A Midlife Matters reader recently sent me this email:
"After reading your bedbugs post, I'm so paranoid...I travel a lot on business and when I stay in hotels, I inspect the mattress with a magnifying glass that I pack in my suitcase! But what about the possibility of bedbugs in my own house? Where do I look for them?"
It seems to me that this struck a nerve with a lot of you. So, I did a little research to find out more.
Although they're called BEDbugs, beds are not the only place these pesky creatures are found. They like to hide in small crevices; so things like luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows or boxes are not immune, either. Used furniture (especially bed frames and mattresses) can harbor the bugs and their eggs. So the next time you fall in love with an antique dresser in the consignment shop or are tempted to take some else's cast-offs, look for more than just chipped paint.
And if you live in an apartment building, your neighbor may be unknowingly sharing his or her bedbugs with you: they can wander between adjoining apartments through voids in walls and holes where pipes or wires pass through.
Bedbugs love to find itty-bitty hiding places. Have you been waiting to clean out all your clutter? Maybe bedbugs will be your incentive!
