No bugs in my bed!
I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. No I didn’t go out last night. Ok, I went out Friday night, but that’s not the point.
The point? I couldn’t get out of bed. I knew I should. I had things to do, but I couldn’t. It was so comfortable….and I couldn’t get out. Which is more than I can say while I was traveling. Have you tried to sleep with ten other people in a room? What about a room with walls like paper?
What about a bed with bugs? OK I’ve done the first two, but luckily not the last. Yes I went to 24 countries in a year and I never had a problem with bed bugs.
But apparently I was lucky! Apparently in the United States right now there is a degree of a break-out! The number one city to have bedbugs?
New York! Yes, I’m sorry to tell you and maybe I should have told my friend who flew to this metropolis yesterday. Number two? Philadelphia.
So what do these little buggers look like? According to Cornell University the adults look like apple seeds with legs. Baby bed-bugs are about the size of a poppy-seed and their eggs are white and very hard to see. You can see the adult bed bugs!
Now here’s the fun part. Here’s the stuff you have to worry about if you’re traveling to New York or trying to buy things for your apartment. Where do Bed-bugs live?
The easy answer? Everywhere. The more detailed? In cracks and crevices of bed frames, floors, walls, furniture, electronics, mattresses, and luggage, but mostly they like places where people chill. Why? Because they like to eat us.
Next fun topic…..What do Bed-bugs actually do? Well first what they do not do: for one they do not transmit disease. And for two they do not indicate filth. Bermudians should understand. We have cockroaches running around our houses and it has everything to do with the tropical climate and nothing to do with a mop.
Bed bugs do: Feed on you as you sleep. Bites look like a rash or welts—or you may not notice them at all.
No bugs in my bed in Halong Bay, Vietnam
But they can go for a year without food! And you may never see them. On the CBS Sunday Morning news programme they also suggested checking your sheets for pin prick sized blood stains. Fun times.
But what are you going to do if you’re traveling? It’s very easy to sit at home and make sure you’re safe. If you buy something at a garage sale make sure you check it thoroughly before bringing it into your house.
But hotels? Hostels? You have no control. That’s why Cornell University has this convenient download for signs to check that you don’t have bed bugs in your room.
Most important? check the bed obviously, but also when you get home wash all of your things in hot water and dry them in a very hot dryer!
Which is also how you can get rid of them from home. Pick-up your sheets and through them in a dryer on hot and be able to sleep peacefully.
Then your only problem? Trying to get out of bed. I’ve got my coffee to help!
Robyn's Wanderings 