The War - Against Bedbugs, That Is

[PeterRS]

I'm sure we've all read the news about Paris and how bedbugs seem to have taken over the city. Now sightings are reported on the London underground. Unlike Bangkok, Hong Kong and many other cities, London's Tube cars have upholstered seating. Ideal for bedbugs to lurk and then climb on to whatever you are wearing. Before you know it, they have crept on to your bed, found a nice little niche and start to breed. They bite but to most people the bites are painless. They just leave red marks on the skin. The problem is essentially twofold: they breed like crazy and they are very difficult and usually expensive to eliminate.

Bangkok is not immune to their infestation. Anyone who travels has a high chance of having bedbugs in their hotel/B&B beds. Put your clothes or suicases on to the bed and they will hitch a lift. Next thing you know you have brought some of these highly resilient buggers back to your home. Never put your suitcase and clothes on the bed and always keep the case firmly closed. As the following article from The Guardian points out, bedbugs "are incredibly good hitchkikers."

The fact is that bedbugs have been around in most countries for centuries. The present rise in numbers seems to be associated with climate change and an increasing resistance to insectocides like DDT which was used to eliminate them decades ago. If you think you have found one or more, strip the bed and immediately get the bedclothes to a professional cleaner. Also get a pest control company in fast. It may not get rid of it/them at the first cleaning. That's why it can become quite expensive. Leave it too late and they will find their way into your furniture. 

As the article points out, we live in "a bug's world." We'll never get rid of them all. But we can take precautions to make sure this lot do not take up residence in our homes.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/11/french-bedbugs-britain-insects

[Moses]

It is very easy and cheap to eliminate bedbugs is you are living in cold country. Bedbugs can't live in cold. If you think your bed is infested, take it outside of the home (on balcony, for example) and keep it there for 24 hours, cold will kill not only bedbugs but their eggs also. -5C is enough. You may kill eggs in bed clothes on the same way just in plastic bag by putting it into freezer for 24 hours.

[forky123]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

and immediately get the bedclothes to a professional cleaner.

Furnace ?

[Moses]

2 minutes ago, forky123 said:

Furnace ?

Or high temperature ironing with switched off steam.

[PeterRS]

8 minutes ago, Moses said:

It is very easy and cheap to eliminate bedbugs is you are living in cold country

Sadly not so easy or cheap in many Asian countries like Thailand.

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Sadly not so easy or cheap in many Asian countries like Thailand.

unless you have an access to freezer as Moses advised

[Mavica]

You need freezing or scorching temps. to kill the critters / eggs.  However, once your residence becomes infested you'll have to remove all clothing, bedding, carpet, upholstered furniture, books, etc. and have the residence treated multiple times.  It's expensive.

I immediately check the mattress of any hotel room or apt. when I travel.  Once, in Rio, I left an apt. Immefiately when I saw evidence of them.  

[fedssocr]

my parents' house had this problem. They tried the heat treatment but it didn't work. Ended up having to get the house tented and poison pumped in. That solved their problem. Cost about $2000 for their small house.