Bed bug hysteria has touched nearly every facet of our lives and it’s not just the general public. This insect is all the rage at pest control conferences across the United States. I finally hit my breaking point with them yesterday. A local Connecticut newspaper published a story about this insect and how it had the potential to bring New York tourism to its knees.
Here’s the truth, yes, this insect is a veritable pest that has spread far beyond the wildest imagination of those of us, like myself, on the front lines of the pest control industry. However, the real problem is that the media has made this story much worse than it needs to be. In fact, most homeowners are much more likely to have termites damage their home than they are to bring home a bedbug. Termites are known to cause more damage than fire, flood, and wind combined. However, this problem is rarely played with except for those who have had termites and know the true cost.
It is true that bed bugs have been found in movie theaters, stores, multi-family homes and other popular places where people gather, but this alone is not a reason to fear. If people could see how many germs are on the average public railing, I’d bet more people would fall down the stairs. The fact is that a railing in a public place contains more germs than I would like to think.
The problem of bed bugs must be kept in perspective and everyone must know what their real chances are of having them. These are your possibilities:
You have an extremely high chance of getting bed bugs if:
– He travels frequently, stays in hotels and never checks his room for any problems
– Live in a multi-family dwelling AND have a neighbor who does.
– Stay with a person who has them.
– Let a person who has a problem stay with you.
– Wash clothes in a laundromat
– Have frequent guests who may have a problem at home. (Ask if necessary).
– Leave items in public storage.
– Collect used items like furniture and clothes and bring them to your house.
– They live in a large metropolitan area and do not know the preceding circumstances.
You have a moderate chance of getting bed bugs if:
-You vacation one or two weeks a year and stay in a hotel.
-Go to college.
-Has frequent deliveries, especially of items that are cleaned and reused
-If you are a service worker and you work in a building that has a problem.
You have very little chance of getting bed bugs if:
-Check the mattress and furniture in your hotel room BEFORE bringing luggage.
-Having casual public contact with a person who has bedbugs in their home.
-You buy clothes in a store, you go to a mall or a restaurant.
-You go to a cinema.
-You travel little, you don’t know anyone with bedbugs or you rarely have strangers in your house.
It is important to know that bed bugs exist, but it is more important to know and remember that some of the worst things that have happened to people are things that have been thought of, but never actually happened.
Let’s all visit New York City.