HUMAN SKIN PARASITES

Bed bugs are hard to eliminate because they can hide in tiny cracks and crevices, and are difficult to starve. One adult lasted a record 550 days without a blood meal! Keeping bedding and living spaces clean is a good idea but cleanliness has little to do with bed bugs. Also, adults cannot climb slippery surfaces, so putting legs in glass jars or metal cans will work as long as the bed and bedding do not touch the wall. Finally, never bring home used furniture from the street or second hand mattresses or overstuffed furniture.

A variety of control treatments are used, including insecticides and diatomaceous earth. High temperatures (over 103 degrees F) have also been found to reduce or even destroy bedbug infestations.