Health & Lifestyle

I’m a New Yorker who’s had bedbugs four times – this is what to look for and how to get rid of them

  • Bedbugs have also been a problem in major US cities, causing itchy red welts
  • Their march across Paris underscores fact that they strike rich and poor equally
  • READ MORE:  Put duvets in the freezer, UK landlords tell tenants in bedbug panic

A New Yorker who has endured four separate bedbug infestations revealed her tried and true methods for getting rid of the insects. 

The flat-bodied bugs hide in fabric such as mattresses and upholstery during the day before coming out at night and wreaking havoc on human skin, leaving behind itchy red welts.

New York City resident Rebecca Fishbein who has been plagued by four separate bed bug outbreaks advised people to toss clothes and linens in the dryer to kill the bugs and to get a qualified exterminator in to handle furniture.

Bed bugs do not discriminate and are just as eager to strike the rich and famous in luxury European hotels as they are middle- and low-income New York City apartment dwellers, making them all the more threatening.

Bedbugs are not disease carriers, but being bitten by one causes itchy red welts on the skin similar to poison ivy

Bedbugs are not disease carriers, but being bitten by one causes itchy red welts on the skin similar to poison ivy

The insets hide in mattress fabric and crevices before emerging at night to bite their sleeping victims. The bugs can also hide in clothing, furniture, and even books

The insets hide in mattress fabric and crevices before emerging at night to bite their sleeping victims. The bugs can also hide in clothing, furniture, and even books

Bedbugs are not a new phenomenon. They lurk in hotels across the US, including those on the Las Vegas strip where the bugs have been found in nine hotels. 

They’re also a common scourge among New York residents where apartments are so close together that bugs can migrate easily from one resident to another.

But when Parisian fashionistas snapped pictures during Fashion Week from September 25 through October 3 in hotels and on the metro of the little bugs, the story picked up steam quickly, garnering input from the French government which pledged to address the ‘scourge’ of bedbugs.

Emmanuel Grégoire, Paris’ deputy mayor, said: ‘No one is safe.

‘Faced with a bedbug infestation, coordinated measures are needed that bring together health authorities, communities and all relevant stakeholders to prevent the risk and act effectively.’

The UK is now seeing an outbreak, with Britons finding the insects on subway seats as well as apartments. 

Landlords there are now recommending tenants to ‘put their duvets in freezers’ and empty their vacuums.

Bedbugs are just as common stateside as they are across the pond, especially in cities. They are most prevalent in Baltimore, Maryland, Washington, DC, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City.

Rebecca Fishbein, a writer for Insider, shared her experience with four separate bouts of bedbug infestations in three different New York City apartments.

She said: ‘They love to hitch rides in used furniture and clothing. High heat is the single best way to kill live bugs and eggs, so if you buy clothes from a thrift store, throw them in a dryer for 30 minutes to an hour when you get home.

‘If you find upholstered or even wooden furniture — yes, they can make a home in those crevices, too — on the street, I suggest leaving it there, no matter how nice it might look in your living room. (Metal furniture is a safer bet, although it’s not immune.) 

‘Don’t even think about getting a used mattress.’

Bedbugs do not carry diseases and are not as dangerous as other insects, but they are nasty. 

Their bites are itchy and can be painful. It can also take a long time for them to disappear. 

UK-native Natalie Brown, who went on beach vacation to Spain, accumulated bites all over her body from sleeping on the sofa in her hotel room. Even when she returned home, the bites worsened and she was prescribed a course of antibiotics to clear her inflamed and itchy skin.

Natalie Brown (pictured), 28, was left covered in bedbug bites after she spent three days on a vacation in Benidorm, Spain

Natalie Brown (pictured), 28, was left covered in bedbug bites after she spent three days on a vacation in Benidorm, Spain

Her reaction to the bites was so severe, Ms Brown required a course of antibiotics to clear her inflamed and itchy skin

Her reaction to the bites was so severe, Ms Brown required a course of antibiotics to clear her inflamed and itchy skin

Ms Brown said: ‘My bites were incredibly itchy, they were sore, I couldn’t show my legs and arm for around six months until the bites and scars went down.

‘My friends didn’t think the bites were that bad when they were fresh, but then in the following weeks they got bigger and lots of people were shocked by the amount of bites on me, especially the ones on my face.’

It is unlikely that their would-be victims would be able to spot them, as they hide in dark crevices during the day.

And because their saliva contains a mild anesthetic, their bites can’t be felt till much later. Finding signs of fecal matter on a mattress, which looks like tiny dashes made by a Sharpie marker, is a good indication that it’s time to call in an exterminator.

Ms Fishbein said: ‘You can even get a bedbug-sniffing dog to come in to suss out exactly where live bugs are located, which makes the experience somewhat cuter.’

But the treatment process can be arduous. It involves heating all clothing and bedding in the dryer to kill the bugs, taking furniture apart, vacuuming, and lifting the mattress.

To prevent infestations in the first place, people should invest in a mattress and box spring protector. And a portable heater called a PackTite can heat up shoes, suitcases, books, and other objects that can’t go in a dryer.

When staying in a hotel, insect experts recommend checking the bed for signs, either bug exoskeletons or droppings. And never put a suitcase on the floor. Instead, experts recommend placing it on a tile floor or in the bathtub.

Ms Fishbein said: ‘Having bedbugs is stressful and expensive. It can feel lonely and isolating. It can make you fight with the people you live with, whether they’re roommates or a partner or your entire family. But a bedbug infestation is just one battle among many.

‘And remember: You can always set fire to all your possessions and move.’


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