Increased international travel, changes in pest management practices and a lack of public awareness has led to a resurgence of bedbugs in the United States unseen since World War II.

What you should know about bedbugs:

• The nocturnal, appleseed-sized bedbugs feed exclusively on blood, though they have the ability to survive for months at a time without a meal.
• Female bedbugs can lay up to five eggs per day, so a major infestation can happen quickly.
• Visual confirmation of bedbugs is so difficult, some companies offer canine investigation, where they use specially-trained dogs to locate infestations of bedbugs.
• Bedbugs are not known to transmit disease, but their bites can cause an allergic reaction or infection.
• Not everyone has an adverse reaction to bedbug bites, but symptoms typically appear as a row of itchy, red welts.
• The key to preventing an infestation of bedbugs is to minimize your risk of exposure to them. Because bedbugs are non-discriminatory about the environment in which they live, you can pick them up anywhere from a summer camp, to a college dormitory, a hospital, or even the most posh hotel. Angie’s List members nationwide responded to a recent poll about bedbugs, and more than half of those who had been exposed to bedbugs said they got them after staying in a hotel.

If you think you might have bedbugs, it’s important you address it quickly and contact a qualified pest control service to provide a thorough inspection and diagnosis before you seek treatment.

5 tips to minimize your risk of exposure to bedbugs:

• Don’t be tempted to pick up that used piece of furniture someone put out for trash pickup. The ideal habitat for bedbugs is on mattresses and box springs, where they are usually guaranteed a food source for eight hours a day. However, bedbugs have also been found in rental or reconditioned furniture, and inside delivery vehicles. One Angie’s List member rented a medical lift chair that was infested with bedbugs. 

• Always inspect the room in which you’ll be staying if you’re away from home. Leave your luggage outside the door and use a flashlight to check mattress seams and along bed frames, headboards and box springs for signs of bedbugs. Look closely at sheets and blankets for evidence that could include exoskeletons (shed skins) of younger bugs and “spotting”, which are small, dark stains from excreted blood. If you notice signs of bedbug activity, immediately request another room.

• When you travel, keep your personal items in sealed plastic bags. Keep bags and luggage off floors and beds.

• Thoroughly inspect your belongings before bringing them back into your home. If you suspect bedbugs, unload your luggage on a hard surface, like a bathtub. Immediately wash items you believe might be infested in the hottest temperatures possible. Wash by hand items that can’t be laundered; dry, then thoroughly vacuum and discard the bag.

• A cluttered area in your home offers an unlimited number of hiding places for bedbugs and make eradication even more difficult. Keep your rooms and closets tidy, and avoid putting items under your bed.

5 ways to treat for bedbugs:

• Clean: Thoroughly clean an infested room. Wash linens in hot water. Remove clutter, turn over drawers and furniture and clean thoroughly. Disassemble bed frames and clean. Repair and seal cracks and holes around baseboards, window frames and moldings. Vacuum thoroughly and discard the bag.

• Dust treatment: There are organic insecticidal dusts available that are all-natural, but lethal to bedbugs and may be used by a qualified professional in conjunction with other treatments.

• Heat treatment: Some pest control companies use specialized equipment to heat up a room to at least 120-degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours to kill off bedbugs.

• Mattress covers: Use entomologist-approved bedbug mattress covers. By encasing mattresses, bedbugs are restricted to the surface, where they can be more easily detected and eradicated. Encasements should be bedbug “bite-proof” and “escape-proof”.

• Structural fumigation: The most extreme and costly method, but also the most effective. Not to be confused with “fogging” or “bombing”, structural fumigations require the structure be covered with a tarp and vacated for several days, while a fumigated gas is released. Be sure to contact a pest control company that is licensed in fumigation services.

Be leery of pest control services that try to treat bedbugs like they would a general pest. What works for termites or carpet beetles won’t work for bedbugs.