Once again, protecting your home from termites and ants is a billion dollar proposition nationwide, and one Dr. Chris Christensen, Lexington Branch Manager, and I will be discussing on Wednesday, May 13 at 12:40 p.m. Eastern on WLEX-NBC 18 in Lexington, Kentucky. WLEX’s website address is www.lex18.com.

Our “Bug-Off” Competition for May continues through Thursday, May 14 on our Facebook page and also accessible through Twitter.

This week I wanted to briefly discuss bedbugs.

Bedbugs have been prevalent in the news throughout the country after investigative reports found some hotels crawling with them. And that is how bedbug infestations usually happen: People bring these unwanted guests home with them. Add in the fact that bedbugs can live up to 18 months without feeding, and that a female bedbug can lay over 500 eggs in a lifetime, and it’s not hard to understand how an infestation can occur.

Cleanliness has nothing to do with an infestation: Bedbugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, which every human puts out. They feed on blood, not dirt. So no matter how well-scrubbed a dwelling is, an infestation could happen. Heavily used hiding places are evident by black or brown spots of dried blood excrement on the surfaces where the bugs rest. Eggs, egg shells, and cast skins may be found near these places. Usually there is an offensive odor where bedbugs are numerous.

The following bedbug prevention tips will help you reduce your risk of bedbugs:

• Thoroughly check your belongings after a hotel stay.
• Wash all bedding regularly in hot water. The water should be at least 120 degrees.
• Vacuum floors regularly. Use the brush tool of your vacuum to vacuum your mattress. Use the crevice tool to vacuum crevices in the mattress and your baseboards.
• Use a plastic cover over your mattress. Bedbugs can’t hide on the plastic cover.
• If you purchase used furniture, examine it for bed bugs. Pay special attention to used mattresses and bed frames.
• Check your own bed for bedbugs from time to time. Catching them early will make bedbug treatment easier if bedbugs do occur.

You can also consult a pest control professional as they will be able to provide treatment for the problem and help assist you in finding where these creatures may be hiding.

In the meantime, be safe, stay dry, and hope you all have a buzzing day! The Mousecar is riding around with his windows down, looking for more friends on Facebook (Truly Nolen Mousecar) and tweeps on Twitter (@TrulyNolen) – interested?

Barry The Bug Guy

Tags: bed bugs

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 10:20 am and is filed under Pests, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.