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Advice & More November 2012

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

By SueAnn Carpenter

If you have inadvertently brought home an invasion of these pests from you travels, there are some defensive moves. Scoot your bed away from the wall; tuck in bed linens so they don't touch the floor; and declutter  --- bed skirts, canopies, curtains, picture frames, chairs, storage boxes and area rugs are their hot spots.

Bedbugs are making a comeback. They have shown up wherever there's a high rate of occupant turnover: hotels, retail stores, theaters, libraries, planes, ships, trains, buses, even hospitals but also in homes. Why? Because they are successful hitchhikers — moving from infestation site to furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes, even clothing. They can be found in the most elite places, because international travel has facilitated their spread.

The common, most infamous form of bedbugs in northern temperate climes is Cimex Letularius. In Florida, the tropical bedbug is called Cimex Hemipterus. Bedbugs were so named because they live within 5-10 feet of beds and feed on blood every five to ten days, but can survive several months to a year without ingesting food. They are attracted to you and your pet's warmth and blood, not dirt and grime. These fast-moving insects are nocturnal feeders. One sign of infestation might be if you awaken with painful welts resembling mosquito or spider bites. Yet some people will have no reaction at all to their bites.

However, bedbugs can be seen with the naked eye, and there are telltale signs when cleaning or changing bedding: Look for dark spots (feces) about the size of a poppy seed. Reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses are caused by bedbugs being crushed. Their eggs and egg shells are white and about 1 mm. They shed light brown skin casings as they grow. Live adult bugs are reddish brown and the size of an apple seed.

When they're not feeding, bedbugs hide in a variety of places — near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and head board, baseboards, window and door frames, pictures, or where pipes and wiring penetrate walls. Bedbug infestations have a characteristic smell of rotting raspberries.

If heavily infested, bedbugs can be found in the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains, in drawer joints, in electrical receptacles and appliances, under loose wall paper and wall hangings and behind mirrors. Since bedbugs are only about the width of a credit card, they can squeeze into really small hiding spots.

If you have inadvertently brought home an invasion of these pests from you travels, there are some defensive moves. Scoot your bed away from the wall; tuck in bed linens so they don't touch the floor; and declutter --- bed skirts, canopies, curtains, picture frames, chairs, storage boxes and area rugs are their hot spots.

If you do find evidence of these critters, take a multi-pronged approach and be pro-active with preventive measures, sanitation, chemicals, and if severe, contact a licensed pest control specialist:

  • Diatomaceous earth is an organic, nontoxic powder made from tiny fossilized water plants, available at home or gardening stores. If you sprinkle it in cracks and crevices and around floor moldings, it will dehydrate and kill bedbugs. The fine dust can be irritating, so avoid using it on the bed. Better yet, fill cracks around pipes and wiring with caulk to prevent entry.
  • Seal all infested bedding and articles into a large plastic bag and then toss them into a dryer (at least 113 F --45 C) for 1 hour in order to kill bedbugs at all life stages. Just washing will not kill them. At the same time, go back and vacuum the bed frame, baseboards, and all furniture. Be sure to remove the vacuum bag outside and place it inside a trash bag. Leave it all outside your home at the curb for pickup.
  • A good investment is to buy a protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs. This will eliminate many hiding spots, and its light color will make bedbugs easier to see. Check it regularly for holes or tearing.
  • During a hotel stay, bring a large trash bag to keep your suitcase in so bedbugs don't take up residence before your departure. Use luggage racks to hold your luggage when packing or unpacking rather than setting your luggage on the bed or floor. Bring a small flashlight to thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas and chairs. Pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains or spots. If anything is suspect, notify management and change rooms immediately. Make sure you don't move to an adjacent room or directly above or below it. Bedbugs easily hitchhike on housekeeping carts, luggage and even through wall sockets. If an infestation is spreading, it typically does so in the rooms closest to the origin.
  • Upon returning home, unpack directly into your washing machine and then vacuum your suitcases. Consider using a garment hand steamer to steam your luggage which will kill any bedbugs or eggs that may have hitched a ride. Wash all of your clothes - even those that have not been worn -- in hot water to ensure that any bedbugs that may have made it that far are not placed into your drawers/closet.
  • Never bring secondhand furniture, especially mattresses and box springs into a home without thoroughly examining for signs of a bedbug infestation.
  • Regularly inspect areas where your pets sleep for signs of bedbugs.
  • When shopping for clothes, hang your clothes on hooks, rather than across a cushioned seat in the dressing room or on the carpeted floor. These are popular havens for bedbugs. Check the room for signs of infestation. Note any unusual stains in clothing. Pay particular attention to the inside seams, looking for any signs of sticky white eggs, shed skins and the bugs themselves. And notify the store manager immediately. Keep clothing in the store bag, tied and sealed if possible for the trip home. Shake articles out outside before bringing them in and then immediately launder the clothing in hot water or steam/dry clean delicate items.

Although DDT eradicated bedbugs at one time, the EPA banned it because of feared toxicity to humans. Household pesticides like diazinon and chlorpyrifos have also been taken off the market because of toxicity. Because of bedbug resistance and negative health effects, be sure to save a sample of whatever bugs you find and seek licensed professional pest control advice and assistance. Eradication now requires a multifaceted approach over time.

Follow these preventive tips, sanitation and chemical basics, and you'll be snug as a bug in a rug.

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