Can't stop scratching? Maybe bedbugs are to blame.
And it may get worse before it gets better.
Complaints have skyrocketed lately, possibly due to the weather. Hundreds of calls came in to the Health Department after a recent heat wave, affecting everyone from cheap SROs to swanky hotels.
The National Bedbug Registry shows infestations across the city.
The only effective response is to move fast.
Immediately quarantine the affected apartment and call in an exterminator before the bugs have a chance to establish a foothold. Freezing, pesticides, and steam cleaning can be effective bug-killers.
Experts advise that when you travel, you should inspect hotel mattresses for little dark spots in the crevasses, and hang your clothes on racks rather than placing them in dressers.
And if you're furnishing your home, watch out for used furniture.
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And if you want to be extra sure you've gotten rid of them, you can always call for a badbug-sniffing dog.
It takes five to ten minutes for a trained beagle to detect eggs in a bedroom.
