Bedbugs and Bedbug Infestations

The United States is experiencing the worst bedbug infestation since the 1940s.

Apartments, college dorms, and hotels are seeing a boom in the population of bedbugs and that trend is spreading across the world.

Bedbugs are easy to see.  They are tiny, tick-like insects that will suck your blood as you lay in your bed at night..  They inject you with a numbing agent and an anticoagulant so that your blood flows while they eat all without you knowing it.

Most people do not even know they have been bitten until they awake to swollen, itchy, red bumps.  Bedbugs leave a small red blood stain on the sheets and their feces looks like tiny, black specks.

During the daylight hours, they hide in the cracks and crannies of your mattress and furniture.

Bedbugs may transmit many human diseases, but the most common side-effect is infection caused by scratching.  Cases of allergies have been found and severe reactions can cause hives and, in some cases, can lead to an asthma attack.

Your chance of having a bedbug attack increase if you live in a building with many other residents, have pets in your home or live in tropical areas.  It is best to not buy or pick up upholstered furniture, clothing, or mattresses at garage sales or resale shops.  If clothes are purchased, wash them immediately in HOT water and dry in a hot dryer.

When staying in a hotel, check the sheets for rusty-looking stains.  Do not stay at a hotel where there are any signs of bedbugs.  And, when you get back home, check your bags to make sure no stray bugs came home without your knowing it.

If you do get bedbugs in your home, hire a professional to get rid of them.  They will treat your mattresses by inserting them in special bags and vacuuming or by heat/steam treatments.  They will use pesticides in other areas to treat your home.

So, the old adage of "sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite!" still holds true.  Be wary and be safe.