Don’t let the bed bugs bite

“Good night.  Sleep tight.  Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”  This is a little rhyme we all have heard time and time again.  Mothers say it to their children when putting them to bed.  As much as it is a cute little rhyme that we grew up hearing, these days, just hearing the term “bed bug” brings a feeling of dread.  In case you haven’t heard, there is a bed bug epidemic.

Bed bugs are resourceful little critters.  They hitch rides on anything they can attach themselves to.  They hide out in sheets, in suitcases, clothes and backpacks.  When you go from one place to another, the bed bug travels with you and hops off at your destination to multiply and repeat the process all over again.  Hotels are having a terrible time keeping the bed bug infestations at bay.  And it doesn’t have to be a seedy hotel; some of the top hotels are experiencing this problem.

How do you know if you have been exposed to a bed bug?  Okay, this is going to sound gross, but look for bed bug waste.  They create a lot of waste.  They leave behind blood, feces, dead skin and dead bed bugs.  When checking your sheets, notice the bottom of the sheets and mattresses, this is the most likely place to find this waste.  Next, you will notice little bites and not know how they got there.  The bed bugs come out at night for short periods of time to do their dirty work.  You can also take carpet tape and place it around the legs of your bed for a few days.  If there are any bed bugs, they will get stuck on the tape.

Now you know you have them, what can you do to get rid of them?  Getting rid of bed bugs is not an easy task.  The first thing is to declutter the infested area.  Launder all clothes and bedding in hot water.  Dry these items in a hot dryer as well.  For stuffed animals or other things you can’t launder, place the items in a plastic bag with the pesticide Nuvan.  You can even put electronic devices in with this pesticide as there is no residue left over.  Leave these items in the bags for a few days.  Now vacuum, vacuum, vacuum everything else.  When you are through, throw that vacuum bag away.

Follow these tips and you should find yourself bed bug free.