Just this past week there was a National Bed Bug Summit held just outside of Washington, D.C. The EPA is looking into educating the public about the outbreak of a bed bug infestation not seen since W.W.II. Press coverage of this nasty pest escalated within the past few days. More will be reported by the end of April. There have been some discussions of perhaps having the EPA bring back some of the chemicals that have been banned for years. Those chemicals seemed to be able to annihilate bedbugs.
Bedbugs are hitchhikers, coming into your home from clothing, bedding, luggage or furniture. An infestation does not mean you have a filthy home. The fact is bedbugs like to hide and are seldom seen unless you know what you are looking for. Bedbugs are about 1/4 inch long, small, brown, oval, and flat. They feed on human and animal blood. Secretive, they will hide in mattresses, on frames, box springs, in electrical outlets, alarm clocks, phones, clothing, behind pictures, behind curtains and drapes, and other furniture. Check the linens on bed for telltale reddish or dark brown spots. You will also need to check your body as there will be some bite marks mostly on your waist, but also your arms and legs. Bedbugs do not fly, but they can quickly scurry around. They prefer to stay close to the host- YOU!
Prevention measures to take include inspecting of all furniture before it enters your home, especially anything bought second hand. Reduce clutter to minimize hiding spaces. Wash all clothing in hot soapy water immediately after traveling. Suitcases must be vacuumed and scrubbed after traveling. You can leave your suitcase in a closed up car on a hot summer day or wrap it in plastic in the freezer to kill any bedbugs. Shoes and other items that cannot be washed can also be treated this way.
Bedbugs can be treated, but you cannot take this lightly. A treatment must be very thorough. You should have a trained exterminator do the treatment. Call a reliable pest control company to do a free inspection if you do suspect bedbugs.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Topics about Last-words | Bedbug Summit - More information on these pests // Apr 18, 2009 at 7:39 pm
[...] great info tips placed an interesting blog post on Bedbug Summit – More information on these pestsHere’s a brief overviewJust this past week there was a National Bed Bug Summit held just outside of Washington, D.C. The EPA is looking into educating the public about the outbreak of a bed bug infestation not seen since W.W.II. Press coverage of this nasty pest escalated within the past few days. More will be reported by the end of April. There have been some discussions of perhaps having the EPA bring back some of the chemicals that have been banned for years. Those chemicals seemed to be able to annihilate bedbugs. [...]
2 Bed Bug Pictures // Apr 21, 2009 at 9:14 am
[...] Bedbug Summit – More information on these pests Just this past week there was a National Bed Bug Summit held just outside of Washington, DC The EPA is looking into educating the public about the outbreak. [...]
3 Posts about Pest Control as of April 19, 2009 | Delray Pest Control // Apr 22, 2009 at 6:30 am
[...] that can take care of this problem for you. Atlanta pest control has years of experience Bedbug Summit – More information on these pests – greatinfotips.com 04/18/2009 Just this past week there was a National Bed Bug Summit held just [...]
4 Rosie // Apr 22, 2009 at 6:37 pm
At the Bed Bug Summit the following was discussed: targeting research to also include asthma to encourage bed bugs being included as a public health pest. The EPA should take more responsibility and a leadership role. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to address the problem of bed bugs. The summit leaders also discussed bringing back old products that were more potent to bed bugs. The EPA had long ago decided these pesticides were dangerous and took them off the list of pesticides exterminators are allowed to use. Bed bugs should be moved to the top of the list and be called a pandemic. Using the word epidemic at this time would not be correct. Bed bugs are still a pest that needs more attention focused on control. Information needs to reach the public more often by using the media to educate people about the bed bug problems facing us. There should be emphasis on pictures of early developmental stages of bed bugs along with photos of adult bed bugs. Educating the public regarding what to do if they think they have a bed bug infestation is first and foremost.
5 Bed Bugs // Oct 15, 2009 at 10:59 am
very worrying indeed, i’ll be sure to keep a look out for these creatures
6 bed bug pest control // Nov 15, 2010 at 8:17 am
bed bugs are expanding so fast and just aren’t seeming to stop! and they are extremely difficult to get rid of!
7 Pest Control London // Feb 21, 2011 at 3:33 pm
It is true the amount of cases around the world are growing, they are the hardest pest to eradicate in the pest control industry.
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