Today in Yahoo front cover was a big story on how bed bugs have reached an alarming high rate since world war ii. Some say this is due to the changes in pesticides and certain government product bans. A few shelters in North Carolina have had to shut down due to this invasion.

There is a proposal that is to add 50 million dollars into the budget to train health inspectors. Similar to rashes, it isn’t always easy to identify the bugs that are in the environment. There are already programs set up for cockroaches and rodents by the Dept of Health and Human Svcs. This would add bed bugs to their list. Bed bugs don’t carry diseases so aren’t seen as a threat compared to other situations such as lyme’s disease which can cause memory loss, joint pain and a host of other health issues.

People are getting bitten by bedbugs at settings such as hotels , trains etc as they can travel easily and often get away with being unnoticed. Exterminators are noticing this though and report that there is over a 60 percent increase in calls over these critters in last few years.

Pesticides are unpleasant but appear to be important tools for this problem. Heating and freezing are also used. Hopefully, landlords will need to be in compliance as this problem in apartment buildings in NY and other metropolitan areas is now often reported. With the economy, many people are turning to thrift shops but buying used furniture can be problematical due to these being great hideaways for bed bugs. If you buy clothing at thrift shops be sure to wash everything very well in hot water. This isn’t just advice for bed bugs, but also for scabies. Sometimes people will get scabies living in an assisted living facility and staff or loved ones think that it’s a rash from eczema, diabetes or another condition. When they pass away, they may bring all their clothing to a thrift shop. It is always good to do a thorough washing as you don’ t know the previous environment these items were in.