What immediately comes to mind when someone says “Bedbug Infestation?" After the first shiver down your spine from just the words, your next thought is probably “What am I going to do now?”
Bedbugs are a worldwide problem, causing property loss, expense, and inconvenience. Most people don’t even realize they have brought bedbugs into their home until the infestation is already extreme and possibly spread to other units. Bedbugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bedbugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm, and can live several months without a blood meal. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. They have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a night but tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep, beds, recliners, sofas, etc.
For more details on Integrated Pest Management, see the online guide at http://www.stoppests.org.