Bed bugs are among the enemies of stuffed animals. The West Coast of the US may have a problem with an increase amount of bed bugs. Here’s what to do.
Orkin’s top 10 list nets a few cities from the West Coast which have a problem with bed bugs. Two of them are Los Angeles and the San Francisco – San Jose area.
“We have more people affected by bed bugs in the United States now than ever before,” Orkin Entomologist and Director of Technical Services Ron Harrison said in a written release. “They were virtually unheard of in the U.S. 10 years ago.”
Bed bugs are everywhere
People can carry them in their clothes, luggage and purses. They have been found in movie theaters, trains and office buildings.
“Anyone can get bed bugs in their home. They are not a sign of uncleanliness. Bed bugs only need blood to survive. We have treated for bed bugs in everything from million dollar homes to public housing,” Harrison says.
Getting rid of bed bugs is not as easy as you may think. They can live up to a year without food. Many people who have the bugs don’t realize it, attributing their red itchy skin to a rash.
Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly. Check locations where bed bugs hide during the day, including mattress seams and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames. “I like to inspect every week when I change the sheets to make sure I don’t have a visitor,” Harrison says.
Decrease clutter around your home to make bed bug inspections and detection much easier. Dry potentially infested bed linens, curtains and stuffed animals on the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.
You can find more tips here.
The top 10 cities with bed bugs in the US for 2016 are: Baltimore, Washington, Chicago, New York, Columbus, Ohio, Los Angeles, Detroit, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, San Francisco – San Jose.
