Precautions of Bed Bugs

As international travel and bedbug resistance to pesticides increase, the unwanted visitors are finding their way into homes, hotels and apartments across North America. With female bedbugs known to produce more than 200 eggs during their lifetime, and the insects being able to survive a year without food, eradicating bedbugs is no easy task, the MayoClinic.com and United States Environmental Protection Agency note. But knowing what signs to look for and how to prevent an infestation can help you sleep better at night.

The Facts

• Bedbugs are flat, reddish-brown, oval-shaped insects about 4 to 7mm long. During the day, the insects hide in mattresses, box springs, headboards, behind baseboards and electrical plates, and in cracks and crevices. At night, bedbugs emerge to feed on human blood, often leaving behind itchy or painful bites. The insects are not a sign of a dirty environment and do not carry disease.

At Home

• Bedbugs are very good hitchhikers that can enter your home through infested furniture, clothing or baggage. To avoid a bedbug infestation, eliminate areas where bedbugs can hide. Reduce clutter in your home and seal cracks and crevices in wood or between baseboards and in floors and walls. Don't purchase a used mattress, and choose a protective cover that shields both the mattress and box spring. Avoid renting or purchasing used furniture and bringing it into your home without first looking for signs of bedbugs. Vacuum your home thoroughly, including under beds, around bed legs, bed frames and in any and all cracks and crevices.

At Work

• Depending on your work environment, you may need to take special precautions to avoid transporting bedbugs to your home. If you routinely come into contact with someone's living space that you suspect might have bedbugs, such as if you work in a homeless shelter, a hotel or in health care, this is especially important. Place your belongings in a sealed, white plastic bag and avoid sitting in furniture or laying your bag on furniture. Leave your uniform at work or carry your work clothes home in a sealed plastic bag. Inspect your shoes, clothing and belongings when you get home and put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes to kill any bedbugs.

While Traveling

• After checking into a hotel and getting into your room, pay close attention to the room's odor. A sweet, musty smell is a sign of bedbugs. The insects release a chemical that produces the smell when communicating with one another. Place your luggage on the luggage rack instead of the floor and keep your clothes in your luggage. Check beneath the mattress, around its buttons, the box spring and along the seams of the mattress. Lift up all blankets and sheets and pay close attention to the head of the bed. Look for black spots, fecal stains, or rusty or reddish stains on the sheets, which are a sign of dead bedbugs. When you return home, unpack your luggage and immediately wash all your clothes. Inspect and vacuum your luggage before storing it away; get into all seams.