Bed Bug Prevention

Don’t wait for the bed bug to bite! Here are some tips from the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program on steps you can take now to keep them out of your bed.

Bed bugs cannot fly so they infest homes by being transported in clothing, backpacks, suitcases, mattresses or other furniture. They can also walk in from adjacent apartments or rooms through cracks or conduits for electrical wiring or plumbing. They search for a sleeping human by moving up walls, bed linens, bed legs or anything touching the bed.

Prevent bed bugs from gaining a foothold in your home!

• Carefully inspect clothing and baggage after you have travelled. Place clothes in sealed plastic bags until they can be laundered.
• Avoid acquiring used furniture and mattresses – these may be infested.
• Remove clutter from the home, especially the bedrooms where bed bugs can find added places to hide. A bed bug infestation is NOT a sign of lack of cleanliness. It just means that they found a way to enter and hide in your home.
• Seal cracks and crevices, especially those that lead to other rooms/floors.
• Keep beds clear above and below. Do not pile coats or “foreign” clothing on beds
• Use solid, light-colored sheets – these make early detection of bed bugs easier.
• If you live in an apartment building and are concerned about bed bugs, keep them from climbing up the bed by pulling the bed away from the walls, making sure no bedding touches the floor. Around each bed leg, spread a thick layer of petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline®) in a band at least 2 inches wide and about 6 inches off the floor. Bed bugs cannot crawl through this barrier. You can also use small, nested dishes of soapy water (in the outer dish) under each leg, or commercial devices such as the CLIMBUP® Insect Interceptor.

For the latest tips on bed bug control visit PA IPM’s newly created bed bug resources section at http://extension.psu.edu/ipm/resources/bedbug

If you have any gardening questions please call your county extension office. In Lackawanna County call our garden help line at 963-6842 ext. 1377 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu

Terry Schettini, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County