Sleeping with the (bed bug) enemy

What used to be a throwaway line before bedtime—sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite—has new significance in Los Angeles County these days. Bed bugs have long been in residence here, but now their presence has reached epidemic proportions, prompting experts to scratch their heads—and others to scratch all over.

What’s more, public health officials say that across the country there’s evidence that the insects are moving out of the bedroom and into less expected venues, like buses and movie theaters. With all the talk about bed bugs these days—they even figured in a plot line on an episode of “30 Rock”—it’s easy to become alarmed at the prospect of a seemingly unstoppable and ubiquitous pest.

But these dreaded insects are hardly invisible. They can be seen with the naked eye, so knowing the enemy is fairly simple. The Internet is full of bed bug photos; there’s even a site called  Pictures of Bed Bugs. And there are a number of basic, common-sense steps you can take to protect yourself. (More about those shortly.)

Still, figuring out the reasons behind bed bugs’ L.A. population explosion is a little more complicated.

“There are a number of theories out there, but no one’s ever going to know for certain why bed bugs suddenly became such a big problem,” says Gail VanGordon, chief environmental health specialist for the Los Angeles County Public Health Department’s Vector Management Program. “When I started at the health department 25 years ago as an entomologist, I saw maybe one or two bed bug cases a year. And for some reason in the early ‘90s the number started creeping up to the point where they are really an epidemic now. One of the theories is an increase linked to global travel.”

Other possible factors are an increased bed bug resistance to pesticides or—at the other end of the spectrum—less pesticide use by environmentally conscious consumers.  “We’ve learned to distrust pesticides,” says Alec Gerry, an entomologist at UC-Riverside. “In the old days, we trusted the heck out of them and used them all over the place and we didn’t worry about the consequences to the environment or to ourselves.”

The good news is that humans are still smarter than bed bugs; the bad news is that bed bugs are very good at what they do. With no need for thumbs to catch a ride, bed bugs expertly hitchhike from place to place by crawling into clothing, backpacks, suitcases or any other item that rests on the floor in close proximity to humans.

Sometimes people panic and misinterpret a simple insect bite as evidence of bed bugs.

But knowledge is power. By learning the facts, your chances of hosting an infestation are greatly reduced. Here are some tips:

Be careful what you bring into the house. “If they are going to buy furniture or trade furniture, don’t bring anything in where bed bugs can hide. They should check it very closely,” VanGordon says. “We don’t recommend buying used furniture at this time because so much of it is infested.”

Cleanliness is your best weapon. “Sanitation is topmost. People would think  it’s pesticides, but it’s not. It’s just very good housekeeping,” VanGordon says. Bed bugs are easily vacuumed up with a strong hand tool and consistently washing bedding is an effective strategy for prevention. Still, people in apartment buildings should practice extra caution when using shared laundry rooms. VanGordon recommends buying washable laundry bags to reduce the possibility of bed bugs crawling into hampers or baskets placed on the floor.

Don’t let your guard down when you’re on vacation. Hotel and motel rooms are bed bug hot spots. Travelers should take extra precautions no matter where they are staying. VanGordon has a routine she uses when staying at a hotel.

“We put our luggage in the middle of the room and lift the head board off of the wall and look behind the head board and look underneath, looking for the signs of bed bugs,” said VanGordon. “Then, even when we feel comfortable, a lot of times we won’t even take our clothing out and put it in the furniture provided in the room. A lot of us just pull it out of the suitcase and we keep it on the rack and check very carefully for signs of bed bugs.”

Keep a close watch on your bed—or wherever you fall asleep. Bed bugs earned their name for a reason. With nocturnal habits, they lurk close to a predictable nighttime blood supply, most often a bed, but sometimes a sofa or chair if that’s where you doze off. And then they start feasting.

“Eighty-five percent of populations are located within 15 feet of the center of the bed,” VanGordon says. So if you think you have an infestation, start there. Systematically search all surfaces on and near the bed, and vacuum or wipe up the bed bugs and clean off any remains they’ve left behind. And consider removing as much clutter as possible from your bedroom because clutter is just one more place for bed bugs to hide.

“Prevention is always better than addressing an established bed bug infestation. Know the signs and address it immediately,” VanGordon says.

More public health tips—including guidance on what to do if preventive measures fail and the bed bugs do move in—can be found here.

Posted 8/4/10