Douglas County Health Department: "Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite"

It’s getting harder and harder to follow that bit of childhood advice: “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”  Bed bug infestations have been increasing for the past decade, and now they’re everywhere. From Times Square to Douglas County, people are scrambling to get rid of them.

“It can take a lot of work to get rid of a bed bug infestation,” Health Director Dr. Adi Pour said. “The best thing to do is keep them out of your home in the first place.”

Here are a few suggestions for dealing with bed bugs.

1. Start by thoroughly cleaning any infested rooms, including the furniture.
2. You need to make sure all stages of bed bugs are killed; so get the eggs, too.
3. Launder bedding and dry it thoroughly in a hot dryer. Dry-clean wool blankets.
4. Vacuum infested areas – especially mattresses, box springs, furniture and anywhere on the furniture bed bugs or their eggs might hide.
5. Get the vacuum cleaner bag out of the house as quickly as possible.
6. Reduce clutter in your home to eliminate bed bug hiding places.

Adult bed bugs are about a quarter-inch long and may be light brown or yellowish in their early stages of development. They turn reddish brown as they mature, and are darker after feeding on human blood, their favorite treat. Bed bugs also can go into hiding, and may live for six to 12 months without feeding. A bed bug bite leaves a small red mark, but they can become inflamed, and while the little pests may not carry disease, they sure can make life unpleasant. Warm bodies attract bed bugs.

Remember, bed bugs can’t fly, so someone has to move them from place to place. It could be they arrive in your home on a friend or in some luggage. Used furniture can be a source of infestation. When you travel, immediately check your hotel room for brown spots (liquid feces) on linens, mattresses and carpets. Avoid headboards and places where wood framing may provide small cracks where bed bugs can live.

“You may need to throw out an infested mattress, or you can enclose it in a zippered cover to contain the bed bugs,” Dr. Pour said. “Sometimes pesticides are needed, and if that’s the case, the best thing to do is hire a professional.”

For more information on managing bed bugs, please click on this link:

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/263bedbg.pdf

Pest control guidance informational flier

Contact:  Phil Rooney, 444-6427, 669-1602.