Bedbugs, blood-sucking parasites that feed on their victims as they sleep, cause serious mental distress and can be expensive and difficult to eradicate. Bed bug infestations are increasing in cities all over they U.S., and 1 out of every 15 New Yorkers battled the loathsome bugs in 2009, according to a July 28, 2010, article titled "NYC Looks To Stop Spreading Bedbug Infestations" on the website of National Public Radio. Bed bugs are not caused by a lack of cleanliness or poor hygiene.
Pesticide Resistance
Bed bug infestations were common in the U.S. before the 1940s, but the development and widespread use of the pesticide DDT made them a rarity, explains Michael F. Potter, extension entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. DDT and other potent pesticides were banned due to public health concerns, and it is speculated that this caused the resurgence of bed bugs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, limited choices of effective pesticides and bed bugs' resistance to the pesticides used against them has resulted in increased infestations. Some bed bugs have developed resistance to almost all of the pesticides available to eradicate them, the CDC says.
Travel
Bed bugs infest some hotels and motels,and can return home with travelers by hiding in their suitcases and clothing, according to Potter. He advises concerned travelers to inspect their hotel room and to request another if evidence of bed bugs is found. The headboard and upper and lower seams of the mattresses and box spring should be examined for the bugs themselves, which are small, flat, reddish-brown and approximately the size of an apple seed, or for other signs such as molted skins or dried black dots of excrement. Suitcases should be put on a luggage stand or tabletop. If travelers experience itchy bites, clothing should be secured in plastic bags and laundered upon returning home, and suitcases should be vacuumed or discarded.
Secondhand Goods
The rise in popularity of secondhand furniture is suspected as one factor causing increasing bed bug infestations, according to an article titled "Another Reason City Never Sleeps: More Bedbugs," by Sewell Chan in the Sept. 19, 2006, issue of the New York Times. Used mattresses that are recovered and then sold also pose a risk. Buying used furniture, especially beds and couches, poses a risk of bed bug infestation. Bedding, curtains, linens and rugs from infested homes can carry the parasites or their eggs. Curbside finds should be shunned, and secondhand items that are washable should be laundered and placed in a hot dryer.
Multi-Family Homes
Bed bug infestations are harder to control in multi-family homes than in single-family homes, says the CDC. Bed bugs commonly travel between apartments through cracks in walls or with people who unknowingly transport them on clothing or objects.
References
- NYTimes.com: Everything You Need to Know About Bedbugs but Were Afraid to Ask
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National Public Radio: NYC Looks To Stop Spreading Bedbug Infestations
- University of Kentucky Department of Entomology: Bed Bugs
- NYTimes.com: Another Reason City Never Sleeps: More Bedbugs
