Bedbugs (called Punaise de Lit in France)Â are a big problem all of a sudden recently. Bedbugs are small parasites that live anywhere they can feed on humans, but they are most often found in bedding such as a mattress or futon. Bedbugs live on blood that they suck out of your body while you sleep. They can cause sores, bleeding, itching, and also transmit disease. If you have lots of tiny itchy bumps or unexplained wounds on your arms and legs (or other places), you might have bedbugs.
Most of the time people pick up bedbugs from a hotel or motel or hostel, where the pests climb into their luggage or hitch a ride on the people themselves. Bedbugs are a real problem for landlords and hotel or motel proprietors so they try very hard to prevent the pests – but nobody’s perfect. It only takes one or two bedbugs to cause an infestation because like so many other household pests, bedbugs are incredibly prolific and they reproduce quickly. Even if there is no evidence of the bugs themselves, they could have still laid eggs in bedding, luggage, or clothing which will later hatch into a colony of bedbugs to continue the infestation.
If you stay in a hotel, motel or hostel, or with a friend who you suspect might have an infestation, do not put your luggage or clothing under the bed. This is the single biggest mistake most people make. Leaving suitcases or dirty clothes on the floor can even be a problem so it’s best to put your bag up on a chair or stand and make sure to put your dirty clothes in a plastic bag or back into your luggage right away. When you get home, unpack right away and wash all of your clothes in hot water – this will kill any eggs or bugs that have hitchhiked in on your soiled items.
If you have bedbugs you have to call an exterminator right away. You are probably not going to be able to eliminate any infestations on your own. The procedure is time-consuming and difficult and it’s easy to miss a step or make a small mistake that will result in you not completely eradicating the colony or even just a few eggs. It only takes one or two eggs to cause the whole problem all over again.
To check for bedbug bites you should carefully check your body when you bathe. It is unlikely that you will find an actual bug on your body but you will find evidence that they’ve bitten you overnight and the shower or bath is the best time to notice such a thing.
If you have to try and get rid of an infestation on your own you can try sealing up your mattress in plastic, washing all bedclothes in hot water and drying them on a high temperature, and thoroughly clean any carpet or rugs that are near your bedding. If you successfully seal off the mattress from any air you should kill all the bedbugs and their eggs. But your best course of action is still to call an exterminator.
