They can hop a ride in a simple fitting room at your favorite store. Or they might hang out on your suitcase in the airport and follow you home.
Soon you’ll itch. You might think it’s an allergic reaction, but the bites will tell a different story.
Is it spiders? Mosquitoes? Fleas?
Nope. It’s an epidemic that’s taken the nation by storm. And it’s not a pretty one. Uh, oh -- it’s bed bugs.
The bed bug epidemic has turned heads around the world. These crafty critters have closed down retail stores, infested high end hotels, and even recently shut down a Virginia library.
“Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny), and can live several months without a blood meal.”
The Telltale Signs of Bed Bugs
The problem is that bed bugs can be tough to find. So even if you have them in your home, you might not know it.