Yahoo posted a pretty good PR article recently by Bell Environmental Services about how to protect your home from bed bugs your kids might pick up at school.

In New York City, bed bug incidents in public schools rose to 3,590 last year, more than triple the 2009-2010 school year.

That’s a pretty significant number.

The article suggests ways of handling your child’s backpack to reduce the chance of bringing bed bugs home from school. Worth a read so go check it out.

And yet another good PR piece, this time by Raveable.com via Marketwatch.com.

In the wake of the 2010 Bedbug Epidemic the number of bedbug reports for 2011 (January 1–September 1) shattered 2010 totals by more than 660%.

If you’re interested, go see the cities with the largest number of bed bug reports. Here’s a hint. You’ve heard the saying “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Apparently not so for bed bug bites and bed bugs. I gave you a few ideas for avoiding bed bug hotels. It looks like you can add raveable.com to the list of places you can research a hotel before you travel.

How bad was it?

One sister was bitten 86 times. The other, 52 times. It took them about four months to recover.

Do you think it’s important to do a little research

A quick check at TripAdvisor would've shown the hotel rated at 707 out of 1062 in the area. On top of that, a reviewer even warns people not to stay "unless you want bedbugs to eat you alive!!!".

One of the most important ways you can help protect yourself from bed bugs while you travel is to avoid hotels (and hostels) that are known to have bed bug problems. You don't want to end up like the two sisters in the story about. Spend 10 minutes on the internet and save yourself from being a bed bug buffet. Read How to Avoid Bed Bugs Hotels.

I Might Have Bed Bug Bites

One type of email I get frequently is where somebody describes breaking down emotionally just at the thought that they might have bed bugs because they found some kind of bug bite on their body.

It’s easy to get a few marks on your body that might look like bed bug bites, do a web search on bed bugs, come to a site like this and end up convinced you have bed bugs. Even though you’re not a doctor and you’ve never personally seen a bed bug bite before.

In some ways this reminds me of a girl I used to know. Every time she got a sore throat or some other ache or pain she would race to the internet and convince herself she had some kind of horrific illness.

“See?! This is what I have!!” she would say, in a panic, after taking a few of her symptoms and matching them up with the worst possible disease in some medical database.

Despite the repeated episodes of panic, the worse she ever had was the flu.

We all do stuff like this from time to time. My point is that it’s easy to jump to a conclusion without having much information. The thing to do then is to remember just how easy it is to jump to conclusions and instead hold off judgment until you have more information.

It’s good to read up on these things. It helps give you a direction for inquiry. It prepares you to ask good questions. That is how you use the information on a site like this. That is only the first step though. When you have a physical problem, you need to talk to your doctor instead of jumping to a firm conclusion and having a breakdown based on something you read on a website.

First, the typical bed bug bite symptoms are raised bumps that tend to get very itchy. Some people refer to this as a bed bug rash. The itching can drive you up the wall and the appearance of the bites can be embarrassing as well. To deal with the itching and help the bites heal, try a hydrocortisone cream.

Second, treating the bites doesn’t fix the underlying problem: the bed bug infestation. You can get some relief from the bites and you might be able to cut down on them a bit through various methods but there is a good chance you’re going to need a bed bugs exterminator. The longer you wait, the bigger you allow your bed bug infestation to grow and spread, making it harder to get rid of them as time goes on.

From Bed Bug Bite Symptoms:

Bed bug bites often occur in a unique bite pattern of a linear group of three or four, sometimes referred to as a “breakfast, lunch, dinner” pattern. Bedbug bites can occur singly but are often in this straight line pattern.

It’s a comic-style public service announcement for bed bugs. Well written and drawn. You’ll be disgusted, entertained and made to laugh out loud all at once. Check it out: A Quick PSA From Liza.

Spring Break is in full swing in the Bay Area.  Last week, several Florida Colleges and Universities were out, and local beaches were packed. This morning a warning for those Spring Breakers, don’t bring home unwanted guests. We’re talking about Bed Bugs. The nocturnal, blood-sucking pests that can settle in places where humans sleep, including in hotel rooms, resorts and cruise ships.

The article also lists a couple of good tips to make sure you don’t bring bed bugs home with you.

Read more at Unwanted guests warning for Spring Break 2010.

How to Build Your Own Bedbug Detector
TIME – Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have created a homemade
bedbug trap using a plastic cat-food dish, an insulated jug and some dry-ice pellets …
Read more »

Doggie Sniffs Out Bed Bugs
MyFox Phoenix – The blood eating pests, bed bugs, are found everywhere from movie theaters to mattresses. Now a local pest control company has a dog to help sniff
them out… Read more »

Don’t let the bed bugs bite
Grand Junction Free Press – BY SHARON SULLIVAN Cathy Palmer breeds and raises Beagles in Cedaredge and more recently has gone into the bed bug detection business as well… Read more »

Bed Bugs 101 Provides a Free Information Resource on Bed Bugs
PR Web (press release) – Bed Bug Central Entomologists have Created New Content to Make Bed Bugs 101 Among the Most Comprehensive Information Resources on the Web About Bed Bugs… Read more »

Bed Bugs Beware: There is a New Sheriff in Town!
Send2Press (press release) – CT Bed Bug Dogs (www.ctbedbugdogs.com) announces
this week the launch of a new business serving Connecticut residents and…
Read more »

Family shares bedbug horror
Regina Leader-Post – Now they get at least six bedbug calls per day and thousands of bedbug calls across the province each year. Gage believes increased travel and second-hand … Read more »

Bedtime comes early in the day for racers
Kenosha News.com – The Bed Bugs’ bed also featured a bathtub-sized inflatable bug surrounded by pink and yellow balloons. “It was Adeline’s dream,” explained Debbie
Hawes of … Read more »

Quigley Begbug Bill to be Considered by Assembly Panel Monday
The Jersey City Independent – “Renters should not have to live silently with bedbug infestations,” Quigley says in a statement. “Tenants who want to live in a clean and
safe environment … Read more »

It depends on how sensitive you are and how much you’ve been bitten. If you are really sensitive to bed bug bites or you simply got hammered by the little buggers, you might see symptoms the next day. For most people though, bed bug bites will appear in about 9 days.

Check out Bed Bug Bite Symptoms for more information.