Bed bugs don’t discriminate against hosts and they’re terribly hard to get rid of, says one local rental agency owner.
Dave Hausmann, owner of Hausmann Rentals, has been working to warn the Falls community to the possibility that bed bugs are getting closer to home and could eventually become a more widespread problem.
Reports from large cities, notably New York, have alerted the American public to the intruders which hitchhike from one location to another. Unlike other insects which are attracted by unkempt household conditions, bed bugs’ only requirements are a source of human blood on which to feed. And even at that, they can go for weeks without a meal.
That means a spotless mansion could be at as great a risk of getting the bugs as a messy apartment, Hausmann explains.
“I do not have bed bugs in my places,” Hausmann is clear to say.
But Hausmann has been talking to multiple government officials and those who are in the property business about the issue. After calls to several organizations, they deferred to Hausmann as the local leader on this issue and noted that they had not seen confirmed cases of bed bugs in the area.
Hausmann said a home that had been infested a few summers ago was the first time he had heard of bed bug sightings in International Falls in recent years.
“You got one bed bug, you’re going to have more because they get your blood, suck it out, go lay eggs,” Hausmann told The Journal.
Hausmann said two summers ago they became aware of a property with bed bugs. He said they spent $22,000 to eradicate the bugs from the three-story property.
“I take things to the extreme,” he said, when noting the work he did to rid the property of the pests.
He said it took multiple sprayings in the emptied home, along with other treatments such as heating the house and fixtures, for him to be comfortable saying it’s 100-percent bug-free. After seven to eight months with no tenant living there, he said it has been bug-free since.
Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown, flattened, oval and wingless. Bed bugs have microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. Adults grow to 4–5 millimeters in length and 1.5–3 millimeters wide. The cimicidae, the proper name for the insect, are known as bed bugs because they are known to live in and around bedding and couches so they can feed on humans while they rest. Bed bugs are known for being particularly active at night.
Another reason bed bugs are hard to detect is because the bites affect people differently and can sometimes be misidentified as bites from other insects.
“Everybody reacts differently,” he said. “And some, not at all.”
Bed bugs are frequently contracted as people travel. If they set a suitcase in an infested room, the bugs can be returned to the person’s home. The same can be seen with public transportation, offices, hospitals and other places where people gather. Once they are in a house, Hausmann notes, the bugs are quick to multiply.
Hausmann said he has seen news report after news report about bed bugs from across the country. And proper education about the bed bugs is necessary moving forward, he noted multiple times.
“They’ve got to get educated. They got that far because nobody opened up Pandora’s Box. Nobody wants to in this town and it’s here and it’s going to get worse,” he said.
Hausmann talked about two local cases of bed bugs that he has been aware of in recent years. Part of the problem is that very few people want to talk about the situation, he said.
“These people that have it, they’re ashamed,” Hausmann said. “And yet it has nothing at all to do with cleanliness. They don’t care if you’re dirty, haven’t had a bath in three years or what. They’re going for your blood.”
There is no easy way to remove the bugs from the house, the rental owner said. At this point, Hausmann reports, there is no readily-available solution to eliminating the bugs. He notes that DDT may have worked to nearly eradicate the pests in the 1940s, but the chemical has since been banned in the United States.
According to several online reports, the potential effectiveness of DDT and other chemicals on today’s bed bugs is debated.
Some products, such as mattress covers, are available to help restrict bed bug movement and infestation. An online search will lead one to a plethora of products, sprays and treatment options. Bug-sniffing dogs and pest-control companies are among the options one has when faced with an infestation.
Hausmann said that this has affected the way in which he travels. He explained that when he arrives at a hotel, without bringing his luggage to the room, he sets out traps to see if bed bugs are present. If after a few hours, none have been found, he will move his belongings into the room.
He said he also stays at pricier hotels than he once may have. But, he repeated, the cleanliness or price of a hotel room does not necessarily mean it will or won’t have bed bugs, especially in larger cities.
