The bed bug problem has been growing over the last few years. Those little bugs are showing up everywhere; even where we would not expect them. Bed bugs are flat and small, and reddish brown. They are approximately the size of Lincoln\’s head on a penny. And none of us are immune to them. Young or old, rich or poor, clean or dirty. Bed bugs are a universal problem. They excel at finding their way into places, and once in they are very difficult to remove. They don\’t transmit any diseases so that is good news.
Because bed bugs are flat, tiny things, they squeeze into locations we\’d never look. They creep into any available crack or crevice, and they live along mattress seams. They call sheets and blankets home; also furniture, wallpaper and behind baseboards. Hotels are some of their favorites because they have so many places to hide; and since they eat mostly human blood, hotels give them a very big menu. They\’ll crawl into your luggage as you sleep and you won\’t realize you\’re bringing them home with you. Before long your own home is contaminated, and you don\’t even know you\’re carrying them to the store, the gym, the theatre, etc…
But lest you think hotels are the only ones with the problem, know that bed bugs also live in homes, stores, gyms and any other place where humans live. The female lays one to five eggs per day, so before you know it one bug has become a hundred. These bugs exude a sickly sweet odor, so if there are enough of them in one area you\’ll start to smell them.
So, what can you do to eliminate these bugs? There are things you can do to exterminate them if they\’ve already invaded your living space. Along with that, there are steps that can be taken to make sure they stay gone. The first thing you can do is try and detect them in your main living areas. Perhaps you already know you have a bed bug problem. If you don\’t know for sure, you\’ll want to investigate and eradicate them before their population has a chance to grow. You should begin with your bedding. Look first at the seams on your sheets and blankets. Take a look at the seams along the mattress as well. Shift the mattress and also take a look at the box spring. They prefer to roost in the various crevices and seams so that they\’re not spotted right away. Also examine the sheet for blood spots or rust-colored spots. When they bite they trigger a small amount of bleeding. This blood will show up on the sheet somewhere. Once you\’ve completed the bedding area, proceed to examine the rest of the house.
If you travel a lot, you probably should look at the bedding in your hotel room. Though they regularly change out the sheets, those bugs will hide in the mattress and continue to reproduce. If you find them in your room you should request another room. However, if your room is infested, it is highly likely that the other rooms at the hotel are, too. Astonishingly, there is a bed bug registry online for hotels. Business travelers don\’t always have a choice on their hotels. But if you are able to, you should check out www.bedbugregistry.com before your trip. Just enter the city and hotel and it will provide a lot of information for you. The information that comes out is provided by real people who have experienced problems firsthand. This fact alone makes it fairly reliable.
If you learn that you have an issue with bed bugs there are some tips you can use to eradicate them. The three processes are heat, or ice, or suction. What I mean is that you can use an iron or hair dryer to overheat them. (Heat also includes laundering your bedding in the hottest possible water.) Or, you can use ice to freeze them. Lastly, you can vacuum them up. Both ice and heat work equally well, but if you have more than just a few, using the vacuum is by far the easiest solution. Be sure to empty the vacuum bag right away after you\’re done. The preference is that you dispose of the whole thing a good distance from your home.
Travelers should store their luggage on a shelf or desk, or in the bathroom when they arrive at the hotel so that they can check out the bedding area. When it\’s time to come home they should get their laundry into the washer immediately and never mix it in with the home laundry. They should also immediately vacuum out their luggage just in case a few bugs found their way in. Keeping travel and home separate will go miles toward reducing an outbreak.
Bed bugs are a problem in America. But they don\’t have to be your problem. Getting rid of the infestation using one of the above methods is key. Then doing weekly maintenance to make sure they stay out is the long term solution.
Norita Sieffert has traveled extensively looking for helpful hints on a variety of topics. She has gathered information on many subjects, including eliminating bed bugs. To read more interesting facts, visit her articles page. To browse her outstanding selection of down comforters, visit her online home decor store.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs - and Keep Them Away!
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