BED BUGS

People usually wake up with itchy bites that resemble mosquito bites. 

• Bites are often arranged in a straight line or clustered on parts of the body that are exposed during sleep (arms, shoulders, back, belly and legs).
• Itchiness is most intense in the early morning and declines throughout the day.
• In rare cases, bed bug bites can lead to skin infections caused by scratching, like impetigo or cellulitis.

Bed bugs do not transmit diseases to humans, but can lead to other issues such as:

• sleep problems

• anxiety

• shame

• isolation

Bed bugs do not always bite – keep reading to learn the signs of bed bugs in homes.

Signs to look for in or around the bed:

• Little black spots (feces from the bed bugs)

• Dried blood stains (from bites)

• Bug shells or shed skin, which are semi-clear 

• Eggs, which look like grains of white rice the size of a pinhead.

Bed bugs do not fly or jump, but they hitchhike and spread easily within the same building. You may only need to make contact once with an infested object (luggage, second-hand furniture, clothes, etc.) to bring bed bugs back home with you.  

Bed bugs can affect everybody, but you are more at risk if you:  

• Return from a hotel stay or accommodations, where there were bed bugs, or move into a new home.
• Pick up furniture or objects left in the street that may be infested.
• Purchase second hand clothing, furniture or sport equipment.  

Do your laundry in a common laundry room or laundromat where infested fabrics have been brought. 

• When you are traveling, check around the beds for signs of bed bugs, especially when staying in hotels.
• Before picking up used mattresses or fabric furniture, like sofas, be sure to do a careful visual inspection.
• Cover all mattresses with a special protector (also known as encasement) designed to prevent bed bugs.
• If you pick up used non-fabric furniture (dressers, bookshelves, etc.), steam clean them with a steamer (brands include Tobi, Bissell).
  • If you cannot steam clean, vacuum them thoroughly making sure not to miss any cracks, and clean them with warm soapy water before bringing them inside.
     
• If you get used clothing or fabric:
  • Empty the contents of the bags directly into the washing machine or dryer and immediately throw away the bags in an outdoor garbage bin.
  • Dry the fabrics at high heat for at least 30 minutes OR wash the fabrics in your washing machine on a full cycle, at the hottest setting, with the clothes fully covered by water.

  • If you do not have a washer and dryer, put the fabrics in your freezer at -18 °C (0.4 °F) or colder for a minimum of 4 days or steam clean them.

     

• Reduce clutter in your home to decrease the number of places bed bugs can hide. 

1. Pack a bag of essentials and plan a place to go when there is an extermination. No one will be allowed to stay in the house during and after treatment (varying from one to a few days). 

    

2. Remove any clutter or furniture from the area.

    

3. Treat your fabric items.

• Put all fabrics that can go in the dryer (clothing, bedspreads, curtains, mattress covers, sheets, stuffed animals, etc.) in at high heat for at least 30 minutes, OR wash them with detergent in the washer on a full cycle at the hottest setting, making sure the articles are completely covered by water.
• Treat clean clothes that are stored in dresser drawers, closets, wardrobes, etc.
• Anything that does not go in the dryer or washer can be put in the freezer at -18 °C (0.4 °F) or colder for at least 4 days or should be hot steam cleaned.

• Put your treated articles in a new clear garbage bag as soon as the treatment (drying, washing, freezing, hot steaming) is finished. Seal the bag and identify it as treated.

   

4. Check the condition of mattresses, box springs, and upholstered furniture. 

• If they are not damaged, treat them on-site with hot steam. After treatment, protect the mattresses and box springs with a bed bug–proof cover, like this one.

• If they are damaged, make them unusable by slashing them with a knife or scissors and enclose them in a large plastic bag so they are completely sealed before throwing them away.  

   

5. Vacuum the entire room, paying special attention to areas where you have seen bed bugs. After vacuuming, immediately toss the vacuum contents in another bag. Seal the bag and dispose of it in an outdoor bin. 

   Print these instructions as checklist format. 

During an extermination treatment, all persons and pets must leave the residence. After the exterminator has finished the treatment, you must wait at least 6 hours before returning home. 

This wait time increases to 12 hours for:

• People with respiratory problems
• People with allergies
• Children

This wait time increases to 24 hours for:

• Babies 0 - 12 months old
• Young children not yet walking
• Pregnant people

Please respect the instructions provided by your exterminator.

• Respect the instructions from the exterminator. 

• Do not return home until you have waited the advised amount of time after the treatment.

• Open windows in treated rooms to let fresh air in.

• Avoid walking barefoot in treated areas for at least 48 hours after treatment.

• Regularly check treated areas for signs of bed bugs.

• Do not put back any objects or fabrics into the treated room until the exterminator confirms that all bed bugs have been eliminated. 

• Find out from the exterminator if you need more treatments.