Bedbugs – YUCK!

Dear Mamas,

My 9-year-old son went to a sleepover at his best friend’s house last weekend, as he does at least every few weeks. In between, the other boy is a frequent guest in our home.

After this last overnight the boy’s mother called me, horribly embarrassed and apologetic, to tell me they’d discovered bedbugs had infested the children’s rooms. She wanted to warn me in case my guy had unknowingly carried them back to our house.

YUCK! What do we do now?

Disgusted …

Dear Disgusted,

Can’t say I blame you. Just mentioning bedbugs makes almost everyone feel creepy crawly, and knowing they may have found a route into your home is even worse.

Bedbugs made a resurgence in 2010 and became one of the big stories of the year. We all heard stories about hotel rooms needing fumigation, and even the huge Nike store in Manhattan had to close for several days until they could be eradicated.

The little suckers are tiny — about the size of a pencil point — and hide in the crevices and folds of bedding until the nighttime hours when they come out to feast on us. The average bedbug can survive up to one year without eating at all, meaning they’re hard to get rid of and will probably outlive us humans.

The only good news is that bedbugs don’t pose a health hazard and don’t carry disease. They tend to leave itchy bite marks, although some people can have allergic reactions to them. The only foolproof way to get rid of them is an expensive extermination process. We actually don’t have a pesticide that is both safe, cheap and guaranteed to work.

In the meantime, check your son for bites and signs he’s been scratching. Examine mattresses often; look carefully for small black dots at the seam where the binding meets the mattress. If you find the tell-tale signs call an exterminator you trust and discuss your options. Natural methods for eradication include the application of steam heat combined with thorough vacuuming.

Keep in mind that this is one of those problems that’s more annoying than anything, and try not to sweat the small stuff.

Good luck!

~ the Mamas