Don't let the bed bugs bite...

Does anyone else remember Mom saying that (see title) to you at night?  When I was hearing this saying as a child, I had no idea that it was a real critter who could chew on us.  What do bed bugs look like?

What are signs of bed bug infestation?  Look at the folds of mattresses and sheets and search for rusty-brown (old blood) spots where the bugs have feasted on a sleeping person.  If you see any bug shells where the bed bugs have molted and left behind the old shells, suspect bed bugs. The bed bugs themselves are reddish-brown in color, have no wings and range from 1 mm to 7 mm (compare to the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny) in size.  More information about bed bugs can be found at CDC website:  http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html

Several years ago our travel agent was helping us make arrangements for a trip to a major city in North Eastern USA.  She felt we should become educated on bed bugs.  Now I’ve never seen a bed bug and don’t want to see or experience them. We bought the bed bug luggage repellant and sprayed our luggage with it.  When we arrive at our destination (whether hotel, resort or ship), I always pull up the sheets and look at the mattress folds for the tell-tale reddish-brown spots and bug shells.  Then I move my luggage into our room. 

For information about identifying and treating bed bug infestations, go to http://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/