Nasty Bedbugs

There has been an incredible amount of publicity on the infestation of bedbugs. It had been thought that they were eradicated years ago. But, today, they can be found in hotels, luggage, and homes. They are evasive, parasitic critters who feed on humans.

The old saying “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” is making a comeback. In the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac, we have an article on Invasive bugs that make YOUR home theirs. One of these invasive bugs is the bedbug. Some of the other bugs we include in this story are earwigs,  Asian lady beetles, stinkbugs, and  love bugs. If any of these invasive bugs are issues in your home, be sure to read the full article in the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac written by freelancer Amy Grisak.

Back in February we also ran a story about bedbugs that included a tip on how to make a bedbug-detecting device. Check it out.

If you have a  bedbug problem, how are you handling it? When you travel do you check sheets in hotels to make sure they are “bug free”. How big of an issue is it??

Here is an excerpt from the article in the 2011 Farmers’ Almanac that starts on page 52, written by Amy Grisak:

“Bedbugs: Many of us know the saying, “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” But most people born after the mid-1950s have never seen a bedbug. Bedbugs were eradicated in the United States after WWII, due to the liberal use of DDT and improved hygiene. Now they’re back and are making themselves at home.

Bedbugs originally arrived in America with the colonists. Currently, with people traveling more extensively throughout the world, bedbugs easily hitch rides in luggage and furniture. Infestations are often found in apartments, hotels, and dwellings where there are a lot of people, their food. As their name implies, these tiny insects, which measure a mere quarter inch long, prefer to nestle in the crevices of bedding, curtains, and soft places from which they can come out and feed on whoever is sleeping nearby. They can be hard to spot since they hide, but look for dark brown fecal spots near their hiding places, blood spots on bedding, as well as a “buggy” smell.

Residents living in infested homes may find red bumps on their skin, where the bedbugs fed. If you have bedbugs, thoroughly scrub and vacuum the entire home. Seal any gaps where they might gather, and give the bed and other furniture more space from walls and solid surfaces to minimize hiding spaces. There are special prefitted mattress encasings to use that trap any bedbugs still in the mattress and prevents them from finding food. Don’t toss infested furniture, because you might spread the problem to your neighbors.

Insecticides, such as pyrethroids, can be used to kill any bedbugs still hiding. Be certain to follow the labels explicitly, and do not dust or spray mattresses or furniture where people sleep. Because not all insecticides work on bedbugs, make sure the label specifies it will work on them. There are also dusts to use in the nooks, crannies and crevices that bedbugs hide in. But the most effective action to take is to have a pest control company do it, especially if the infestation is bad.”