WITI-TV, MILWAUKEE -
Your bed is a place you're supposed to feel safe, but you may be sharing your bed with an unwelcome guest, that can gross you out. They're creepy, crawly, and they're after your blood. Yes, we're talking about bed bugs.
It's something parents have told their children before bed for generations, but these tiny critters are much more than an urban legend.
Melissa Dolan and her husband Peter noticed the bugs in their bed, but weren't sure what they were. Melissa Dolan says, "bed bugs are something that you read about in your history books when you are in elementary school, when you stuff your mattress full of straw in the 1900's not in 2009." They had a small infestations not just in their apartment, but in their whole building. Melissa was bitten repeatedly. The problem drove the Dolans out of their apartment and into a new home.
The Dolans story is not an uncommon one. According to the website bedbugregistry.com at least 19 apartment complexes and hotels in Wisconsin have bed bug infestations. Some say that number may actually be a lot higher.
Ted Snyder a Entomologist for Batzner Pest Control says, "bed bugs disappeared for many years from the U.S. from the U.S. home, but now in the past several years they have made a resurgence and they are back with a vengeance." Snyder believes increased international travel is part of the reason the pests have made a come back.
So how can you tell if you have a bed bug infestation? First, you need to know what you're looking for. A big warning sign is tiny blood stains in your sheets and mattress. A bed bug is about a quarter of an inch long. They look similar to ticks, except bed bugs have six legs and are the color of dried blood.
Bed bugs like to make your entire bed their home. Snyder explains,"cracks and seams and folds on the mattress. The box spring and in the wood slabs underneath the bed frame, the baseboards around your bed, in your night stand, in the closet in your dresser, if you are sleeping on the couch, on the couch."
There are many pests you can take care of by yourself, but bed bugs are not one of them. To get rid of a bed bug infestation you need to call for some serious back up.
Snyder says, " what we can do is treat all the cracks and crevices where the bugs live. We're gonna be doing that treatment until the bed bugs have been completely eliminated from the home or the structure."
When fighting bed bugs it's a team effort. Synder warns everyone to remember to inspect beds whenever you do not stay at your own home.
It's something parents have told their children before bed for generations, but these tiny critters are much more than an urban legend.
Melissa Dolan and her husband Peter noticed the bugs in their bed, but weren't sure what they were. Melissa Dolan says, "bed bugs are something that you read about in your history books when you are in elementary school, when you stuff your mattress full of straw in the 1900's not in 2009." They had a small infestations not just in their apartment, but in their whole building. Melissa was bitten repeatedly. The problem drove the Dolans out of their apartment and into a new home.
The Dolans story is not an uncommon one. According to the website bedbugregistry.com at least 19 apartment complexes and hotels in Wisconsin have bed bug infestations. Some say that number may actually be a lot higher.
Ted Snyder a Entomologist for Batzner Pest Control says, "bed bugs disappeared for many years from the U.S. from the U.S. home, but now in the past several years they have made a resurgence and they are back with a vengeance." Snyder believes increased international travel is part of the reason the pests have made a come back.
So how can you tell if you have a bed bug infestation? First, you need to know what you're looking for. A big warning sign is tiny blood stains in your sheets and mattress. A bed bug is about a quarter of an inch long. They look similar to ticks, except bed bugs have six legs and are the color of dried blood.
Bed bugs like to make your entire bed their home. Snyder explains,"cracks and seams and folds on the mattress. The box spring and in the wood slabs underneath the bed frame, the baseboards around your bed, in your night stand, in the closet in your dresser, if you are sleeping on the couch, on the couch."
There are many pests you can take care of by yourself, but bed bugs are not one of them. To get rid of a bed bug infestation you need to call for some serious back up.
Snyder says, " what we can do is treat all the cracks and crevices where the bugs live. We're gonna be doing that treatment until the bed bugs have been completely eliminated from the home or the structure."
When fighting bed bugs it's a team effort. Synder warns everyone to remember to inspect beds whenever you do not stay at your own home.
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