Bug Infestation

The worst nuisance pest of the 21^st century, bed bugs have multiplied by leaps and bounds and are quite often found in not only homes, but also hotels and hostels. There is an increased problem because bed bugs can live everywhere; people are travelling more; health authorities started targeting other pests and the public lost awareness of the danger of infestation.

Bug Infestation

Looking similar to a wood tick, these oval, flattened, brown wingless insects of about five to nine millimeters long, cast empty skins everywhere as they grow from stage to stage. Bed bug infestation should be prevented at all costs.

It is interesting to note that health authorities all over the West thought they had got rig of bed bugs, but it was not true, it is just that they took their eyes off the ball and stopped laying pesticides.

In fact, many health just switched their focus to other insect pest species like flies, cockroaches, Formosan termites, head lice, mosquitoes and the like.

It is necessary that proactive steps need to be taken as bed bugs can move in from adjacent living units like apartments, dorms, condos, hostel and hotel rooms.

Just like people hitching rides on highways, bed bugs find ways to hitch rides on humans and objects that are brought into the home.

It is said that prevention is better than cure and this applies to bed bug infestations too. Travelers, tourists and business personnel stand the highest risk of infestation and spreading bed bugs.

These people would be better off carrying on a thorough research of the available hotels with regard to the presence of bed bugs before booking in. It might pay rich dividends to inspect luggage stands and public areas first.

Be careful to protect your belongings when travelling by making sure you unpack and pack with great vigilance for the presence of bed bugs. Be suspicious of any unexplained bites and watch for red or brown signs of bed bugs' faeces on bed sheets and other places.

Remember that most property managers have the legal responsibility to hire pest control, so you are within your rights to ask about the hotel’s policy on bed bugs infestation control.

Preventing bed bugs in your home and protecting your family requires being very cautious before acquiring furniture and other items that may have been used by others. It is quite possible that these items may have been infested by bed bugs without the knowledge of the shop keeper or the previous owner.

This same principle should apply to goods brought online, through classified ads or in garage sales and flea markets. It would be best to not only check them, but also to keep them in isolation for some time until they have been properly inspected and treated.

The protection of your home from bed bug infestation starts with laundering bedding in very hot water and drying it with extreme heat. But laundering may be impractical especially for parts of the bed like mattresses, box springs and pillows.

Bed bug encasements prove ideal and practical. Although bed bug encasements do not necessarily kill bed bugs, they do protect parts of the bed assembly where bed bugs could hide and multiply.

Further protection from bed bug infestation could be achieved with climb-up interceptors - little bowls to stand the legs of the bed in that trap bed bugs. Keeping beds away from walls and preventing bedding from touching the floor will also help prevent a bed bug infestation