Bed bugs were crawling the Walmart stores in Winnipeg this past month. What a thing to happen in this day and age.
When I was a kid in the late forties and fifties, bed bugs were commonplace in some nearby homes. They thrived in abundance, especially in houses where people didn't know how to get rid of them. Some even had the mindset that they just had to live with bedbugs, because contact with someone who carried the bugs was inevitable. Back then, kerosene was placed in containers under the beds to slow the infestation process. If you smoked, you might not only get rid of the bed bugs, but your dwelling as well.
Later, DDT, a very toxic chemical sprayed alongside roads killed nasty, annoying bugs like mosquitoes, bull flies, and other biting insects. But the chemical also killed birds, and bees, and other good insects. DDT wasn't something you could purchase to use indoors.
Today, they say don't use such extreme measures. Hire an exterminator. Well, I don't really know what the difference would be, except the latter route would be very costly. Either way, drastic measures are definitely required to get rid of these nasty pests.
I hate bugs inside a house. If I see any kind of bug, I reach for the can of Raid. I try to vacuum regularly, and am in the frame of mind, now especially since bed bugs have made a definite come back, to vacuum my mattresses, couches, and of course, carpets. A complete, thorough clean-up between ribbing, edges, and staples on the box spring must be followed up. These pesky bugs can even live in your curtains, and clothing. They can spread to the inside of your walls, and hide between baseboards, window casings, and sills. The bad news is bed bugs have become resistant to pesticides.
Bed bugs live on human blood. But they can live a long time without consumption. Their lifespan is from 12 to 18 months. I call them today's real vampires.
Can you get AIDS from bed bugs you might wonder?
It is not the bugs that pass on the HIV virus, however, the human blood sucked inside the body of a bed bug. It is theoretically possible that a squashed bug might spread the virus to a human. It would require the right circumstances and is unlikely.
Rather than live in fear, take precautions. Vacuuming often is the best thing to do, but you must throw out your vacuum bag if you suspect you may have these little critters living under your roof. The second thing is place your items in a dryer on high heat, and for the duration of a complete cycle. Thirdly, you can also place your blankets, pillows, cushions, and small carpets outdoors for up to 24 hours.
Make use of the cold weather to exterminate bed bugs. Use the means you have available, and please do not procrastinate. Rise up to the battle against these blood-sucking vampires.
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