Is It just me or does the word Bed Bug scare everybody. Bed bugs are great hitchhikers. They can move from an infested site to a new home by traveling on furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes, and clothing, So why wouldn’t we be scared of them.
Although they typically feed on blood every five to ten days, bed bugs can be quite resilient; they are capable of surviving several months to a year without feeding. But, have no fear here are some precautions we can take to avoid getting them.
Simple Precautions That Help prevent Bed Bug Infestation In Your Home
Check secondhand furniture, beds, and couches for any signs of bed bug infestation before bringing them home. Use a protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs to eliminate many hiding spots. The light color of the encasement makes bed bugs easier to see. Be sure to purchase a high quality encasement that will resist tearing and check the encasement regularly for holes.
Reduce clutter in your home to reduce hiding places for bed bugs. Vacuum frequently to remove any successful hitchhikers. Be vigilant when using shared laundry facilities.
Transport items to be washed in plastic bags (if you have an active infestation, use a new bag for the journey home). Remove from dryer directly into bag and fold at home. (A dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs.) If you live in a multi-family home, try to isolate your unit by:
+ Installing door sweeps on the bottom of doors to discourage movement into hallways.
+ Sealing cracks and crevices around baseboards, light sockets, etc., to discourage movement through wall voids.
+ Consider purchasing a portable heating chamber to treat any items that you believe may have bed bugs.
Protecting Yourself from Bed Bugs in Public Places
It is very unlikely, though not impossible, that a bed bug infestation will develop in an office, classroom, or other non-residential environment, such as a department store.
However, these sites can serve as transfer hubs for bed bugs to hitchhike a ride into your home. Management, staff, students and workers all have roles to play in reducing the spread of bed bugs.
Steps You Can Take
Reduce clutter. Clutter serves as an ideal habitat for bed bugs whether at home, school or office. By reducing clutter in your workplace or school, you provide fewer places for the bed bugs to hide and fewer opportunities for them to hitchhike to your home.
Keep your belongings stowed separately from those of other people. If there is a known problem with bed bugs in the office or school, consider storing your belongings in a plastic bin.
Be vigilant in areas where bed bugs are most likely to be found, which include break rooms, storage areas (coat closets or cubbies), offices or lounges with upholstered furniture, or areas where people may rest.
Establish a monitoring program so that if a bed bug is found in an area the status of that area will be formally tracked. Multiple sightings in the same area could indicate an infestation or multiple reintroductions from someone’s home.
Educate the staff so that they know what to do if a bug is found that appears to be a bed bug. Discourage panic and the stigma associated with bed bugs. These are counterproductive and can make treatment more difficult. Vacuum daily to pick up any stray bugs before they settle in.
If A Bed Bug Is Found
Inform management and facility staff who have the lead in any control efforts. Only treat if a true infestation is found with breeding bed bugs. Remember, a single bed bug is not an infestation.
Be sure if you need to go professional, that you hire a pest professional that uses integrated pest management techniques. You can minimize exposure of workers or students by applying pesticides on a Friday evening, or other time that building occupants are not present. Alert everyone who works in the building.
Let staff know how the sighting will be handled. This allows them to take additional precautions to protect their homes as well as limiting rumors and speculation.
Those are some precautions that we can take to prevent bed bugs in our home and on our person. Whenever I got home from working a full day with all type of bugs, the last thing I wanted was to bring them home with me. When I would get home I would not take the work cloth into the house and left them out for a few days before being washed and dried with high heat.
We just have to be extra careful with how we do these things and know that we can be infested with them very easily. Please take the suggestion seriously and be cautious.
Thanks for Reading,
