How do you know you have bedbugs? Bedbugs -- which are not known to transmit diseases to humans -- were largely eradicated in the late 1940s with the toxic pesticide DDT, but are believed to have made a comeback after building up resistance to current pesticides. Although the night creatures can be tough to see with the human eye, evidence of nightly insect bites or clusters of tiny dark fecal stains in mattress seams could point to a bedbug problem.
How you can fight them: CDC officials suggested people trying to rid their homes of bedbugs should first thoroughly vacuum all floors and furniture and wash linens. One chemical-free solution is to use hot or cold temperatures. The pests cannot survive temperatures above 120 F. Use a steamer, a hot clothes dryer or the hot water wash cycle to kill bedbugs and their eggs on fabric or upholstered items. And several days of 32 F or colder temperatures will also kill bedbugs.
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