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Bed Bugs: What’s The Big Deal?

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 at 11:18 pm

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It is a indisputable fact that bed bugs are back!

Bed Bug Infestation

There has been a 500% increase in reported cases of bed bug infestations in America in the last five years. They are infesting houses, apartments and businesses. No one is immune, be they at home, on vacation, out for an evening or traveling for business. Bed bugs have been found in hotels, in motels, on ships, on trains, on airplanes, in nursing homes, in movie theaters and even in hospitals. They are a major nuisance and extremely hard to get rid of once they have taken up residence.

Bed bugs do not just appear in these places out of thin air.

They have to be brought there and when it comes to bed bugs, they are world class freeloaders. Bed bugs will hitch a ride on just about anything. They may climb onto a coat left in a night club coat check from another coat that was in an infested home. They might climb onto your suit jacket as you sit in a plush chair in a fancy restaurant. Bed bugs may crawl into a woman’s handbag left open on the seat next to her in a dark movie theater. They may even hitch a ride on your sweater when you visit your grand mother in the nursing home. Bed bugs are found everywhere and they thrive on spreading from place to place on the belongings of the unaware.

Bed bugs are also quite adept at stowing away in many other items

They can often be found in cardboard boxes and paper bags brought home from supermarkets and stores. Bed bugs are expert at hiding in the luggage of travelers when people stay in an infested hotel. They have been found on the passenger seats in airplanes where they found their way into a new home by getting into the carry on baggage of an unaware business traveler. Subway riders have taken home uninvited quests when bed bugs have climbed into their briefcases on an early evening ride home from work. Bed bugs are becoming the bane of the cruise ship industry as several large ocean liners have been infested with the annoying vermin. These tiny world travelers were all too happy to make their way to the homes and offices of unwitting vacationers who took away more their fond memories of their ocean voyage.

Obviously, it will take a greater effort than any one of us is capable of to solve the current bed bug resurgence. However, everyone needs to be aware of the problem and take precautions to prevent bed bugs from hitching a ride to their home or business. It is important that people take the time to learn how they can protect themselves against the unwelcome return of bed bugs. Yes, bed bugs are a major nuisance and getting rid of them can be quite expensive but you are not defenseless. Prevention is the key and the internet is full of useful information on how you can protect yourself against bed bugs. Study carefully and keep your life bed bug free.

How To Tell If You Have Bed bugs

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 11:40 am

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Bed bugs are back and they are becoming a major problem in homes, apartments and places of business.

They have become so common place that recently a large movie theater in New York City had to shut down for a week to have the entire theater fumigated due to a massive infestation of bed bugs. Besides the obvious discomfort for the unlucky movie goers, chances are that some of them took home bed bugs in their clothing and they have now infested their homes with bed bugs.

Before you totally panic over bed bugs, be aware that they are primarily a nuisance and they do not pose any major health threats.

Despite the fact that they have been found to carry more than 28 human pathogens, bed bugs have not yet been linked to any known diseases. They do cause itching, rashes and blisters. They also have a powerful psychological effect on people and the fear of bed bugs can be quite disruptive to many of us. Just the thought of having these tiny, creepy crawlers in our bedding can get the most well adjusted person itching like mad in no time.

The first step to dealing with the possibility of a bed bug infestation is to know the symptoms of the presence of bed bugs

These tiny parasites are not as hard to detect as one might think. With a bit of useful information, one can make a fairly accurate initial diagnosis. It is important to remember that just because you have an itch or a bug bite, this does not necessarily indicate the symptoms of a bed bug infestation. If you have an itch or a bite, make note of the time and where you are. If you are at work or on the beach and have a sudden itch, chances are its not bed bugs. If you wake up every morning in bed, itching and showing the signs of bug bites, then there may be a good chance that you have bed bugs.

If you decide that the symptoms may indicate that bed bugs are present in your home, the next step is to do an inspection of your bedding and surrounding area. Here is a short list of the various steps you can take to inspect for signs of bed bugs:

1. Inspect under your bottom sheet and along the seams of the mattress for traces of blood, bed bugs, bed bug droppings or molt shells.

2. Move the mattress out of the way and inspect the box spring for any similar symptoms.

3. If you have a bed skirt on your box spring, be sure to inspect it. Don’t forget to look under the bed skirt for blood, bed bugs, bed bug droppings or molt shells.

4. If you have a headboard, especially one covered with fabric, inspect it for the same signs.

5. Inspect any nightstands directly adjacent to your bed for blood, bed bugs, bed bug droppings or molt shells. Don’t forget to look inside any drawers.

6. Inspect any artwork hanging directly above or next to your bed as well.

7. Inspect any draperies or upholstered furniture near your bed for the signs listed above.

It is important to remember a few tips while conducting your inspection. First of all, blood dries brown not red. You will be looking for small, dark brown spots of blood. Another important point to remember is that although bed bugs are tiny, they are not invisible. An adult bed bug that is fully fed on blood will be the size of an apple seed.

The best procedure is to conduct your inspection with a flashlight and to take your time. A flashlight is particularly useful since bed bugs shun the light. They prefer to hide in drawers, under the mattress, in seams, in cracks and in dark corners. If you want to, you can even take pictures of any findings to compare later with information you can locate in books or on the internet.

These are the basic steps to help you detect a bed bug infestation. It is probably a very good idea to make this inspection today, even if you have no symptoms of bed bugs or suspicions that they might be in your home. It only takes a few minutes and being pro-active is much better than waiting until its to late. If you don’t detect any signs of bed bugs, you can sleep easy. If unfortunately, you see the signs of their presence, you can call your local exterminator for a consultation and a professional diagnosis. An ounce of prevention goes a long way towards giving you peace of mind.

Tips On Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs

Monday, October 10th, 2011 at 4:55 pm

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Getting rid of bed bugs can prove to be more than a challenge!

getting rid of bed bugs One thing that should be done is to maintain the usual appearance of things. This includes changing rooms in the home, changing items of furniture, and changing dwellings used for sleeping. The reason for this is it is very likely the insects will follow the sleeper to the new location.

Follow the normal sleep routine, and start collecting proof that they are actually present. The effort to do this must be deliberate, because they are so tiny. Their size makes them difficult to see with the naked eye. Evidence of their presence is needed to show to landlords, if there is one, and exterminators. Tape the evidence to a surface where they can be easily seen.

Check the body of everyone who sleeps in the house for evidence of the bugs bites. For those whose skin show evidence, the bites will be small and red in appearance. Keep everything in its usual appearance. All furniture can be completely cleaned and restored.

Wash any clothes and linens that are washable and put them in a hot dryer for a few hours, where fabric care will allow this. Do not remove items for several hours even though they may be dried. Once they are finished, store the items in plastic bags.

Bed bug bombs are not effective for getting rid of bed bugs

Buying various chemicals prior to actually doing in depth research to discover which are actually effective is not an effective method. Improperly using chemicals can actually make the problem worse. Caution should be taken to be certain that any exterminators hired specialize in eradicating these insects. They hide in the walls, electrical sockets, and any other opening or crevice available.

Getting rid of bed bugs can require several repetitions of treatments. These are extremely resilient insects. Check all furniture crevices and other cracks and crevices in the home. They do hide all over the house, not just in the bedroom or other sleeping areas. One website note suggested that spraying these insects with rubbing alcohol will kill them. The main remedy is to do a thorough inspection for an infestation and be prepared to do several treatments to eliminate their presence..

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