The first week of June is Bedbug Awareness Week — and D.C. ranks as one of the top 10 worst places in the country for bedbugs, according to both Orkin and Terminix, two major pest control companies.
Jared Davis is a technician and field specialist with ECO Bed Bug Exterminators DC, which services the DMV region.
“D.C. has a very high case of bedbugs,” David said. “There’s not a neighborhood, a street, that I haven’t been on. They’re almost literally everywhere guaranteed, even in the newer buildings.”
Adult bedbugs are reddish brown, about the size and shape of an apple seed. You might also see the shells they leave behind. When they’re first born, they’re translucent and harder to spot.
Davis said 80% of their clients get bedbugs from traveling. And this time of year, ECO Bed Bug Exterminators DC sees a 50% to 75% increase in calls. During the summer, they work seven days a week to keep up with demand.
“(With) people renting out their homes, it’s an open door, people in and out. That’s how bedbugs happen,” Davis said. “We’ll go to a five-star resort or hotel and there they are in droves. It does not matter where you stay.”
When you go on vacation, he said, do not put your luggage on or near the bed. Instead, place it in the bathtub and then check for bedbugs, preferably with a UV light, which you can buy online.
Bedbug bites look like little mosquito bumps but are generally grouped close together in threes or fours. People usually get bitten on their arms, sides, legs or neck, but Davis said many people don’t have a reaction to bedbugs and bites don’t show up on their skin.
Davis also said many clients get bedbugs from their neighbors, especially if you live in a row house, townhome or apartment.
“They literally get in through the walls. They come through the baseboards, they come through the outlets, cracks, and crevices,” he said. “We deal with that literally every week.”
If you have bedbugs, he recommends you seek professional help, but a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol will kill bedbugs and bedbug eggs on contact. He does not recommend using foggers.
“Bedbugs are smart and they start to spread,” he said. “Let’s say they were only on the bed. Well, now you’re pushing them to the baseboards, the cracks, the crevices, the outlets, cracks in the walls, behind pictures.”
Bedbugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and body heat. Davis says they can live without feeding for up to 16 months.
“Keep your eyes peeled,” Davis said. “They’re out there.”
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