The bed bug problem is so prevalent in the United States that there are a few web sites that list bed bug infested hotels. A well known travel company recently released a list of the top 10 hotels that have bed bug infestations. Even luxury hotels have bed bug infestations. New York City is a top location for bed bugs and the state of New Jersey also has bed bug problems.

The web sites that provide lists of bed bug infested hotels typically rely on hotel guests for information. Just maybe the information is incorrect. Many people mistake skin rashes for bed bug bites, even doctors are wrong. Perhaps a grumpy hotel guest that got into a feud with a hotel manager decided to get revenge by submitting a false bed bug infestation claim to one of these web sites.

Perhaps a hotel on the list actually had bed bugs but had a pest control company fix the problem, however perhaps the owners of the web sites don’t call hotels to update the lists. These web sites could unnecessarily economically harm a hotel. Oh my.

Continuing from Tuesday…

Only one of the two boys had slept on the new mattresses, which explains why only one had experienced the bed bug bites.  But it is not uncommon for some folks to not have a reaction to bed bug bites while others suffer terrible reactions from the horrible bloodsuckers.

The big question still remains as to how the bed bugs were able to infest the mattress in the first place. The family has lived in the same apartment for five years and has never encountered a bed bug prior to this. The retailer does not want to take responsibility for the infestation, but they are willing to replace the mattresses out of good faith.  Great!  They are stopping short however of providing the family with extermination services from a licensed pest control specialist, which does not make any sense.  The family has videos and pictures of the mattresses, still wrapped in plastic, with the creepy bed bugs crawling around inside.  It’s not like the family bought used or reconditioned mattresses, these were supposed to be NEW mattresses!  They should not contain bed bugs.

With this new development, I guess the public needs to be cautious about having a bed bug infestation even when you buy a new piece of furniture.  The rule of thumb should be; inspect all pieces of furniture upon its arrival, no matter where it came from!

Bed bugs are attacking people in luxury hotels, average priced hotels and budget hotels. There are some things hotel guests in New Jersey and New York City and elsewhere can do to minimize the chance of taking bed bugs home.

Keep luggage on luggage racks. Place tape with the sticky side up on the legs of the rack just in case bed bugs decide to climb up to your suitcase. You can also place the tape on the legs of the bed.

Take the sheets of the bed and inspect the mattress and box springs for small blood marks, molted bed bug skin and bed bug fecal matter, especially around the seams. Also, inspect the headboard. Inspect all the furniture and any crack or crevice in the room.

Bed bugs can crawl through the walls and enter your hotel room from an adjoining room. It’s a good idea to bring a bed bug monitor to the hotel. Bed bug monitors typically trap the insects. If the monitor has bed bugs immediately inform the hotel manager of the bed bug problem, change rooms or perhaps change hotels.

A family in Michigan was scratching their heads, well actually more than their heads, when they received a delivery of two new mattresses from a major furniture retail store last week.  The mattresses were purchased for their two kiddies, both age four.  After the arrival of the mattresses, one of the twins appeared to have chicken pox and the other did not.  The parents soon took their son to the pediatrician’s office where three doctors asked if the family had recently purchased a new bed or mattress for their son.  All three doctors confirmed that the suspected “chicken pox” spots were not chicken pox at all.  The poor little boy had instead been bitten by the evil bloodsuckers…bed bugs!  He is now required to take medication for the bites.

In complete shock, the family quickly went home to investigate their new mattresses in their apartment.  They found many live bed bugs crawling around on the mattresses, including under the plastic wrapping which was still affixed to the beds! Holy cow!

Please check back on Thursday for the conclusion.

Residents of New Jersey and New York City along with people living all over the country may be interested to know that by feasting on human blood a bed bug body can become three times its usual size. Oh my. When bed bugs are filled with human blood they don’t really look like a typical bed bug and people actually think they are a different type of insect.

When the weather is warm bed bug eggs produce little baby bed bugs in about 10 days. The babies require about five substantial blood meals in order to become full-size adults. They molt between the blood meals by shedding their exoskeleton. After they become adults then the females have the opportunity to create baby bedbugs. Oh my.

When bed bugs attack they inject a secretion into the wound which prevents coagulation. The secretion can cause a person’s skin to itch and to become swollen.

What can people do? They need to have a plan. Bed bug monitors can be very useful in a bed bug prevention plan.