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Are you inviting bed bugs into your home?

bed bugs on sheets

I recall as a small child, my mother saying sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite. I didn’t give it too much thought other than a fleeting question about if a bed bug was real, nor did I seem bothered by the brief and somewhat vague answer.

Fast forward a couple of decades (or 3) and now we’re all too familiar with bed bugs, and you might be concerned if you’re inviting bed bugs into your home.

Let’s look at several ways bed bugs wind up in your home and what you can do to prevent a potential infestation or remove the infection with a bed bug treatment.

Traveling

Life is returning back to normal (somewhat) since Covid-19 has slowed down (as of now). Also, with the return to normalcy, spending nights at a hotel or Air BnB for work or vacation is becoming the norm again.

Unfortunately, with the uptick in traveling comes a higher risk of picking up bed bugs from your latest trip to the beach.

Thrifting 

Everyone likes a good deal, and you just couldn’t pass up that lovely, slightly used loveseat you found at the flea market for a steal of a price. Turns out at the flea market, another blood-sucking arthropod has struck.

Anytime you bring in used clothing or furniture from an unknown place, there is a risk that bed bugs could be hitching a ride.

Home Health Care

No one likes the prospect of their parents getting older and being put into an assisted living home. Many people opt to keep mom or dad comfortable at home during a brief illness or to supplement their regular care for them during the week with home health care.

However, these workers and their equipment are often in and out of a lot of homes and some of the homes they frequent are infested with bed bugs.

Summer Camps

Summer break is fast approaching and the kids will need something to do to keep them profitably occupied and from driving you crazy. Many kids go off and stay at a sports or church camp for a week or two in the summer.

The kids will probably bring back some sweet new soccer moves and some cool stories about their new friends. however, they might bring back some bed bugs as well.

So How Do I Keep Bed Bugs out of my Home?

You don’t want to live your life in fear of traveling, buying a used item, or frantically checking every person or item that comes into your home. There needs to be a balance.

The good news is that there’s never been a case of bed bugs vectoring any diseases (it’s possible that they may, but it’s never been documented). The best solution is a bit of vigilance with a healthy dose of common sense.

If you’re spending the night somewhere, take a minute to look at the cracks and crevices of the mattress, the box spring, and headboard to look for blood smears, small black deposits of feces, and live bed bugs or their cast skins (they shed their exoskeletons as they grow).

If you purchase a used piece of furniture follow a similar approach as mentioned above and look along seams, edges, cracks, and crevices for signs of bed bug activity.

If you have home health care at your home or a relative’s house, ask them about their policy for keeping bed bugs out. As long as you inquire politely and work with a reputable company, they will be glad to address any concerns you have.

When the kids get back from summer camp, launder their clothes in hot water (when possible) and put the clothes in the dryer on high heat (sustained temps of 115 Fahrenheit for more than 30 minutes will kill all life stages of bed bugs).

If it’s something other than the clothing you’re concerned about like a backpack just toss it in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes and that will do the trick.

Finally, if you have any questions or even want a preventative bed bug treatment done, reach out to the experts at Spencer Pest Services, who can address any questions you have and come up with a plan to rid you of bed bugs or keep them out! Schedule your pest services now!

 
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