Fighting the bedbug bite

Southwest Ohio is known as a bedbug hotspot Cincinnati is the most bedbug-infested city in the nation and Yellow Springs is not immune.

Theres no shortage of bedbugs here, according to Brian Magee of bed bug exterminators Eco-Therm, which receives 60 to 70 requests every day to treat bed bug infestations in Miami Valley homes.About three to four calls come in each month for Yellow Springs, on par with the region, added Magee. One outbreak locally is taking place at the Lawson Place public housing complex.

While a full story onthe local bedbug situation appears in the Oct. 17 issue of the News, everyone should be on the lookout for signs of bedbugs. See photos, a video and FAQ below for more information.

Photos courtesy of Eco-Therm

Click here for a video of a severe bedbug infestation

Bedbug FAQ from the The Centers for Disease Control:

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincolns head on a penny), and can live several months without a blood meal.

Bed bugs are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Although the presence of bed bugs has traditionally been seen as a problem in developing countries, it has recently been spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe. Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found.

Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. Bed bugs have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a night but tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.

See the rest here:
Fighting the bedbug bite