It seems everywhere you turn, you hear about the bed bug epidemic and how children and adults are being bitten alive! Worse is that a single bed bug brought home from an infested hotel room can multiple and turn your home into nightmare!
I recently received the following questions and will provide answers shortly.
- I'm interested in the "history" of bedbugs. Do bedbugs have a distinct origin? Did they begin on a certain continent, then migrate across the world? Or were they always prevalent across the globe?
- How bad is the current bedbug infestation compared to other times in the last 200 or so years? Was there ever a peak time or epidemic? If so, what effects did it have, and how ere humans able to combat the rising numbers of bedbugs at that time?
- What are the dangers of living in a space that is infested with bedbugs? Are there any serious health issues? Long-term health risks? How do they effect children or pets?
- How do bedbugs usually spread from house to house?
- Are there any preventative measures one can take against the invasion of bedbugs into their home? If so, what are they?
- What tips can you give to someone who is trying to get rid of bedbugs themselves?
- When shopping for a new house or an apartment suite, what clues can people look for when trying to evaluate the risk of a bedbug infestation? Are there any clear warning signs?
- What responsibility does the landlord have in disclosing the presence of bedbugs to potential renters? What rights do renters have, in this respect?
- What is the most effective way for commercial exterminators to rid a premises of bedbugs? Has there been any new changes in the technology or methods of these exterminators?
- Most importantly, why have bedbug populations skyrocketed in the past 5 years? Is it due to the cessation of DDT use? What can North American governments do to counteract this growing problem?
- Many vacationers have been scared away from hotels. Generally, how infested are hotels? Have they become dangerous? Are there other places that are more risky that we don't even think about?
Update from Anne: We moved to a house, and it was more than I could afford. We threw out the beds and desks. We had to get boxes of food from churches, because we couldn’t afford food–no fresh fruits or vegetables all summer. My kids are still sleeping on the floor, on mattresses donated by friends. We do not have a dining room table–simply cannot afford one.
This past Christmas, a few days ago, I wasn’t able to get a single present for my kids–my bank account is overdrawn. Are the bugs gone? I can’t find any, but my back is covered in bed bug bites right now. Believe me, I know a bed bug bite when I have one. I’ve been having them for two years, as of last month, and am allergic. They leave neat, tiny, round itchy, deep holes, that itch and scab all the way through the skin.
Last week–I spent $20 at the laundromat, washing all clothes, bedding, coats. The more I wash, the more I get bitten. It’s like when you make war on them, they fight back and bite more. I’ve noticed that people have more babies at war times–it’s an unconscious, survival of the species kind of thing. Bed bugs do that too. The war I have fought is a whole other two-year long story.
My next move is to use a bag of diatomaceous earth which I bought at Ace Hardware (God bless them for carrying it) on hand.
i live in collingswood new jersey and “bed bugs” have raided my apartment complex the complex “the heights of collingswood” is 4 separate buildings up to ten stories high they say they are doing “effective preventative treatments” but the bugs are positive for separate hits in the building! as a resident, what are my rights for breaking a lease, and vacating the premises??? if this is considered a health hazard?? this is my livelihood, my personal property? the landlords have declared as stated in the lease agreement that anyone who breaks the lease will be charged 4months rent in addition to their security deposit!!! i pay over 1000$ a month!!! what can i do???
I have experienced bed bugs, I was having a issue of seeing marks on my arms but I thought maybe I was breaking out from the products that I wash my clothes with, or maybe its dust mites from work coming from the boxes that I open everyday, but then when I was sleeping at night I could feel something crawling on my legs I didn’t know what to expect cause I never dealt with anything like this.
One day 4 sure I was on my way to work and something just kept itching at me telling me that I need 2 look under my sheets and I did and I saw the bed bugs crawling they were all on my mattress, I didn’t see them anywhere else but they came from my neighbor down stairs she had them and now look what happen to me.
I have been living here for 3yrs and never experienced anything like this and my biggest concern was my children but they were just in my room, I have had so many sleepless nights its UNBELIEVABLE and I still cant get over the feeling of them being on me I still wake up at night and look on my new mattress and check to see if they are they but I guess its just a mind thing.
This is bad for me though, 1 night I was up every 30 minutes on the hour cause I couldn’t sleep thinking about them but I don’t have them anymore, and i’m still scared they might come back. They do have spray in the store for them now you can get it at RITE AID or WALGREENS its called SLEEP TIGHT-don’t let the bed bugs bite, like that’s suppose to be funny and I thought that was just a saying I didn’t think it was true.
A bed bug epidemic of my own, I recently found 5 of them in the seam of my mattress and I killed them! I sprayed a bed bug poison on my bed and drawers and all of the usual hiding places I sprayed all the baseboards ripped out the cheese cloth from the wooden base of bed spayed liberally everywhere plugs, light switches (turn power off, don’t get in electrical outlets, etc), let all that poison dry then I siliconed shut every crack in my home…
Took all clothes, sheets, pillows, comforters, put them in plastic bags and placed them on my balcony for a week, I’ve heard that heat kills the and cold kills them in a week..but I live in Montreal, it’s -17c right now..-30c with the wind so in the name of science I captured a bed bug and put it in a small pill container and put it outside..for and hour and I can now tell you that bed bugs are not resistant to -30c I’ve got me one dead bed bug..after 1 hour of Montreal weather (2pm -30c) its even colder.
I know people from India brought bed bugs to my apartment complex. I lived here for 2 1/2 years before they came, and there were no bed bugs. I know, because I flipped my mattress every time I washed the sheets. Then old mattress got a hole, so I stopped flipping. Then my neighbors from India moved in a year ago and that’s when I started to get bites, and saw black stains on my white sheets.
I found masses of bed bugs crawling on top of my box spring, when I pulled my mattress back. Then I threw my mattress out, and the landlord called pest control to spray my apt, and the peoples’ from India, because it was obvious they had brought them. The pest control guy says that 95% of his cases are people from India and Pakistan.
My bedroom wall and bathroom wall are shared with the other apartment, and that is how they get in. I found a hole under the baseboard in my bedroom where they were getting in, and caulked along the whole wall. I used expanding foam around the edges of the electrical outlets, and tried to seal up everything in the bathroom. When I asked landlord to spray again, he blamed me, saying that the people next door claimed they had no bugs. I said that they were probably lying.
Pest control was sent to search their apartment, and found bed bugs. They sprayed over there, again and I started finding adults again, where I had gotten the population down to babies just by doing nightly total bed searches and flushing what I found. After the second pest control visit, I would go to the bathroom at night and find them in there, so they are still getting in my bathroom and I can’t stop them.
I love India, their ancient culture, their food, their religion and philosophies, their people. But when they bring this hell into my life and my country, why can’t I just say so? Why can’t we say “Hey, you’ve made our lives hell! We don’t want bed bugs. Please leave your clothes, bedding, and luggage at home.” I am planning on moving and throwing away all my furniture, even though I am on food stamps and housing assistance, and we might be sleeping on the floor, unless we can afford new beds.
Hi Vilma,
No, they don’t jump like fleas do. I’m not trying to enhance your fear, but you can be bitten and not have any bite marks; some people react differently than others to bed bug bites. If you feel them crawling, then you should be able to turn on the light and see them, they don’t move that fast… Take a look at our bedbug checklist to find out where they are hiding…
Do they jump like fleas? I think i have bed bugs and I haven’t been able to sleep well cause i feel them crawling up and down all night long, i don’t have any bite marks but i know they are in my bed.