Scientists confirm our worst fear: the super bedbug is here to stay

The results from a large bedbug study at Ohio State University have been revealed – and they don’t look good. According to scientists, bedbugs are turning into super bedbugs by becoming resistant to most common pesticides.

Compared to ten years ago, bedbugs are one thousand times more resistant to chemicals that used to kill them – and are less prone to stress from heat, cold and dehydration.

Even more alarming is that bedbugs in New York City are 250 times more resistant to pesticides than bugs from Florida – which explains why New York has such a massive bedbug problem at the moment.

The report from Ohio State is quite complex, but certainly worth a read if you like waking up in the middle of the night from bedbug nightmares.

Check out this article for more tips on how to detect and remove bedbugs – by taking basic precautions, you may be able to prevent spreading the infestation.

[Photo: AFP/Getty Images]

Video: How to detect and kill bedbugs in your hotel room

Now bed bugs have gone from occasional nuisance to major problem in some cities, it makes sense to educate yourself on how to detect and kill these pests.

In this video, you’ll see Michael Colongione, president of GotchA! Bedbug Inspectors explain how you can prevent taking bedbugs with you, and how to spot them in your (hotel) room.

With some simple tips, like carrying a flashlight and checking books in the nightstand, you’ll know exactly where to look.

If you do come across bedbugs, you can of course pack up your things and get another room. Alternatively, if your belongings are already infected, you can now kill the bugs with Pronto Plus, an EPA approved bedbug spray. Pronto Plus is available in a 3 oz. travel size canister, making it approved for transporting through security in your carry-on bag.

The travel size spray is available at Walmart, and you’ll find it in the first aid aisle.

Pest control firm announces top cities for bedbug infestations – makes you itch uncontrollably

Pest control firm Terminix just released a list of the 15 most bedbug-infested cities, “based on an analysis of call volume reporting bedbug infestations and of confirmed bedbug cases reported by sales professionals in 350 of the company’s service centers”.

The list contains very few surprises, New York takes the top spot, but Ohio manages to snag four of the top fifteen cities. Apologies in advance if I keep you up all night with phantom itches.

Getting rid of these nasty bugs is a laborious process – the Harvard School of Public Health has a great resource on how to detect and eradicate them.

Here are the top 15 cities where bedbug infestations are found:

  1. New York, NY
  2. Philadelphia PA
  3. Detroit MI
  4. Cincinnati OH
  5. Chicago IL
  6. Denver CO
  7. Columbus OH
  8. Dayton OH
  9. Washington DC
  10. Los Angeles CA
  11. Boston MA
  12. Indianapolis IN
  13. Louisville KY
  14. Cleveland OH
  15. Minneapolis MN

[Photo: AP Photo/Virginia Tech Department of Entomology]

Online tool helps check for hotel bed bug reports

WARNING: reading this article may screw up your sleep tonight.

Bed bugs are a huge problem for hotels. Obviously, not as big a problem as someone who actually ends up with bites all over their body after a night in a hotel bed, but still something they need to take seriously.

Sadly, some hotels have years of history of bed bugs, and until now, there was no real way to find the worst offenders. The online “bed bug registry” can help you track down properties you want to avoid.

By entering the city, and hotel name, you get an overview of all reports from people who have actually stayed at that property, and who ended up with bites from these bugs.

As I mentioned in the opening sentence – I really don’t recommend reading this before bed time, or if you are actually at hotel right now, because the last thing you want, is to read that you are at a property with a bad history of bugs.

New York and Las Vegas tend to pop up on the report quite a bit – though not many of these reports are from the high end properties.

In addition to infestation reports, the site also offers bed bug related products, and tips on how to get rid of them. Sadly, in many cases, arriving back home with a suitcase full of infested clothes means you’ll either need to boil them, or throw them all away, because the last thing you want is to bring them back to your own bed.