Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that crawl out in the night, feeding on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are found worldwide, but were considered largely eradicated in the US until recent decades. Bed bug infestations tend to peak during the summer months.

In recent years, bed bugs are spreading rapidly throughout North America. Bed bugs have been detected in every state. Cleanliness is no deterrent for bed bugs. They have popped up everywhere from five-star resorts and cruise ships to libraries, schools and day care centers.

One difficulty in getting rid of bed bugs is that a bed bug may survive for months without eating. They prefer to feed every several days and will travel up to about 100 feet to find a meal. Most bed bugs live within eight feet of a sleeping surface.

Bed bugs typically hide during the day, in mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, dressers, behind wallpaper and within any other small crack or crevice that they can find.

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

Bed bugs are more of a nuisance than a danger, although they can cause serious allergic reactions in some people. More than 40 human diseases have been detected in bed bugs, but they’re not known to spread diseases. Studies in this area are lacking.

Their bites can cause significant itching, however, which can lead to a secondary skin infections if excessive scratching damages your skin.
Bedbugs can lead to loss of sleep due to anxiety over the bed bugs and usually not from the bites themselves. When you’re bitten by a bed bug, it injects an anesthetic and an anticoagulant at the same time, so you won’t feel the bite until later.

Anywhere from a day to several days later, red, swollen bumps can appear, similar to mosquito bites. These bites can occur anywhere on the body, but typically on your neck, arms, hands and face.

How to Detect a Bed Bud Infestation:

One of the first things you should do while traveling, is to check your sleeping area thoroughly for bed bugs and signs that they are around.
Bed bugs’ bodies are flat and range in size from one to seven millimeters.

Their shape, combined with their reddish-brown color, makes it easy for bed bugs to hide out along baseboards and the folds of luggage, bedding, folded clothing, furniture and more.

If you look carefully, you may be able to spot bed bugs near your sleeping area, but they may also be present if you detect the following signs:

1. Bed bug exoskeletons, which are released after molting
2. Rust-colored blood spots on mattresses or furniture (this is from their blood-filled fecal matter)
3. A sweet, musty odor
4. Especially check the seam around the periphery of the mattress for bed bugs, casts, droppings, eggs or blood smears.

The Top 10 Bed Bug Cities For Bed Bugs in the US, as compiled in Orkin Pest Control’s 2014:

1. Chicago, IL
2. Detroit, MI
3. Columbus, OH
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. Cleveland, OH
6. Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
7. Cincinnati, OH
8. Denver, CO
9. Richmond-Petersburg, VA
10. Dayton, OH

The Pesticides Used to Eliminate Bed Bugs Are Causing Illnesses:

Beware that the “cure”, may be worse than the problem!

No one wants to let bed bugs linger in their home or place of business, but you must use caution before choosing an extermination service.
From 2003 to 2010, 111 illnesses, including one fatality, associated with bed bug-related insecticide use were detected by the Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR)-Pesticides program and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH).

The National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) has also reported a “dramatic increase” in the number of bed bug-related calls due to pesticide exposures. NPIC reported 169 such calls from 2006 to 2010, 129 of which resulted in mild or serious health effects (including one death).
Most often, the illnesses were related to excessive insecticide application, failure to wash or change pesticide-treated bedding and inadequate notification of pesticide application.

Chemical-Free Thermal Remediation May Offer Non-Toxic Bed Bug Treatment:

If your home is infested with bed bugs and you don’t want to douse your home in pesticides, there is another option: thermal remediation. The process essentially heats or freezes the bed bugs. Extreme heat that is over 130 degrees Fahrenheit, kills bed bugs. Freezing bed bugs can also kill them instantly.

Thermal remediation may be far more convenient than chemical treatment. While thermal remediation may be slightly more costly than chemical processes, the health effects it can spare your family could be priceless.

How to Avoid Bed Bugs:

1. Always inspect hotel rooms for signs of an infestation (look for bed bugs in mattress seams and check for any rust-colored spots on bedding).
2. Check your sleeping area thoroughly, including under the mattress, bed frame, and headboard as well as in nearby furniture.
3. Keep your luggage on luggage racks, not on the bed or on the floor and away from electrical outlet panels, art frames, and other bed-bug hiding spots.
4. When you return home, examine your luggage and clothing carefully, and store it away from your sleeping area.
5. Place all of your previously packed clothing directly into the dryer for at least 15 minutes on the highest setting. Keep clutter in your home to a minimum (which will give bed bugs fewer places to hide)
6. Wash and dry bed linens on the hottest temperature setting allowed.
7. Inspect any used furniture carefully before bringing it into your home
8. Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly, after you’ve traveled, had house guests, or even when a service technician has been in your home.

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