| How to
Protect Yourself
Please note, there are no guaranteed ways to keep
yourself from becoming infected with bedbugs. But
these suggestions will certainly help lessen the odds.
- Don't use mattresses or upholstered furniture that's
been left on a curb or on the street, even if it's
marked "free"
- Check your mattress, sheets, and headboard for
bloodstains regularly
- If you think you have bedbugs, call a pest
management professional immediately
When Travelling:
- Carry a flashlight with you to help check for
bedbugs
- When you first check into your hotel room, check the
mattress, sheets, and headboard for bloodstains or
feces. Pay special attention to the seam of the
mattress.
- Keep your suitcase off the floor, such as on the
luggage rack most hotels provide
- Upon returning home, immediately wash all clothes,
shoes,
and other washable items, including your luggage as
possible, whether you've worn or used these items or
not.
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Bedbug Facts
- Bedbugs can feed on any warm-blooded animal.
They simply prefer humans, because unlike animals with a
protective layer of fur, humans have exposed skin.
- Bedbugs are usually found on beds, but can also be
found in other furniture, such as a nightstand, chair or
couch cushion, or behind an electrical socket.
They've even been known to hide behind paintings hanging
on the wall, or in the cracks and crevices around
baseboards.
- One clear indication that a bite is from a bedbug
and not another insect is that bedbug bites are often
found in a straight line.
- Although bedbugs are host to numerous diseases,
there is no evidence of them ever passing those diseases
on to their victims.
- Bedbugs are elusive, hard to detect, nocturnal, and
very hardy. They can go over a year without
eating, and can withstand temperatures from just above
freezing to 113 degrees Fahrenheit. As such, they
are impossible to control without the assistance of a
pest management professional.
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