Bed bugs are creepin’

By: Sher Hann

As we all march into the malls buying gifts and throwing them in our closets until the special day, here is a word to the wise. Bed bugs are on the move!

Two years ago year my son suffered an infestation in his apartment in San Francisco. “There’s one on the dust ruffle!” he screamed into the phone at 11:30 one night. Thus began an expensive ordeal and two months of his sleeping in his living room.

The advice below came across my desk from a friend, and even if you don’t believe it, it offers an easy precaution:

“We have friends here in our community and one of their sons is an entomologist (insect expert) who travels all over the country as an advisor to many of stores. He is telling them that there is an epidemic of bed bugs now occurring in America. Recently,  several stores in New York City have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete mall in New Jersey.

“He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc. now comes from companies outside of America, even the most expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not consider them a problem. He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and socks, sheets and towels, bring them into the house and put them in your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill them and their eggs.

“DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST. It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else for that matter. That is the reason so many stores, many of them clothing stores, have had to shut down in New York and other places. All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and your live will change forever in an expensive way as you try to get rid of them.”

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