Don't let the bed bugs bite.

When planning our recent vacation to Minnesota, we decided to divide our 600 + mile drive into a day and a half which meant a hotel stay.  We found a really nice hotel in Cedar Rapids and stayed the night there.  As always, I did a bedbug check before we got settled in our room for the night. 

Have you heard bed bugs are becoming a major problem, especially in some big cities?  We learned a lot about bed bugs last fall before we traveled to New York.  Now, let me say we’ve not encountered bed bugs (and hope we don’t) but our travel agent felt we should be educated travelers (and learn about bed bugs). 

Here’s the scoop:  Bed bugs are small, blood sucking insects which feed on people while they sleep.  Six months ago I would have said they don’t carry disease.  Recently I read a news article that questioned whether they carry disease, but the study involved homeless people with many health problems so the study wasn’t conclusive.  According to WebMD, bed bugs have been blamed for spreading different diseases for centuries and at present the experts believe the bed bugs are more annoying than disease-carrying.  When a bedbug bites a person, itchy red whelps result. 

If the whelps aren’t enough, bed bugs can attach to your fabric suitcase and hitch a ride home to your house.  (Not my idea of a houseguest.)

What can you do to prevent a bed bug problem?  Check back tomorrow for more details.