In the 80s and 90s bedbugs were not a widespread pest problem. But over the last few years they have developed into a nuisance that you take home with you. The probability of even being exposed to bedbugs is increasing rapidly.
As pest controllers, we sum up this pest problem with four questions:
Would you like to share your bed with bugs?
Do you want to have bedbugs in your house?
Do you want to be exposed to bloody bed bug bites or stings?
Do you want to pass bedbugs on to friends or family?
We know that you seldom really deal intensively with pests, unless there is an acute infestation. If, however, you can answer the above four questions with “No”, the subject of bedbugs is also interesting for you.
How do you get bedbugs?
Bedbugs like to travel. No matter with whom. They are anything but choosy when it comes to choosing their hosts. . They don’t care about age, sex, whether the bed is clean or dirty, or whether you live in a house, apartment or hotel. Bedbugs are only interested in two things: finding shelter and feeding on a lot of blood.
The English channel BBC recently reported on the historical origins of bedbugs.
But where do bedbugs come from nowadays?
From house and apartment owners, parents, holiday planners or frequent flyers, we often get exactly this question: where are bedbugs nowadays increasingly exposed and what can we do about it?
Hotels, inns, hostels
Accommodations with a high frequency of guests are predestined to be a source for the distribution of bedbugs. People today are highly mobile around the world. Bedbugs thus have easy access to hotels, inns or youth hostels and can spread from there as if through a hub.
Many of our customers with bedbugs can answer the question: “Have you recently stayed in a hotel” positively.
Helpful tips for dealing with bedbugs:
Avoiding bedbugs
How do I recognize bedbugs infestation?
Check your hotel rooms
A bedbug or pest infestation can quickly have a negative impact on the reputation of a house, especially through Internet ratings. On the Internet you can even find advice on how best to sue hotels for bedbugs.
For hotel owners, proactive control of early detection in the name of paying guests helps to eliminate dangers, preserve the image of the hotel and prevent loss of sales. Bed Bug Control for Hotel Operations.
For hotel guests there are also some tips and rules of conduct for bedbugs suspected.
We don’t want to discourage anyone or even reduce the fun on holiday. Because a small amount of vigilance is enough to make the often long-awaited holiday a relaxing experience.
Second-hand furniture and antiques
But not only hotels are optimal contamination centres for bedbugs. Did you know that second-hand furniture and antiques can house bedbugs?
Bed Bug infestation we observe here above all with:
Second-hand beds, mattresses, etc.
Carpets and upholstered elements (armchairs, sofas, chaiselongues).
bedside table
wardrobes
Need help searching? Here you will find signs of bedbugs.
Means of transport
Bedbugs exist not only in quiet environments, such as those mentioned above, but also in areas heavily frequented by humans. These include trains, subways and airplanes. There are few official statistics on the subject, but an article published in 2011 in Forbes Magazine about bedbugs in airplanes went into more detail about bedbugs in airplanes and how to deal with the plague there.
How do bedbugs spread?
In contrast to other parasites, such as fleas, which stick to their hosts, bedbugs release their host after bloodsucking. But how do they spread then?
There are a number of ways she can nest from one bedroom to another, from one hotel chain to another, or from a hotel to your home.
Luggage
Bedbugs prefer to travel with you. As the comic of our #BetttwanzenBande with Bella and & Boris shows, they take every opportunity they have to spread further. And they are not at all choosy when it comes to choosing the “ride”. You usually don’t notice this until it’s too late and the parasite has settled at home in his own four walls.
How to avoid bedbugs?
Do not put suitcases on the bed. Most bedbugs usually romp around here.
If possible, it is advisable to store items of luggage in upper cupboard shelves, as bedbugs not only hide on, in and around the bed, but also on carpets and skirting boards and have easy access to your suitcase from there.
Hang clothes in the wardrobe. If possible, hang up your clothes. This will reduce the chance of bugs hiding and laying eggs.
Leave your luggage in the bathroom. We admit this sounds strange, but based on our experience this is an acceptable tip. If bedbugs don’t like one thing, it’s smooth, polished surfaces. These make it difficult for them to move, which greatly reduces the chance of them getting into your suitcase.
Bedbugs multiply quickly
Did you know that if you unconsciously take bedbugs home with you, they are usually female parasites? The female bedbugs are very keen to discover and therefore find loopholes in luggage more quickly (and thus to your home!).
If the female bed bug is pregnant, the problems start for you. A single bed bug can easily produce several thousand offspring.
Cavities and partitions
Bedbugs have the ability to spread through cavities and partitions to adjacent rooms. This often happens via electrical interconnections or intermediate doors.
For this reason, a professional pest controller also checks the adjacent rooms for infestation in order to combat the problem sustainably.
As you can see, a small bedbugs problem can quickly develop into a plague, whether in hotels or at home.
Now for the good news
Despite all the news and hints about bedbugs, most people have never had to do with a solid bedbugs infestation.
Get more information about bugs and other insects through visiting ed.ted.com website now.