Bed bugs and Public Places

Many people think of bed bugs as only being something they have to worry about in their home. They hear bed bugs and think "bed", but unfortunately bed bugs are not something that is limited to someone's home.

Since bed bugs have been making a well publicized return it is important to remember that bed bugs can be found in many public places and not just at someone homes.

Today's blog post will discuss 5 of the top 10 public bed bug infestation spots. We'll conclude the list tomorrow!

1. Hospitals and Nursing Homes- bed bugs are not really know for disriminating against anyone and that includes the sick, elderly or the employees of these institutions. There have been cases in recent years where some hospitals had to quarantine some rooms and triage centres in order to fight the spread of bed bugs.

2. Laundry Facilities- this one almost seems like a no-brainer...right? Granted washing and drying your clothes and bedding in super hot water is a good start to treating bed bugs, if you are in a laundry in a laundromat you are at risk for picking it up from someone there. It's a good idea to keep your clothing and bedding separate from other people to try and avoid cross contamination.

3. Retail Stores- Another obvious one? right? If you are at a retail store and maybe you are trying on some clothes, it's important to know that while it is rare, it is possible to get bed bugs that way. Bed bugs could also be found on furniture, in shoes. etc. Some stores have had to close down to deal with bed bug infestations after discovering the pesky critters within the stores.

4. Movie theatres- A movie theatre has plushy seats and LOTS of hosts in which they can travel on. See where I'm going with this? Movie theatres are a really good places to catch bed bugs and bring them home with you.

5. Public Libraries- did you see this one coming? Recently bed bugs have been found in a few libraries around Ontario (and probably Canada and the States as well but I cannot confirm nor deny). Anyway bed bugs can be found in books and if you happen to check those books out, you could potentially bring bed bugs into your home. You could also bring bed bugs into your home by visiting the library if you hang around the library reading or using their computers.

Check back tomorrow for the last 5 public places where bed bugs could be an issue.

If you have a problem with bed bugs or any other pests or you think you may, give Cottage Country Pest Control a call at 705-54-7863 or email us today.