Did you know that bed bugs can go months without a meal? This is but one of many interesting facts about a pest that was nearly eradicated in the United States a decade ago, but now has made an unwelcome resurgence in homes, apartments, hotels, dorm rooms, hospitals, and a slew of other locations.

Because this is National Bed Bug Awareness week, Clark, your neighborly termite, lawn care, and pest control expert, would like to remind you that Clark Pest Control stands ready with the latest technologies and service techniques to help remove and prevent a bed bug infestation from bothering you and your family.

How common are bed bugs in the United States? A recent study by the National Pest Management Association, found that 97 percent of pest professionals treated a home or place of business for bed bugs in 2018.

That study, titled “Bugs Without Borders,” further revealed that 89 percent of pest professionals reported treating for bed bug infestations in single-family homes, and 88 percent reported treating bed bug infestations in apartments or condominiums. Doesn’t that hit you right where you live?

So what can you do to protect your home and family from bed bugs? Clark sat down with the bed bug experts at Clark Pest Control and came up with a list of helpful tips to prevent bed bugs in your everyday life.

Topping the list is to have regular bed bug inspections of your home, apartment, or condo. Prevention and denial are the two worst enemies to bed bugs – or any pest, for that matter. Here are some other prevention tips to keep in mind:

• Regularly inspect areas where pets sleep for signs of bed bugs, such as pepper-like stains, molted bed bug skins, and white, sticky eggs.
• Never bring secondhand furniture, especially mattresses and box springs, into a home or college dorm without thoroughly examining them for signs of a bed bug infestation.
• When traveling for business or pleasure, thoroughly inspect the entire hotel room or Airbnb apartment or house before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in furniture. Pull back the bed sheets and check the mattress seams for pepper-like stains that may be evidence of bed bug activity.
• If you suspect an infestation or problem, notify management and change rooms immediately. Be sure the new room is not adjacent to, or directly below or above, the possibly infested room you just left.
• Keep suitcases in plastic trash bags or protective covers during a hotel stay to prevent bed bugs from nesting there. Do not put them on the beds.

• Upon returning home from a trip, inspect all suitcases and other belongings before bringing them into the house.
• Wash all clothes – even those that have not been worn – in hot water, and dry them using an extra-hot dryer setting.

If you have questions or concerns about bed bugs – these are not pests with an off-the-shelf DIY remedy that you can order online or pickup at your neighborhood home improvement store, call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or email Clark at clarkcares@clarkpest.com.

Until next time, I’m Clark, and thanks for helping me keep unwanted pests out of your home and yard.