The Spring 2013 bed bug season is here and it's shaping up to be another bad year ,according to the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, which just released their annual survey Bugs Without Borders. And the hard-to-get rid of pests are turning up in all sorts of unexpected places.
You may think you already know about bed bugs. When you travel, you check your hotel bed carefully, and you always put your suitcase up on a luggage rack. Unfortunately, this year's report shows, bed bug infestations have extended far beyond your sleeping arrangements.
Upon leaving your hotel room, you could pick up bed bugs from that taxi you jump in. Or that late-night movie showing or theater performance you go to. They could hitch a ride in the conference room where you spend the afternoon, or on the subway on your way home.
Then there are your kids; they can pick up bed bugs in their college dorms or summer camps, and bring them home with them.
Or your older parents - the assisted living facility they live in is a prime breeding ground. And don't even think about summer camp, or those hospital waiting room chairs. Here's what pest management companies all over the country are reporting:
- 75 percent have been called to hotels to treat bed bugs
- 47 percent have found bed bugs in college dorms
- 46 percent have been called to nursing homes
- 41 percent have treated schools and day care centers
- 36 percent have been called to office buildings
- 33 percent have found bed bugs in hospitals
- 21 percent have treated taxis, trains, or buses
- 10 percent have been called to movie theaters
The bad news: Almost 100 percent (99.6 percent, to be exact) of pest management companies reported treating bed bugs, from which we can conclude that the pests are now to be found all over the country. Of these, 72 percent say the bed bug problems in their region are increasing. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, bed bugs can travel up to 100 feet in a night from their original hiding place. I've also written previously about bed bugs on airplanes.
The good news: Most of these numbers held relatively steady from 2011 or even declined.
The unpleasant surprise: The biggest jumps were seen in hospitals, schools and day care centers, taxis, and public transportation.
Why you need to know this now: Pest management experts and entomologists want to make sure you know that bed bugs are most active in the warm spring and summer months, which is when the NPMA receives the most calls.
So now is the time to make sure you have the latest information on how to keep bed bugs from infesting your home. And that you know what to do so you can act fast if you think you've been exposed.
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