Tips to reduce risk of bedbug infestation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2011 (5521 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mainly active at night, bedbugs feed exclusively on blood and usually bite when their “victims” are asleep. They move into dwellings through infested furniture and bedding or they’re carried into the home in clothing or luggage.

The wingless insect — also known as a wall louse or house bug — is a nuisance but doesn’t pose any major health risks and isn’t known to carry any blood-borne diseases. However, some people may be allergic to its bite and experience swelling, itchy welts and infections.

At six mm to 10 mm long, they hide under wallpaper, in electrical outlets, mattress pads and night tables and can travel in clothing and luggage.

If you believe you’ve been in a location where bedbugs are present, Dave Funk with Manitoba Housing’s integrated pest services recommends a thorough “chicken dance” upon departure from said location.

“Stomp your feet and kind of shake yourself around a little bit,” Funk says.

“Turn the cuffs of your pants inside-out, turn your pockets inside-out. They can move onto your person, but any movement will knock them off. They have nothing to physically grab onto you with.”

As an added protection, Funk suggests removing any affected clothing while standing on a hard surface away from furniture and placing it immediately in some type of plastic storage container. From there, throwing it in the clothes dryer for 20 minutes or so should kill any remnants of the bug.

Some other valuable bedbug prevention tips are:

* When travelling, inspect hotel rooms and furniture for bedbugs or signs of bedbugs, especially at edge of headboards (usually attached to the wall) and the seams of mattresses. Use a small LED flashlight to look for blood spots, black-pepper-like droppings or bugs.

* Enclose luggage in a plastic bag or suit bag while at the hotel.

* On return, inspect luggage, preferably before you bring it into the house. Put clothing into plastic bags and immediately wash clothing alone in hot water, followed by at least 30 minutes in the dryer.

* Vacuum luggage, later placing vacuum bags into a sealed plastic bag or double plastic grocery bags. Dispose of the bags immediately. Put luggage into plastic bags with mothballs to ensure nothing is left alive.

* Be cautious when acquiring second-hand items. Never bring discarded bed frames, mattresses, box springs, upholstered furniture, dressers or even electronics into your home. Even a tiny screw hole can harbour bedbugs.

* Use mattress and box spring encasements and bed-leg protectors, such as the Climbup Insect Interceptor.

* Check furniture and bedding regularly and purchase an inexpensive steam machine (not hand-held) for use on upholstered furniture at folds and seams.

» Brandon Sun, with files

from Winnipeg Free Press