Contrary to popular belief, and the connotation that their name provides, bed bugs are definitely not just in your bed. In fact, says Jon Nelson of Precision Environmental, you may be surprised to learn how common beg bugs are and all of the places in your home that they can be living.
Where the Bugs Are
It’s a huge mistake to believe that these bugs are only found in beds. They received their name because since you are usually dormant in your bed, the bugs are more likely to attack you while you sleep and you are more likely to notice that you’ve been bitten when you wake up. A basic rule of thumb, however, is that if people are in an area, then bed bugs can infest that area including couches, laundry rooms, closets, and kitchens.
Additionally, as bed bugs are not opposed to travel, they can be hard to pinpoint. The bugs can live on your clothes, says Nelson, in the hem of your pants, the collar of your coat and even on your socks. What typically happens is that, say for instance, you live in an apartment building. One tenant who has bed bugs in her apartment does her laundry in a communal laundry machine. Then, a second tenant comes in after her and does his laundry in the same machine. When he brings his clothes back to his apartment, he has just brought some bed bugs with him.
How You Can Safeguard Yourself
This is not the news you want to read, but, according to Nelson, the massive growth rate of bed bugs has led experts to believe that just about everyone will eventually get an infestation. Originally, bed bugs were controlled by using DDT, he says. But once the chemicals were outlawed, bed bugs increased. Over the years, they have gained immunity to chemicals on the market right now, which means that no matter how many times you vacuum your carpets or clean your sheets, the bed bugs won’t go away.
Still, that doesn’t mean you should raise your white flag and surrender. If you suspect that you have bed bugs in your home, then you should hire a company like Nelson’s who specializes in the use of ThermaPureHeat, the only product that is guaranteed to remove bed bugs. The only way that the bugs will die is if they are exposed to extreme temperatures, which is exactly what this system does.
