Bed bugs are just a New York City problem, right? You’d better think again because bed bugs are in Florida too.
The Palm Beach Post reported that the South Florida area, especially the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas, are in the Top 50 Worst Cities for bed bugs. Other Florida cities including Tampa and Orlando made the list, too. The best way for you to deal with bed bugs is to prevent them from invading your home in the first place. Here’s how:
Bring Home Second Hand Furniture – But Not Bed Bugs
Who doesn’t love buying great furniture for a bargain? We certainly do! You know who else loves second hand furniture? That’s right: bed bugs. You don’t know necessarily know the prior conditions of that furniture set you’re about to pick up and it may be a prime breeding ground for those pesky pests. So, make sure to inspect anything you purchase second hand extremely carefully. In fact, you may even want to have a pest control expert inspect the furniture for you before you bring it into your home, just to be certain that your beautiful couch isn’t carrying along with it any unwelcome guests.
Vacations are Great, but Watch Out for Hotel Rooms
Hotels can be premiere real estate for bed bugs and you certainly don’t want the critters taking a hotel stay of their own back at your place. There are steps that you can take to prevent bed bug infestations caused by your hotel stays. Much of the prevention will center around your suitcase. You can bring large trash bags to keep your suitcases inside when you travel for protection. Bringing a small flashlight can also be helpful when you’re inspecting dark areas in the room for pests. And when you return from your vacation, it is probably worth taking the extra time to vacuum your suitcases to make sure you’re completely in the clear.
Use Protective Coverings on Your Mattress & Box Springs
Bed bugs, as their name suggests, enjoy beds. While we love nap time as much as the next gal or guy, we don’t want to share our space with bed bugs and neither do you. Protective coverings for your mattress and box spring can be a major asset in preventing the appearance of such pests. The protective covering should completely enclose the mattress and box spring. You will also want to make sure to buy a high-quality encasement so that you can prevent any tearing of the covering. Make sure periodically that the coverings don’t have any holes in them. Then you can rest easy knowing that you’re protected from the pain in the neck pests.
What if You Still Get Bed Bugs?
While prevention is the best treatment possible, all is not lost if you get bed bugs. Command Pest Control can help and we can even give your home a free inspection. You can find more information about Bed Bug treatment on our site by clicking here.
