Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

It seems everyone’s talking about bedbugs these days. The creepy critters are found everywhere, even airplanes. In a story reminiscent of the horror movie, “Snakes on a Plane,” Reuters reports that on a recent flight from Los Angeles to Banglalore, Zane Selkir, 28, was bitten dozens of times—and later posted photos of the bites on a website after receiving what she deemed poor customer service from British Airways.  

Which bites are dangerous? Learn here.

Last year, a global study conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and the University of Kentucky found that 95 percent of pest-control professionals had treated a bedbug infestation in the past year—and of the nearly 1,000 respondents, 76 percent agreed that bedbugs were the most difficult pests to treat. That report called today’s infestations, up nearly 75 percent from a decade ago, a “bedbug pandemic.”

NPMA members are not only treating bedbugs in homes and hotels, but restaurants, hospitals, subways, buses, taxis, movie theaters, libraries, and offices. Some 35 percent of pest managers had treated college dorms. Even elementary schools reported bedbug problems—another pest issue for schools on top of their perpetual head lice predicament with its latest twist: the American Academy of Pediatrics’s controversial recommendation that kids with head lice or nits be allowed to remain in school instead of staying home.

Check out the latest school rules on lice.

Flat, oval and light tan to rusty brown, bedbugs are about the size and shape of a tomato seed. They hide in crevices of beds, bedding, photo frames, behind baseboards and under carpets. According to the NPMA, 93 percent of bedbugs’ “harborage” is either on the bed itself (70 percent) or within five feet of it. Even if the actual bugs aren’t found by inspecting mattress seams or cracks in the furniture, they leave telltale clues: blood-speckled sheets, or brown or black spots on bedclothes—bedbug droppings. They often leave their molted skins behind.

Bedbugs can’t fly, but they’re good climbers: they will scale a wall in order to drop from the ceiling onto their sleeping prey. Their bites are itchy welts, often in lines on the skin (from one bug biting repeatedly). The bites can cause an allergic reaction, but aren’t dangerous to health. Some people don’t react to the bites, however, and may only notice blood on the sheets.

The cause of the bedbug epidemic is a mystery, but experts suspect that it stems from increased worldwide travel, as people unknowingly transport the pests in suitcases, handbags and clothing after leaving an infested room. The NPMA and other groups offer tips to protect yourself: 

• Consider getting hard-sided luggage and luggage liners, to reduce nooks or crannies for bedbugs to hide. Never place your suitcase on the bed in a hotel room. Leave it near the door and inspect mattress seams, corners, the bed frame and nearby furniture, baseboards and artwork.
• Upon returning home, inspect and vacuum suitcases before you bring them into the house. Wash all clothes in hot water, or take them directly to a dry cleaner, whether you wore them or not.
• Before you book a hotel room or a cruise, check the Bed Bug Registry. If you browse the list of recent reports from travelers, you’re likely to find a few unpleasant surprises.
• If you suspect that you’ve been around bedbugs, wash and dry clothing on hot settings or place it in a sealed plastic bag until you can launder or dry clean the garments.
• Sealing cracks and crevices in your home, particularly in baseboards, with caulk helps prevent bedbugs and other pests from getting in.

Here's a detailed outline of germ spots in your home.

Bedbugs can live up to 300 days and can lay several hundred eggs. To detect them, some pest management companies now use specially trained dogs to sniff out the pests. Getting rid of bedbugs is no do-it-yourself project. Experts recommend calling a professional exterminator as soon as an infestation is suspected. Expect at least two treatments, plus a follow-up visit. New York City has a helpful publication with safe ways to prevent and eliminate bedbugs, so you can sleep tight, without any nasty bites.

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