"Dude, it's cool!" Susan Toone, Part 4: Night of the Living Dead Stuff

Editor's Note: MOD Voices guest blogger Susan Toone continues. Today we learn about bedbugs. For more buggy facts visit the Museum of Discovery's current exhibit, Harry's Big Adventure


Night of the Living Dead Stuff

Bedbugs, thought to be eradicated in the dark ages of the 1950s (the same decade as when the landscape started sprouting hotels for all those travelers going west who grew weary of sleeping in their covered wagons), are now back with a vengeance. Even chic New Yorkers are fleeing their posh apartments and sleeping in the streets because the hotels are full of screaming tourists demanding new rooms, “and hold the bedbugs!”

Talk about gross. Here’s how the repugnant little bugger operates: he first zaps you with TWO hollow feeding tubes. Into the first tube, he injects his saliva into directly into your skin. This blocks the sensation while he sucks your blood out of the other tube and feasts on you. It’s a bit like a wine tasting: if the first bedbug smacks his lips with enthusiasm, the others join in.

I’ve never been fond of cockroaches, but since I found they are natural predators of bedbugs, I’m going to start treating them like family. Your other two options for avoiding these nefarious but tiny monsters:

 • NEVER travel.

 • NEVER allow anyone who has traveled – anywhere - to stay with you. That’s what hotels are for.

Susan Toone lives with her husband, two teenagers and two dogs in Little Rock. The husband and dogs are great; the teenagers are driving her crazy. She works at Acxiom and has a blog.

Editor's Note: Susan Toone finished her blog mini-series with other Museum awesomeness.