What to do if bed bugs come to visit during the holidays?

Hollywood doesn’t need a blockbuster horror show to scare the Christmas crowds; Bedbugs already have America in a panic! Nationwide hysteria about Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, has created an atmosphere of paranoia that is affecting the generally festive mood of the upcoming holidays. The fear that holiday guests could bring these pests into their home has put a strain on the hospitality of many usually affable hosts, putting more pressure on family gatherings. The fear of picking up these tiny, blood-sucking parasites from an infected hotel room and bringing them home has caused many people to cancel their vacation travel plans and forgo early visits with family members.

In the October 18, 2010 issue of Time magazine, humor columnist Joel Stein mocked the bedbug paranoia sweeping the country. Stein said that his wife Cassandra “has been trying to find a way to trick my father and his wife … into being washed with boiling water before entering our house.”

Laughing at our fears may prevent hysteria from overwhelming us, but an invasion of these hard-to-erradicate pests is no laughing matter. Slightly smaller than an apple seed, adults are reddish-brown, wingless, flat-bodied insects that crawl into your bed at night to feed on your blood while you sleep. While they are not known to transmit disease, their bites can cause severe allergic reactions and skin infections. Furthermore, these tiny insects cause a psychological horror that can leave victims feeling jittery, anxious, and on edge for months.

“They’re creepy. They’re invading your sanctuary, your bed, and suddenly you can’t sleep because they’re coming out of your walls, out of your box springs, to feed on you at night,” entomologist Jeffrey said. White, star of the Internet series Bed Bug TV, in the Oct. 4, 2010 issue of Time. “I’ve seen people break down emotionally because of an infestation.”

Pests in equal opportunities, are attracted solely by human blood, not by garbage or poor housekeeping. You’re just as likely to find them in an expensive luxury hotel as you are in a cheap interstate motel. New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria, a hotel for the world’s wealthy elite, has been sued three times in recent months by guests who claim they were bitten by bedbugs. It is becoming almost impossible to avoid these pests. A growing problem in hotels, apartment buildings, and college dormitories in recent years, these difficult-to-erradicate pests have begun showing up in office buildings, retail stores, movie theaters, schools, hospitals, subways, trains, airline baggage compartments, and single-seaters. family homes. To catch them, you just need to sit in a taxi or stay in a hotel room recently vacated by an infected person.

The fact that they enter the houses with the clothes, luggage or possessions of their victims, or their guests, only inflames the paranoia of bed bugs. Skillful hitchhikers, they hide in the seams, folds and corners of clothing, suitcases, purses, briefcases and backpacks. The considerable stigma attached to an infestation can make it difficult to broach the subject with holiday guests. Miss Manners etiquette expert Judith Martin warns against embarrassing guests; however, a few pre-visit and post-visit precautions can lessen the potential risk without offending guests.

Some licensed pest control companies now offer monitoring services. Discreet monitoring devices are placed where these pests are likely to travel and are then inspected. Arranging services before and just after the holidays can catch bed bugs before an infestation grows and spreads through your home.

The following additional steps can help minimize the risk of infestation when vacation guests visit:

• Install entomologist-approved bite-proof covers on mattresses and box springs.

• Place beds away from the wall.

• Tuck sheets and blankets so they do not touch the floor.

• Use light colored bedding to facilitate detection of evidence.

• Place low-tech monitoring devices under the bed and furniture legs.

• Provide a luggage rack or game table for guests’ bags.

• If guests unpack their bags, store bags away from bedrooms.

• Provide an over-the-door coat rack for guest use.

• Remove clutter where these pests can hide.

After guests leave, vacuum your home carefully (double-wrap vacuum bag in plastic and immediately dispose of in outdoor trash) and follow these laundry procedures when washing guests’ bedding:

• Put sheets in plastic bags to take to the laundry room to prevent the spread of bed bugs or their eggs throughout the house.

• Place items directly in the washer and dispose of plastic bags in outside trash.

• Wash sheets in the hottest water possible and dry them on the hottest dryer setting; 120 degrees for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Over the next few weeks, watch for telltale signs:

• Live insects or exoskeletons along the seams of mattresses, along the edges of carpets, and under sofa cushions.

• Rust-colored blood stains or black fecal dots on sheets, mattresses, undersides of box springs, behind headboards, along baseboards, and around heating ducts.

• Mosquito bites, particularly after sleeping.

If, despite your best precautions, your home becomes infested, it is important that you call a licensed pest control company immediately. Early detection and quick action are critical to successful bed bug extermination. Bed bugs multiply rapidly. A single female lays 500 eggs during her lifespan of six to 12 months. The larvae hatch in four to 12 days, becoming reproductive adults in just one month. A single pregnant insect can quickly multiply into a large infestation of thousands. However, because bed bugs tend to stay within eight feet of their food source, scheduling pest control treatment early, while bed bugs are still contained in the bedroom, can prevent an infestation from growing and spread to other parts of your home.

These pests are becoming a reality in the US While you shouldn’t allow yourself to be forced into hiding, it is wise to be proactive and take precautions, especially during the holiday travel season. Bed bug monitoring, preventative treatments, and regular inspections by a licensed pest control professional can give homeowners peace of mind, making sure they don’t bite so you can get a good night’s sleep.