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Don’t let the bed bugs bite!
Bed bugs are on the march, and could be marching into your cottage mattresses, sofas and carpets. And, since a New York hotel has just been slapped with a US$20 million law suit because a guest was badly bitten, opening up time at the cottage may be just the right time to get checking.
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs can find their way into the cleanest house. They are efficient hitchhikers and are usually transported in on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture, etc. which is a good point to remember if you are planning on purchasing secondhand beds and couches for the cottage, or if you have bought a cottage that included furniture. Bed bugs are small and agile, escaping detection after crawling into suitcases, boxes, and belongings. The eggs are almost impossible to see. |
Adult bed bug
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Their name gives their favourite location away. Although they can live in almost any crevice or protected location, the most common place to find them is the bed. Bed bugs often hide within seams, tufts, and crevices of the mattress, box spring, bed frame and headboard. They can also live a year without food so just because the cottage is not occupied regularly doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding away just waiting for the next meal to arrive.
Bed bugs are susceptible to heat and cold and cottages that have been unheated all winter may start the season free of them. However, once owners bring in yard sale furniture and mattresses, the risk of infestation looms large. Winterised cottages are much more likely to have a problem as the temperature will remain optimum for bed bug survival and breeding through the colder months.
Mattress stained with bed bug faeces
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Finding evidence of these pesky insects is not difficult. Areas of infestation are characteristically marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the dried excrement of the bugs. You might also notice eggs and eggshells, molted skins and the bugs themselves. Another likely sign of bed bugs is rusty or reddish spots of blood on bed sheets, mattresses, or walls.
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To check if you have bed bugs at the cottage, dismantle the bed and stand the mattress and box spring on edge so that the upper and lower surfaces can be examined. Things to look for are the bugs themselves, and the light-brown, molted skins of the nymphs. Dark spots of dried bed bug excrement are often present along mattress seams or wherever the bugs have resided. Box springs afford many places for bed bugs to hide. Successful treatment of mattresses and box springs is difficult, however, and infested components may need to be discarded.
Bed bugs have an affinity for wood and fabric more so than metal or plastic, so examine all mattresses, box springs (especially underneath where the fabric is stapled to the wooden frame), and cracks and crevices of bed frames. Sofas and upholstered chairs can be major bed bug hotspots, especially when used for sleeping, so make sure you check your pullout couches carefully, particularly seams, tufts, skirts, and crevices.
Nightstands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out, then tipped over to inspect the woodwork underneath. Oftentimes, the bugs will be hiding in cracks, corners, and recesses.
Other common places to find bed bugs include: along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture); cracks in wood molding; ceiling-wall junctures; behind wall-mounts, picture frames, switch plates and outlets; under loose wallpaper; amongst clothing stored in closets; and inside clocks, phones, televisions and smoke detectors.
Treating an infestation can be tricky as most housecleaning measures are of little benefit in bed bug management. Bed bugs (especially the eggs) can be difficult to dislodge. Optimum results will be achieved by moving and scraping the end of the suction wand along infested areas such as seams, tufts and edges of bedding, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Afterward, dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Steam cleaning of carpets may be helpful for killing bugs and eggs that vacuuming may have missed.
Infested bedding and garments can be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum), or discarded since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. Items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be de-infested by heating for several minutes in a clothes dryer. Other items, such as mattresses can be wrapped in plastic and placed in a hot, sunny location for at least a few days (the 120°F minimum target temperature should be monitored in the centermost location with a thermometer).
Even the cleanest cottage can be infested with bed bugs, so keep a regular lookout through the rental season. Check the mattresses, sofas and other upholstered furniture. Buy new pillows and bedding at the beginning of each season and make sure there are mattress covers on each bed.
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