Stop Believing the Press! Costa Rica is NOT being infested with the Bedbug!
Okay, I have had enough! I received an interesting email (from a girl heading to Costa Rica) this morning, almost right after I read the Yahoo article (and several others) about NOW, the US Government fears an outbreak of Bed Bugs! She was fricken worried if, Bedbugs were infesting Costa Rica?
Jezzes Christ, what is this paranoia world coming to now?
One of the articles I read was from a Washington Post reporter, who writes, “… a blood-sucking menace …” The article sounded like some new Vampire Alien was striking fear into the public, again! The first thing I thought, the media is grabbing at straws, looking for another pandemic, so they can sell even more papers! Another typical press tactic as they did with the Swine Flu BS.
For an insect the size of an pinhead, that has a painless bite and is not known to spread disease,” and one could think, the threat posed by the tiny insect might be rather manageable. Well, honestly, common sense tells me, move on with your lives!
Even Wikipedia adds some fear of vampireness and I quote: “The bedbug (or bed bug) is an insect of the family Cimicidae that lives by hematophagy – feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded hosts. Its name comes from its preferred habitat: mattresses, sofas, and other furniture. Although not strictly nocturnal, bedbugs are mainly active at night” I was surprise they did not link the blood of humans text to their vampire definition.
The MAIN PROBLEM with bedbugs (because they are blood suckers) they seem to possess all of the necessary abilities for being capable of passing diseases from one host to another.
MEDICAL FACT: there HAVE BEEN NO KNOWN CASES OF BED BUGS passing disease from host to host, unlike the mosquito, which spreads malaria and dengue fever SO DON’T WORRY!
After some research on bedbugs in Costa Rica, ONLY a few bitchy travelers (a few from lonelyplante, who probably never traveled to Costa Rica) had to assume their nighttime bites were Bedbugs. Geee, they ever think or has an intelligent thought that a tropical environment, has tons of spiders and mosquitoes and other creatures that bite at night, Killing bedbugs is fairly easy, washing clothing in very hot water (they die at 115 degrees), streaming your mattresses and even vacuuming.
One blogger was so paranoid on her trip when she woke up with small bites, where she explained her body looked like she had Small Pox. Afterwards, she had a ritual before climbing in bed, which included, 1) Lining her bed with the garbage bags, 2) Wearing socks and tucking her socks into her pants 3) Wearing longs sleeves and a scarf, 4) Sleeping with the light on (since bed bugs like dark and warmth … gee isn’t that what she is doing wearing all that clothing?) 5) Fan on full power to blow any bugs away and 6) Spraying her mattress with Raid each night … My God women, get a life!
Overkill? You can be the judge of that ….
Needless to say … I emailed the girl back and assure her that Costa Rica is a very clean country, has had no report of bedbug activity and please, just have fun!
I think most people think they were bitten by bed bugs cause thats what they know of in the US. But Ive lived in CR for 30 years, and travel around to a LOT of different beaches and mountain hotels and never seen one (and I do know how they look)
They were all probably bitten by what we locals call purrujas, which are the infamous no-see-ums, they dont live indoors, the few times Ive been badly attacked by this evil micro-flies its the same thing, working outdoors near tall grass or grassy areas, around sunset with no mayor hassle than the regular mosquitoes, then the next morning parts of me are covered in these terrible itchy red bites.
Not sure if they stick to your clothes and bite you during the night, or if they bite you and it manifest until the next day, or if they bite you just a few times and it triggers an alergic reaction. But Im sure they are no bed bugs cause you dont continue to get new bites, only get them when you were outdoors during sunset the night before.
I can see how they would be easily confused with bed bugs since your first noticed them in the morning (last time I got attacked I woke up from the itchyness) but yeah, it is probably purrujas, I think I would prefer bed bugs over purrujas!
Im not saying there is no chance of you getting bed bug bites in CR, I mean you could get eaten by a Lion in CR if one happens to run out of the zoo, Im just saying, 31 years and have never seen one (and again, I do know how they look)
Anyway, use repellant during day time and you may cure your "bed bug fever"
http://aterocana.blogspot.com/2012/05/la-purruja-y-sus-dichosas-picaduras.html
Yes. Ever been laid into by these things? Likely not. I have seen z(and been bitten) at three different locations. In Guanacaste as we speak.
My son and I returned from a trip to Costa Rica. We stayed at the Horizontes Del Mar and I personally saw little microscopic bugs climbing through the sheets when I put a plate on the sheets.
I did it twice just to verify it was real. It was disgusting. My son was bitten on his back about 20 times.
Hi,
I am a professor in the U.S. I and my sister just got bitten about 50 times each. I’m 99% sure it was by bedbugs, at Sevegre Mountain Inn. Your 2009 article about there being “no bedbug infestation” is way off.
I have traveled in CR since 1970s and have been in some weird, strange, off-the-wall places. Never I have I experience bed bugs, but have been bitten countless times by flying and crawling insects including a scorpion.
Hummm … 50 bites, that sound like the perfect MO of mosquitoes.
Just experienced budbugs last night at the alajuela tropical hostel in one of thier private rooms! I even managed to get a picture of the one I found biting me.
Of course I’m all freaked out about carrying them to another hotel & home with me! Yikes!!
Bed bugs are becoming a problem across the U.S. As I reported on the site Bed Bugs Handbook its a growing problem across the world. Travelers pick up bedbugs at home and then carry them to other locations.