BED BUG AWARENESS WEEK
The first week of June each year focuses on Bed Bug Awareness. Though bed bugs are active all year long, infestations tend to spike in the spring and summer due to the heavy travel season.
Bed bugs are small brownish insects. They live off the blood of humans or animals and are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale. Their flat oval bodies look a bit like an apple seed making them difficult to detect, and the females produce over 100 dust-sized offspring in a lifetime. While they don’t fly, they do move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings.
They enter buildings through luggage, clothing and used furniture such as mattresses, box springs, sofas, and chairs, hiding in small spaces and crevices. While a pest, they don’t transmit disease. They do bite leaving small red marks, often found in a line. There are other signs of bed bugs, too.
- the bites may cause blood stains on sheets and pillowcases
- bedbugs leave dark or rusty spots on walls, sheets, mattresses, and bedding caused their excrement
- they also cause an odor that may be offensive
It is possible to get rid of bed bugs, but it does take effort and diligence. Even the cleanest homes can become infested, too. They can hitch a ride on just about any piece of luggage, purse, or laptop case and take up residence in your home after you’ve traveled somewhere.
HOW TO OBSERVE #BedBugAwarenessWeek
Learn more about bed bugs, how to protect yourself and your home. Access resources and tips for eradicating an infestation, too. Join the conversation by using #BedBugAwarenessWeek.
BED BUG AWARENESS WEEK HISTORY
The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) promotes Bed Bug Awareness Week each year through media campaigns and with the support of the pest management industry.
