“I wouldn’t say it is an epidemic,” responded Jamie Calavera, First District Health Unit of Minot when asked about a report of bedbugs within the city. “People don’t have to report them to us. Bedbugs are not a public health threat. They do not transmit any disease. They are a nuisance.”

Calavera added that the Health Unit periodically receives reports from motels, apartments, condominiums or single family homes that have concerns about bedbugs. Eliminating bedbugs in buildings with multiple residences, such as apartments, is particularly challenging because bedbugs can easily spread from one unit to another. Extermination efforts in a single apartment of a multi-unit building is usually effective only in the short term if other apartments are not treated as well.

“The best course of action is to get an exterminator,” said Calavera. “That’s the best action that you can do.”

Bedbugs are easily transported from one location to another, such as in luggage or furniture. The little pests bite humans and leave red marks that swell and itch. There’s a creepy factor to them too as they emerge from hiding places in mattresses, furniture cushions or elsewhere.

“It has nothing to do with hygiene or sanitation,” said Calavera. “They can be year-round.”

Treatment efforts for bedbugs includes chemical application, heat or freezing. A professional exterminator can advise the best course of action. If freezing is used for luggage or other items suspected of containing bedbugs, it may take up to two weeks of treatment to insure the elimination of the bugs and their eggs.

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Top 10 tips to prevent or control bed bugs

1. Make sure you really have bed bugs, not fleas, ticks or other insects.

2. Don’t panic! It can be difficult to eliminate bed bugs, but it’s not impossible.

3. Think through your treatment options – Don’t immediately reach for the spray can. Be comprehensive in your approach. Try other things first. Integrated pest management (IPM) techniques may reduce the number of bed bugs and limit your contact with pesticides

4. Reduce the number of hiding places – clean up the clutter.

5. Regularly wash and heat-dry your bed sheets, blankets, bedspreads and any clothing that touches the floor.

6. Do-it-yourself freezing may not be a reliable method for bed bug control.

7. Kill bed bugs with heat, but be very careful. Bed bugs die when their body temperatures reaches 45 degrees C (113 degrees F). To kill bed bugs with heat, the room or container must be even hotter to ensure sustained heat reaches the bugs no matter where they are hiding.

8. Don’t pass your bed bugs on to others.

9. Reduce the number of bed bugs to reduce bites.

10. Turn to the professionals, if needed. Hiring an experienced, responsible pest control professional can increase your chance of success in getting rid of bed bugs. If you hire an expert, be sure it’s a company with a good reputation and request that it use an IPM approach.

For more information, visit https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency