Lately, bed bugs have been given a lot of publicity, and are a hot topic of conversation in many cities. New York, as well as other cities, has recently experienced an epidemic of the pesky creatures. News channels have done reports on bed bug infested motels. A internet search for bed bug pictures will produce hundreds of results, images of bed bugs themselves and of the bites you get from them.

All of this attention to bed bugs has created a lot of fear, and it is not necessarily unfounded. Bed bugs are a huge hassle, and ridding yourself of them can cost you money and property. Therefore, all possible precautions should be used to avoid catching them.

Also, they can be just plain embarrassing. There is a stigma associated with bed bugs, and people fear that if they have them, their house or apartment will be perceived as dirty. The fact is, there are tons of ways to catch bed bugs, and they don’t have anything to do with dirt. Here are some of the ways you can contract them:

Picking up furniture from the curb

I know, it is extremely tempting to snatch up a queen size mattress or a beautiful old upholstered chair. But consider the fact that it was put out on the curb for a reason, and that reason could possibly be that it is infested with bed bugs.

Sleeping in unfamiliar places

People always talk about “fleabag motels, ” but they could easily call them “bed bug motels.” Do your best to avoid staying somewhere so low budget that the curtains are dingy and the sheets are stained. Sometimes you might not have a choice, if times are hard or you are far from home and need a place immediately. If that is the case, do a thorough check for any evidence of bed bugs, including tiny blood spots or the bugs themselves. They come out around two or three in the morning, and you can see the bigger ones.

Previously owned clothes

Most thrift stores do wash donated clothes before putting them on a rack for sale, but there is no way to be sure. Also, just washing clothes may not kill bed bugs. What will kill them is heat. Run any second hand clothes through the highest temperature cycle on your dryer for at least forty minutes.

Bed bugs in the building

This is one way that many apartment dwellers contract the bugs. Even if you yourself have taken precautions and have not brought them in from anywhere else, it is possible that your building could be infested. Through no fault of your own, the bugs could find their way to your apartment through the walls.

If you suspect that you are being bitten by bed bugs, look for bed bug pictures. Compare your bites to the ones in the images. Also, try to wait up at night and see if you spot any of the critters. If you catch the problem early, you can minimize your costs and losses. Finding out if you have them is the first step.

Use bed bug pictures to find out more about what bed bug treatment choices you have and to eliminate them for good.

Tags: bed bug pictures, bed bugs images, bedbugs

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pm and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.