Sleep tight, dont let the bedbugs bite, is a jingle most of us associate with another century, but lately, these pesky pests have been crawling their way straight into modern times. Bursting on the scene in New York and across America, these tiny vermin are making their rounds, leaving their mark everywhere, from a Times Square movie theater, to the offices at Elle Magazine.
With the bedbug invasion in full-throttle, what do you need to know to protect yourself and your home from these uninvited guests?
Learn the facts. Bedbugs dont discriminate based on hygiene or your socioeconomic situation, It doesnt matter if youre rich or if youre poor or if youre middle class, you have bedbugs, explains Gale Brewer, member of the New York City Council. While a clean house can go a long way, dont assume fresh linens are your get-out-of-jail free card.
Where do bedbugs come from?
Bedbugs can hitchhike from person to person, and are often picked up when traveling outside the home. Because they can survive for months without feeding, they often hide in common household areas, waiting until nighttime to snack on their host which happens, unfortunately, to be you!
If you suspect bedbugs have made you the latest addition to their menu, watch your surroundings. Resembling a lentil or apple seed, bedbugs tend to hang out inside small, dark crevices, such as your couch, luggage, clothing, and pillows. But the most common culprits for bedbugs are - you guessed it - bed frames and mattresses.
So the next time you see a beautiful piece of furniture laying roadside and decide it matches your bedroom set perfectly, take an extra look, because that one piece of furniture could bring quite a few new additions into your home.
While bedbugs seem to be spreading through New York City like wild fire, there is one thing spreading faster, paranoia. If you suspect a bedbug infestation, dont jump to conclusions. Bedbug bites can resemble that of other bugs, and are difficult to identify based on their appearance alone. The bites can cause distress, a few people have allergic reactions, and scratching can lead to secondary infection, but bedbugs are not known to transmit infectious diseases to humans," explains entomologist Richard J. Pollack, PhD, research associate with the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
If all signs point toward bedbugs, dont try to deal with the infestation yourself says Pollack, Few people know what they're applying, how to mix it, how to apply it, and what the risks are if they misuse it. I actively dissuade folks from doing things on the cheap. Hire a licensed professional."
Terminix, the extermination company, has just listed the top bedbug infested cities, based on call volume about the problem. No surprise, New York is number one while was the most bedbug-infested state is Ohio.
They are:
New York
Philadelphia
Detroit
Cincinnati
Chicago
Denver
Columbus, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Washington, D.C.
Los Angeles
Boston
Indianapolis
Louisville, Ky.
Cleveland
Minneapolis, Minn.
Brittany Fenning, a Washington DC based journalist, writes frequently about health issues. ?
