Norwood City Health Department

Bed Bugs

“Good Night. Sleep Tight. Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!”

This little jingle that we used to sing at bedtime seems to be more appropriate today than ever! Bed bugs seem to have returned to our area in a big way; not just in Norwood, but all over the Tristate area. Bed bugs get their name because to like to live between mattresses and furniture pads and are active mostly at night.

Bed bugs are usually about Ľ inch in length; young bugs are white but adults are red/brown. Females lay eggs (about 5 per day) and can produce as many as 500 new bugs in their lifetime of 10 months. Bed bugs feed on bare skin for their “blood meal” but can live a long time without a meal. They are active at night and often aren’t seen during the daylight hours. If you DO see a bed bug during the day, it means that there is likely an infestation that may be hard to destroy. When bed bugs “bite,” a red itchy sore usually appears within 7 – 14 days, but often much more quickly. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease to humans, but are more of a nuisance. However, scratching a bed bug bite can lead to an infection, so resist the urge to scratch.

Having bed bugs does not mean you are dirty. Bed bugs can be spread in suitcases, boxes, clothes and furniture. Hotels have reported an increase in bed bugs from guests traveling from around the world, transporting luggage from airport to airport. Imagine having a box delivered from an online purchase only to discover that the box has bed bugs in it. It can be that easy. So don’t be embarrassed if you find bed bugs in your home.

Check the seams of mattresses and box springs, cracks of bed frames, under chairs and couches and cushions of furniture, under rugs, in the folds of drapes and curtains, in and under drawers of furniture, along baseboards and under wall hangings for places where bed bugs might be living. Always check suitcases when you arrive home from a trip for bed bugs. I always look at the mattress and box spring in a hotel when I arrive to make sure that no bed bugs are there to greet me.

What can you do to prevent bed bugs? Check the areas mentioned above. Get rid of clutter; the more stuff that you have, the more places there are for bed bugs to hide. Sweep your home often, paying special attention to furniture, floors, bedding and baseboards. Don’t forget to sweep your car upholstery. Empty the bag every day that you sweep to prevent bed bugs from crawling out of the bag. DO NOT BRING USED FURNITURE INTO YOUR HOME. Often people will toss out furniture because it is infested with bed bugs, only to have someone come along and take the furniture into their home.

If you have bed bugs, sweep as recommended above. Wash and dry all clothing, toys, bedding and furniture coverings at the hottest temperature possible. Bed bugs can survive temperatures of over 140 degrees so hot, hot, hot water. You will probably have to contact a professional exterminator to safely spray your home and it may take more than one application to eliminate the bed bugs. If you rent, contact your landlord about the problem as soon as you become aware of the problem. If the landlord fails to respond, contact the Norwood Health Department at 458-4600. We will inspect the property and issue orders if necessary.

The Norwood Health Department has a special HEPA vacuum that filters tiny particles such as bed bugs into sweeper bags that can be borrowed from our facility. You will need to contact the Norwood Health Department at 458-4600 to make arrangements to use the HEPA vacuum, and be sure to bring some identification. We are here to assist you. Remember, it’s much easier to PREVENT bed bugs than it is to treat for them!

CHECK TO SEE IF YOU HAVE BED BUGS PRIOR TO STARTING TREATMENT. CHECK POSSIBLE HIDING PLACES SUCH AS:

SEAMS OF MATTRESS AND BOX SPRING
CRACKS OF BED FRAMES
UNDER CHAIRS AND COUCHES
CUSHIONS ON FURNITURE
UNDER AREA RUGS
FOLDS OF CURTAINS/DRAPES
IN/UNDER DRAWERS OF FURNITURE
BEHIND BASEBOARDS
UNDER LOOSE WALLPAPER OR WALL HANGINGS
IN TELEPHONES, RADIOS, CLOCKS

GET RID OF ALL CLUTTER. THE MORE STUFF YOU HAVE, THE MORE PLACES THE BED BUGS HAVE TO HIDE.

VACUUM ALL SURFACES (FURNITURE, FLOORING, BEDDING, BASEBOARDS) DAILY. EMPTY VACUUM DAILY TO PREVENT BED BUGS FROM EXITING VACUUM BACK INTO THE HOME. STEAM CLEANING IS EFFECTIVE BECAUSE THE HEAT HELPS KILL THE BED BUGS.

WASH AND DRY ALL POSSIBLE ITEMS (CLOTHING, TOYS, BEDDING, FURNITURE COVERING) AT THE HOTTEST TEMPERATURE POSSIBLE. BED BUGS CAN NOT SURVIVE TEMPERATURES OVER 140ş F.

CONTACT A PROFESSIONAL EXTERMINATOR TO HELP WITH THE SAFE SPRAYING OF YOUR HOME. IF YOU RENT, CONTACT THE LANDLORD TO HAVE AN EXTERMINATOR EVALUATE AND TREAT THE HOME.