



THE BITE OF THE BEDBUG. 



The bite of the bedbug is decidedly poisonous to some individuals, 

 resulting in a slight swellmg and disagreeable inflammation. To such 

 persons the presence of bedbugs is sufficient to cause the greatest 

 uneasiness, if not to put sleep and rest entirely out of the question. 

 With others, however, who are less sensitive, the presence of the bugs 

 may not be recognized at all, and, except for the occasional staining 

 of the linen by a crushed individual, their presence might be entirely 

 overlooked. The inflammation experienced by sensitive persons 

 seems to result chiefly from the puncture of the skin by the sharp 

 piercing setae wliich constitute the puncturing element of the mouth 

 parts, as there seems to be no secretion of poison other than the 

 natural fluids of the mouth. 



The biting organ of the bedbug is similar to that of other insects of 

 its order. It consists of a rather heavy, fleshy under lip (the only 

 part ordinarily seen in examining the insect), within which lie four 

 threadlike hard filaments or setae which glide over one another with 

 an alternating motion and pierce the flesh. The blood is drawn up 

 through the beak, which is closely apphed to the point of puncture, 

 and tlie alternating motion of the setae in the flesh causes the blood 

 to flow more freely. The details of the structure of the beak are 

 shown in figure 1 at (Z. 



To allay the irritation set up by the bite of the bedbug, peroxide 

 of hydrogen, or dioxygen, may be used with good results. 



Tincture of iodine either at ordinary or double strength is also a 

 good counter-irritant for use in cases of flea, mosquito, bedbug, and 

 other insect bites, but should be used with caution on the tender 

 skin of small clijldren and on those who are affected ^vith or disposed 

 to eczemic disorders. 



THE BEDBUG AND HUMAN DISEASES. 



In common with other insects which attack man and warm- 

 blooded animals, it is entirely possible for the bedbug and its close 

 allies to be transmitters of contagious human diseases, and already 

 these insects have been shown to be possible carriers or transmitters 

 of a considerable series of diseases, including infantile Kala-azar of 

 northern Africa and southern Europe, relapsing fever of Africa and 

 Europe, the Chagas fever of Brazil, tropical sore, plague, and possibly 



1 Bacot, A. W. The influence of temperature, submersion, and burial on the survival ol eggs and larvae 

 of Cimex Icctvlarius. In Bui. Ent. Res., v. 5, pt. 2, p. 111-117. 19U. 



