7 Things You Need to Know about Bedbugs ...

By Jennifer

7 Things You Need to Know about Bedbugs ...

If you’ve been watching or reading the news, then you know we’re in the middle of a bedbug infestation here in some parts of the U.S., especially in big urban areas like New York City. They’re tiny, so they’re very hard to see, and they’re wicked little critters — once they’ve infested an area, they’re nearly impossible to get rid of! If you’re traveling anytime soon, or if you happen to live in a big city with a lot of travelers, then you probably want to know as much as you can about these awful little bugs, including how to prevent getting them! After a lot of research, I can help! Here are 7 things you need to know about bedbugs!

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1

You’re Most Likely to Pick Them up in a Hotel

If you travel, especially in and out of big cities, you need to know that urban hotels are magnets for bedbugs, and they like to share! If you must travel, be sure to check your room before you actually bring your suitcases or handbags inside! Be sure to carefully look at the seams of mattresses and chairs, along bed frames and headboards, and in other dark places. What are you looking for? What do these nasty little bugs look like? They themselves are very small, about the size of a grain of rice or an apple seed. They’re dark brown in color. Also, when they grow, they shed their skins, leaving behind empty brown shells. Also, when they’re done feeding, they leave behind little spots of blood… then little spots of bug poo. Gross!

2

Where to Keep Your Bags

Even if you’ve checked your room, and are pretty darn sure it’s not infested with bedbugs, it’s still a very good idea to keep your suitcases and handbags off the floor, off the bed, and off the chairs. Keep them on a stand, or on a hook, away from everything else. It would be horrible to bring bedbugs home with you! And just in case… when you do get home, wash everything inside your bags, then vacuum out the bags, too.

3

They’re Nocturnal

Did you know these little critters are nocturnal, like those other blood-suckers, vampires? That’s why you may not notice them at first, because they’re hiding and sleeping during the day, and they only come out and bite you at night, when you’re sleeping. Creepy!

4

You May Blame It on Innocent Bugs

If you don’t know those bites all over your body are from bedbugs, you might assume they’re mosquito bites… but they’re not. The problem is that because they’re so small, so good at hiding, and nocturnal, you don’t see or feel them bite you, and by the time you develop a welt, it’s been hours.

5

They Can Live for Months without Eating

If you think you can just starve the little buggers out by leaving them in their room for a week or so while you go live somewhere else, think again. Bedbugs can live for months between meals, so you’d have to stay away from your own room for weeks and weeks… who wants to do that?

Famous Quotes

Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with.

Peter Elbow
6

You’ll Need a Pro

If you do have an infestation, there’s really only one thing you can do to get rid of them — call in a professional. Hire someone that comes recommended, and follow their instructions to the letter. Bedbugs are nearly impossible to get rid of, but it can be done.

7

You Can Report It

If you do notice an infestation somewhere, please report it! Tell the owner or manager of the business (especially if it’s a hotel) and also post the info at this website: bedbugregistry.com so no-one else will carry the bedbugs home with them!

They may sound frightening, but you can prevent an infestation, or even get rid of one, if you follow these little tips. They’re so nasty, so insidious, it’s no wonder they’ve been traveling the world for centuries! But you can stop them… do you have any bedbug stories to share? Or any tips on how to spot, or prevent, an infestation? Please let me know!

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

Oh gosh, bedbugs. I used to think the whole "Don't let the bedbugs bite!" thing was just a saying. Until I encountered the real deal. A motel I'd booked a single bed room at in New Jersey upgraded me to a double upon my arrival, I dumped all my clothes on one bed and flopped down for a late afternoon nap in the other. Later that night I spotted one bug, then another, and another and another. Had no bloddy clue what they were, but I decided I'd be better off sleeping in the other bed. As I began to clear my clothes off of it, I noticed more of the bugs on and in my clothing. Sigh. That was a long night. I remember calling my stepmom, who is a night owl, and asking her what I should do. When I'd booked the room I was told if I cancelled the reservation within 24 hours of my arrival I wouldn't be refunded. It was a low budget trip and if I was going to pack and leave I wanted my gosh darn money back. She googled 'bedbugs', and over the phone described the visual characteristics of the very bugs I was looking at. Needless to say, I freaked out. Bagged up all my clothes in trash bags, threw them in the trunk (where they would remain for almost 2 years), demanded a refund, and hightailed it out of there. Ugh. Fortunately, the clothes I was wearing were not infested, and bagging up my stuff and leaving it in the hot trunk of my car for two summers killed everything. I wish I'd known about bedbugs before that night. Lessons learned: don't throw all your clothes on the extra bed, check mattresses and box springs for holes, and just because a motel is part of a reputable chain doesn't mean it won't be seedy and full of bugs.

My family has experienced bed bug infestations twice. The first one in our old house was as horrible as the second one in our current home. We had to wipe down our furniture with insecticide, wash our linens and clothes, and we had to put our cushions, pillows, and mattresses under the heat of the sun! Now we're extra careful about bed bugs and dirt on our beds and couches.

I got bedbug bites after a family reunion in beach cabins..everyone did. It was horrible..my whole back, thighs,arms. The itching lasted a long time..most of us went to the doctor. It's been suggested that you should wash new linens, clothes, etc. be run through the dryer before using as alot of these are imported and can get infected in shipping..Alot of stores in New York have been affected and had to close. Yuk!

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