It’s truly unfortunate when you figure out that your home is infested by bed bugs.
Symptoms from bites can include:
- Skin irritation.
- Burning sensation.
- Rashes.
- And unsightly welts on your body.
If the symptoms weren’t enough…
You also have to worry about replacing personal property, medical costs, and the cost of pest control.
This leads victims of bed bugs to ask the following question:
Is there a possibility that bed bugs will go away on their own?
The answer to this question is a resounding no, but before we elaborate further it’s important to understand what brings bed bugs into your home.
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Where Do Bed Bug Infestations Come from?
Most insects are seasonal, and because of that bed bugs are often mistaken for other bugs that look like bed bugs.
When you identify a bed bug in your home, you’re left wondering how it got there, because you thought your home or apartment was squeaky clean.
Well, a common misconception is that bed bug infestations are caused by filth. In reality, bed bugs don’t care whether it’s a five-star hotel or a rundown apartment, once they arrive, they are very hard to get rid of.
Bed bugs are not drawn to decay, they can live in any type of environment.
(Hence why they’re very resilient creatures).
These insects will thrive unless they have a consistent source of blood as a food supply.
Unlike other bugs, they can’t fly to get their food or live on a host like ticks, so instead, they hide near a food source.
(Until it’s safe to come out and feed).
Bed bugs dwell almost exclusively with humans, and they can be found all over the world and especially in the United States. While it’s easy to assume that bed bugs prefer hotels or motels, the list of places is actually much more extensive.
They can be found in places such as:
- Transportation Vehicles (Buses, trains, taxis etc.)
- Offices
- Colleges
- Assisted Living Facilities
- Furniture Stores
- Daycares
So How Did You Get Bed Bugs?
Here are some common places where you might have been exposed to bed bugs:
- Hotels or Motels – Make sure to inspect beds and hotel room furniture for bed bugs before spending the night.
- City Bus or Train – If you take the bus, be sure to check the seats before you sit down.
- Your Children – When they come back from school or visit a friend’s house, they could bring these bugs home with them. Do a quick check of their belongings when they arrive to ensure they don’t bring bed bugs into your home.
- Used Furniture – In general we would recommend against buying used furniture for this very case. If you are compelled to do so, it’s important to examine closely for black specs, bed bug shells, or blood stains.
What Should You Do If You Have Bed Bugs?
First off, make sure to seek medical attention for your injuries. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may need to go to the hospital and get treated by a professional.
If you have grounds for a lawsuit, this is the type of expense you could recover in your quest for financial compensation.
The next thing you should do is bring in the right help. It’s not recommended to try and fight the infestation on your own.
DIY treatments are often detrimental to your health and less effective. Especially because bed bugs have recently developed resistance to common insecticides.
Another issue with DIY treatments is that they may kill some bed bugs and scatter the rest…
Making your problem significantly worse.
Nowadays proven methods for killing bed bugs are to use heat and steam.
(According to thewirecutter.com bed bugs and their eggs die at temperatures above 113 degrees Fahrenheit).
All of the effective treatments require professional services and training in order to be implemented safely and effectively.
Who Should You Call For Help?
Make sure to do your research and hire a credible bed bug professional.
Don’t assume all pest control operators are equal, make sure they offer up pre and post inspections, along with “multi-pronged” treatments.
Avoid exterminators who schedule treatments without inspections and those that tell you to discard all your belongings.
According to the National Pest Management Association, it’s not necessary to throw away your items because treating them is a part of the job of pest control.
It’s important that you take these measures to deal with the issue quickly and effectively. Maybe that’s not the news you wanted to hear, but at the end of the day, this problem will not go away on its own.
In fact, the longer this problem goes on, the worse it’s going to get.
Infestations have the tendency to spread and intensify if left untouched. You will also be putting your friends and neighbors at risk by allowing bed bugs to spread in your home.
Female bed bugs can lay up to 5 eggs per day, and a mismanaged infestation can turn very expensive for victims.
The longer you wait to deal with an infestation, the worst your symptoms could get.
There are many common health issues that lead to prolonged exposure such as:
- Inability to Sleep.
- Allergic Reactions.
- Skin Infection.
- Increased Stress and Mental Instability.
- And more!
File A Lawsuit For Your Infestation
If you felt victim to an infestation in a temporary residence such as a hotel or apartment, you may have a case for financial compensation.
Let’s look at both scenarios:
- Sue a Landlord
It’s possible to sue a landlord for a bed bug infestation in any state. Each state does have different regulations when it comes to these lawsuits, for example, New York requires landlords to disclose a one-year history of bed bugs to prospective new tenants.
These types of laws help support the tenant’s right to sue.
2. Sue a Hotel Manager
It is the duty of hotel management and staff to provide a clean and safe environment for guests. It’s important in this case to prove negligence.
A fairly common example of this is when previous reports to management of bed bug attacks are left untreated. Further, for guests to stay at a hotel for one night and receive dozens of bed bug bites, negligence can be quite easy to prove.
What Kind of Damages Can You Claim?
When suing over bed bugs you might be entitled to compensation for damages.
Examples of these damages can include any of the following:
- Medical Expenses
- Replacing Belongings
- Cost of Lodging for Period of Extermination
- Lost Wages
- Extermination Costs
How Do Bed Bugs Start?
So, to summarize on everything discussed above, how to bed bugs start?
Bed bugs are wonderful travelers and are well hidden. These critters can attach themselves to luggage, boxes, sneakers and other items, traveling on these objects to make their new home. Once they latch onto a new environment, bed bugs will multiply all around their new home, whether it be a multi-family apartment complex or a single-family home.
Bed bugs can make a home in any room (not just a bed).
These areas include:
- Cracks and crevices in the drywall.
- Crowding around baseboards.
- Within the folds of the mattress.
- Around bedding and inside the box spring.
The NPMA’s Bugs Without Borders Research found that bed bugs could be uncovered in just about any place. These difficult pests usually come out in the night to feed on hosts while they’re asleep.
However, they are opportunistic insects, taking only one blood meal per day.
Bed bugs usually require anywhere from 7 to 12 minutes until they become fully engorged with blood. In these instances, it’s important to understand how you can properly identify the signs of bed bugs while spending time in areas that are well populated, with a revolving door of foot traffic.
The Long Answer To A Short Question
By now you know that bed bugs will NOT go away on their own. Bed bugs have entered your space for one reason only, and that’s to feed on you. As long as you remain in your home, bed bugs will continue to feast.
The longer you wait to contact a licensed professional, the more bed bugs you will have. This leads to a greater risk of exposure to serious illness and disease, and a great danger to your physical, emotional, and mental health.
At the end of the day, you can minimize risk by intervening and acting quickly. If you’re a renter or a guest at a hotel, talk to your landlord or hotel management before acting, because you may not be responsible for expensive bed bug treatments.
If you have suffered from a bed bug infestation and would like to learn if you’re entitled to compensation, contact our bed bug lawyers to discuss your case today!
