Childhood rhyme gains relevance as bedbug infestations rise

“Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite” was something my parents would say to me every night as they tucked me into my bed when I was a child.
Bedbugs didn’t actually pose a threat back then, but they are a potential problem now. Brought on perhaps by more international travel and the banning of the pesticide DDT, these creepy little insects are now showing up in cities throughout the country, and even in Santa Cruz.
The risk of exposure to bedbugs is greatest if you spend time in places with a high turnover of nighttime guests, such as hotels and hospitals. While you stay overnight in these places, the not only may the bedbugs feed off of you during your visit, but they can get into your luggage, and you could carry them home with you.
Bedbugs, which are reddish brown and about the size of an apple seed, need a blood meal to survive. They come out from hiding during the night to feast on their victims. Once they’ve had their meal, they crawl back into their hiding places. Fortunately, it appears they do not transmit disease to their human hosts.
These little creatures are hard to find. During the day, bedbugs hide in small cracks and crevices of mattresses, box springs, headboards, bed frames, floors and walls. To find evidence of bedbugs, look for either the bug itself or for small black specks which the bugs leave behind. If you think you are being bitten by bedbugs, you might also find little spots of blood on your sheets.
The bites on the skin are usually small, red, itchy lesions. They can be arranged in a line or in a cluster, and are often located on the face, arms, hands and neck.
To prevent bedbugs from coming home with you, I suggest the following when traveling:
n Never put your luggage on the bed or the floor near the bed. Put suitcases in the bathroom, on a desk or on a night stand.
n Examine the bed by checking around the seams of the mattress and box spring, as well as the joints of the headboard and frame.
n Live out of your suitcase — don’t use the dresser.
n Demand a different room if you see evidence of bedbugs, and check the new room as well.
Upon returning home, open the suitcase in the garage, on a porch or outside. Wash all clothes in hot water, and vacuum out the suitcase and store it in the garage.
If you find evidence of bedbugs in your home, your best bet is to call a licensed pest control company for treatment options. Remember that the most important thing is to keep those little pests out of your house in the first place — and sleep tight.
 Terry Hollenbeck, M.D., is an urgent-care physician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Santa Cruz in Scotts Valley. A doctor with 36 years’ experience, he invites readers to view his previous columns on his website, valleydoctor.wordpress.com. Information in this column is not intended to replace advice from your own health care professional. For any medical concern, consult your own doctor.