On a recent camping trip I encountered an itchy problem. Not the Marilyn Monroe and Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek kind though it still involves hotels, beds and scratching. The star of this problem is the Bedbug. It's a very common problem worldwide and perhaps more so now with increased human density and speed of travel. We were briefly able to control it by using DDT but since the halt of it's use their numbers are shooting up especially in places of lodgings like hotels, chalets and the like. Hence I deduced I might have picked them up over the CNY holidays and carried them to the camping site using the same luggage bag 1 week after.
A distinct and interesting sign of being bitten (yes they feed on your blood) is 3 or more bite marks in a linear/ curve/ circular pattern. Their bite marks would appear together in those arrangements because they repeatedly bite to find a suitable vessel or were disturbed in between "meals". What sparked this research of mine was that I had bite marks which were roughly arranged in a square or diamond (4 cornered) kinda way in on my legs and arms. It was annoyingly interesting hence a google search for bite mark patterns lead to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug
Go to the link if you're interested on the finer facts of treatment and management. I'm just thankful for insecticides and the lesson on hygienic post-travelling habits (more cleaning and washing :/).
Cheers and don't start being a hypochondriac.
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