Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

Last week an article in USA Today confirmed what my co-workers and I have been talking about in our weekly meetings for months. The bedbug is back, and back with a vengeance! From hotel rooms and movie theatres to dorm rooms and luxury resorts, bedbug attacks have been cropping up across the United States. Even across the pond in Great Britain, the number of bedbug infestations has soared over 500% in the last few years. They thrive in high occupancy areas. Doing a Google search for “bedbug” brings up over a million articles from all over the world. This includes many very, very creepy You Tube videos! Be on the lookout, because adult bedbugs are visible to the naked eye.

As students return to campus this fall, they are finding themselves on the front lines in a battle against this resilient foe. Though visible to the eye, bedbugs are hard to exterminate. A bedbug can live for over a year without a meal. They cling to old sheets, luggage, and clothes. One expert calls them a “fantastic hitchhiker.” So, even if you have taken precautions, your roommate, your roommate’s friends, your friends, or the girl down the hall can carry bedbugs into an already crowded living space.

The USA Today article sites a couple of examples from campuses around the country. At the Ohio State University, an outbreak of bedbugs in May 2007 caused the university to treat over 114 dorm rooms. In the past year, Texas A&M University has spent $37,000 dollars to bring in dogs that are capable of sniffing out the pests. Texas A&M also will try to eradicate any bedbugs with an overnight room heating system. These are drastic measures to be sure, but the bedbug bites, feeds on human blood, and leaves nasty welts on the body. Welts are characterized by severe itching and by the tendency to stay visible on the skin for several weeks. In a small percentage of people, bedbug bites can cause allergic reactions and asthma attacks.

Here at achoo! Allergy, we think the best way to fight this pest is to control your environment. Our Allergy Armor bedding is a great way to protect your mattress and pillows from outside allergens that can affect sleeping and breathing. The bedding is zipper sealed and goes on the mattress or pillow underneath your regular bedding. By sealing the zipper with 3M tape, you can effectively fight against bedbugs. We offer The Complete Dust Mite Dorm Bedding Package which includes one pillow, blanket, pillow cover, and mattress encasing: everything you or your child needs to be cozy, comfortable, and allergy-free. Great advice about this battle is that if you see bedbugs or bloodstains on sheets or furniture, or if you have bedbug bites, you should speak right away to a trusted exterminator, landlord, or college administrator that will take your problem seriously.