Furniture Care

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Protect yourself against these unwelcome pests. Learn how to detect a bed bug infestation, and what to do in the event you discover them in your home.

Once upon a time, parents used that expression when tucking in their children, because it was cute and unlikely to happen. Unfortunately, in a world where people travel frequently and, ironically, where pest control methods have become safer and “greener,” bed bugs are again turning up where you might least expect to find them. 

Facts about Bed Bugs

According to the Centres for Disease Control, bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. What is a bed bug? They are reddish-brown in colour, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny), and can live several months without feeding. Once thought of as a problem only in the developing world, bedbug infestations have again become common in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. Bed bugs can live anywhere, including five star hotels and the nicest homes—in fact, their presence is not determined by housekeeping standards. 

Bed bug infestations can occur in any area where people sleep: hotels, dorms, cruise ships. At the end of the trip, bedbugs are all too happy to go home as unwelcome souvenirs. During the day, they are good at hiding in places such as mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards, bedside tables, even behind wallpaper. They live, unnoticed, in the smallest crack or crevice near where we sleep!   At night, however, if given access to people or pets, they will come out of their hiding places to feed.

While their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep, bed bugs are not known to spread disease. Despite this, bedbugs are a great source of stress, as people try to rid them from their beds (and their homes), and to calm their families. Let’s face it: bedbugs are disgusting, and we don’t want to share our mattresses with them!

How do I know if I have bedbugs in my home?

One of the easiest ways to identify a bed bug infestation is by the tell-tale bite marks left on the face, neck, arms, hands—or any body part—that occur during sleep. Bed bug bites affect each person differently. The bite marks are similar to that of a mosquito or a flea–a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritated. Bite responses can range from no physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. An allergic reaction to several bites may require medical attention. Since bite marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people, it is important to look for other clues when determining whether bed bugs have infested an area. These bed bug symptoms include:

- Presence of molted bedbug skins—some people call them shells—shed by bedbugs as they grow.

- Presence of bedbugs in the folds of sheets and mattress seams.

- Rusty–colored spots on mattress or nearby furniture.

- A sweet, musty odor in or around sleeping areas.

Comprehensive Pest Management