How Can I Get Rid Of Bed Bugs? - The Christ Hospital

Physical Therapy CentersHow Can I Get Rid OfBed Bugs?Complete elimination of a bed buginfestation may be difficult withoutthe services of a knowledgeablePest Control Service. It may eventake as many as five or moretreatments to gain control of aninfestation.Do-it-yourself measures usedby homeowners and renterssometimes cause more problemsthan benefits.Cincinnati Health Department1525 Elm Street 3rd FlCincinnati, Ohio 45202513-591-6000How Can I Get RidOf Bed Bugs?www.TheChristHospital.com©3/08

So What Do I Do?• Reduce the amount of clutter to achieve agood treatment and eliminate hiding places• Vacuum mattresses, box springs and carpets,dispose vacuumed contents in a sealed plasticbag• Cover mattress and box spring with plasticcovers• Spray bed bugs with alcohol (use smallplastic spray bottle and 90 percent rubbingalcohol undiluted), in-between professionaltreatments• Wash bedding and garments in hot(120° F ) water• Put clothing in a dryer for at least five minutesto kill bed bugs• Inspect any furniture being brought into yourhome for bed bugs• When returning from a trip, inspect yourluggage and clothes for bed bugsBed Bugs Are Back!You have probably heard the old saying,“Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.”Well, bed bugs have made a big comebackin the U.S. Their name comes from theirtendency to live between mattresses and feedon the occupants at night. Bed bugs do not flyor jump, but move quickly over floors, walls,ceilings and furniture.Bed bugs are wingless, approximately ¼ inchin length, with a flattened oval shape and rustybrown in color. Female bed bugs lay up to fiveeggs a day and five hundred during a lifetime.A bed bug can live up to 18 months without ablood meal and the adults normally live about10 months. Since bed bugs are only active atnight, any daytime sightings may indicate aheavy infestation.Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?Bed bugs can seem to come from nowhere,but are being seen more and more inapartments, hotels, homes, shelters,dormitories and nursing homes. They areactive travelers, usually transported inluggage, boxes, clothing, furniture and evenhair. Infestations are not tied to unsanitaryliving conditions; even world-class hotels havereported bed bug problems.Where To LookCheck for bed bugs on the seams, tufts, orfolds of mattresses, bed frames and headboards.Bed bugs may also be behind baseboards,pictures, frames, windows, door casings,loosened wall paper, curtains, cracks in plaster,and behind electrical wall plates.How Do I Know If I Have BedBugs?Usually the first sign of a bed bug infestationis the appearance of small rusty spots on yourmattresses and bed linens. These are bed bugdroppings and blood spots.Bed bugs feed on any bare skin exposed whilesleeping. Red itchy welts are an indication ofan infestation. Bed bug “bites” occur whenthe bed bug is actually drawing blood. It maytake as long as fourteen days for a welt toappear from a bed bug “bite”.The infected person should resist the urge toscratch the “bites”, as this may intensify theitching and cause an infection. Some peoplehave a reaction to bed bug “bites” and mayneed to seek medical assistance. Bed bugsare not known to transmit any diseases tohumans.