Bed bugs are a real problem. It used to be “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” was a quaint little saying that was said over and over to probably everyone in America. Now, it is more than that as bed bugs in hotels, apartment buildings, and other communal type areas are really struggling to control this prolific nuisance. It is reported that many people are resorting to pesticides that are intended solely for outdoor use. The danger is that many of these pesticides contain chemicals that are known to destroy the central nervous system and are also known carcinogens. People are not reading the labels and are looking only for immediate relief from these pests.
So how are they spread? Very easily believe it or not! I was listening to the radio the other day and picked up some very good tips from Gary Sullivan who has a fantastic web site that you should have in your book-marked folder for everything dealing with your home. (http://garysullivanonline.com/main.html).
Here are his tips:
A problem a lot of households are having right now is an invasion of bed bugs. That’s right, bed bugs have been with us a long time, even back to the 17th century. But, we seem to be infested more and more with them these days. And the way they enter your home in a lot of cases is if you travel. When you get home from a trip you want to inspect your luggage, inspect your clothes. What you’re looking for is a little, tiny bug like this. And this bug can be about a quarter inch in diameter. And these bugs are nocturnal. And what they do, they’re like a mosquito, they feed on blood. And guess what, we’re the host.
That’s right, the human body, it’s a warm blooded creature, it expels carbon monoxide, and they are drawn to you, they bite you, they suck the blood out of you, you can actually have some irritants on your skin. You’ve got to get rid of these things because they’re not going to go away by themselves. In fact, the female bed bug can lay about one to twelve eggs a day. So, where do you look? First of all, you look in the bedding, any type of crevices in the bedding, crevices in the mattress. But it’s always not just in the bed. Other areas you need to look for is cracks in the bed itself, the bed post. Also drapery, also believe it or not,electrical outlets. And for electrical outlets, a powder insecticide is great. If you’re going to vacuum, take the vacuum bag and dispose of it out of the house. Don’t let it just sit in the vacuum cleaner. And there’s different types of bed bug sprays out on the market. A lot of them are not designed to be used on a mattress. This particular one is. So you can spray in the crevices of the mattress. You don’t want to sleep directly on it, make sure you use a sheet on that mattress. You’ve got to get rid of them, because they just multiply, multiply, and multiply. If the problem gets too big, I recommend you get a certified exterminator into your home and take care of that problem.
Me again, one of Gary’s tips was for travel. When you enter your room, immediately place all of your luggage into the bathtub and begin inspecting for bed bugs. The bed bugs will not live in the tub and you do not want to put your luggage on the bed, floor, chair, etc because the bed bugs can attach themselves to your luggage and come home with you! Remove the bed sheets and pull the cable down that runs along the perimeter of the mattress and look for rust colored/blood spots. Bed bugs are extremely messy and will leave their waste products right where they live. Also look for signs behind pictures, head boards and around electrical outlets. Again you are looking for they rust colored/blood spotting.
If you find any evidence of these, grab your luggage and get the heck out of there! Don’t be afraid to alert the manager and ask for a full refund. In many cases, the only way to eradicate these critters is by a professional exterminator. Good luck!
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