KEY POINTS:
• Bed bugs are not caused by poor sanitation or ones social status
• Bed bug infestations must be introduced by bringing in an item that has bugs or eggs associated with it.
• Poor sanitation, particularly clutter, can make it much more difficult to control or eliminate a bed bug infestation.
The thought that bed bugs are the result of poor sanitation and/or poverty is a big misconception. Bed bugs do not discriminate based on one’s social status or the cleanliness of their home. The fact is that cleanliness has nothing to do with getting bed bugs. Bed bug infestations can occur in the most expensive hotels, multi-million dollar estates as well as homeless shelters and everything in between regardless of the existing sanitary conditions. In order for a bed bug infestation to begin they must be introduced by bringing bugs from an infested environment and introducing them to a previously un-infested one. Some examples include staying in a bed bug infested environment, having a guest visit that brings bugs with them, purchasing an item or accepting delivery of an item that has bugs or eggs on it. As a result, bed bug infestations can affect anyone, anywhere, and are occurring in hotels, apartments, single family homes, upscale commercial office buildings, school classrooms, laundromats, public transportation and the list goes on and on.
While sanitation may not have anything to do with the onset of an infestation, it can have a tremendous impact on the ability to control or eliminate an infestation. Crowded and cluttered living conditions are one of the more challenging obstacles to overcome in an eradication effort. Bed bugs hide and lay their eggs virtually everywhere. As a result clutter provides an unlimited number of areas where bed bugs can harbor and remain well-protected from control efforts.
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Clutter can provide an unlimited number of hiding places for bugs to hide.
Bugs and eggs amongst clutter cannot be readily treated with
conventional pesticides creating a real obstacle to control.
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