“Don’t let the bed bugs bite” – Do you know the person who said this? Wherever it came from, the phrase holds a grain of truth to it. It starts with the villain, the bed bugs. Bed bugs are bloodsucking insects that thrive in warm areas of your furniture like the bed, couch, draperies and carpets.
They are tiny parasites and they feed on a blood meal like a flea. In general, the bed bugs prefer human blood. The adage “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is actually a wrong notion of the insect, because bed bugs do not actually bite. They pierce the skin with an elongated beak and use it like a straw to draw blood from the victim. Imagine it as a mosquito, without the dangers of transmitting diseases.
The saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is proven to be a bad warning because people seldom feel the bed bug as it feeds. When bed bugs feed, they release a chemical substance, like a mild anesthesia that numbs the skin. That is why people are surprised to see itchy, swelling welts on their body the following day.
It is a good idea, however, to follow the warning in the saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” The bites may appear harmless but they can be embarrassing to look and you may lose sleep over it. When you don’t allow the bed bugs bite, you are saving your skin from irritation and possible infections from other insect bites.
But the question is: How do you don’t allow the bed bugs bite when you can’t even see or feel them? One way is to check your furniture or mattress with a magnifying glass. The perfect time to do this is at night since bed bugs are nocturnal and hides during the day. Bed bugs look like flat, rounded brownish insects that could be easily mistaken for fleas.
The saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” must definitely be given as a gentle warning. But actually telling someone, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite”, has a sweet and comical tone to it considering that the facts about it are untrue.
One of the reasons for the childish appeal of the adage “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is how it rhythms with another quaint greeting, “Sleep tight.” When joined together, the saying “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” becomes a sweet closing note to any conversation.
As proven above, the saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” is not the most accurate warning. Bed bugs suck blood, they don’t bite. We can’t control bed bugs so “not letting” them is almost next to impossible, unless you wear a steel armor to sleep. This saying is being unraveled and exposed for what it really is – only a childish rhyme.
“Don’t let the bed bugs bite”, if used to alert people of the parasite, is shallow. The saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” has no real structure. It only states the existence of bed bugs. It is clear that this saying’s real substance is in the strong conviction for people to put it to heart, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite”.
The real way to live this saying is by looking for them and killing all the bed bugs that reside in your furniture. When the bed bugs infestation has gone out of control, one must take this saying, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite”. Time to contact the professionals and have them exterminate all the bed bugs inside your home.
Even hotels use this saying, to proudly boast of their establishment’s cleanliness and bug-free environment. Though there are incidents that hotels may do a discrete extermination from time to time. There is no shame in being fastidious about the cleanliness of a surrounding. Remember to always keep a couch or a mattress clean because what we don’t see can really hurt us.
As the saying goes, it means we should not take it too literally and just take it in the context of a quaint recommendation to always be aware of the little critters sleeping beside you at night and feeding from your blood.
Therefore, sleep tight, everyone. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.
Filed under: Bed Bugs