The public perception of bed bugs

by Bill Hillmeyer
December 8, 2019

I was sitting in my truck the other day, thinking about the public perception of people who have a bed bug infestation. Unfortunately, far too many people believe you did something to deserve bed bugs or that you’re a filthy person. With bed bugs, that’s just not the case.

Like many insects, bed bugs are attracted to you because you provide a food source. Unlike other insects who closely share our environment, the only thing you have done to attract bed bugs is to be their food source. You can get bed bugs in only two ways:

1. you picked them up somewhere
2. someone brought them into your home

Bed bugs won’t sneak into your home around a water pipe. They won’t creep in through an open window. They came from somewhere else that already had bed bugs.

Insect stigmas

Cockroaches are attracted to food scraps and societal waste. As the weather grows colder, they move indoors for warmth, and often stay for the food. They seek it out in cupboards, under refrigerators, in pantries. In almost all cases, a big cockroach infestation is a sign of a lack of cleanliness.

Our society associates insects with a lack of sanitation... even when there is no scientific basis for causation.

We don’t shame or avoid someone because they “have mosquitos”, even though mosquitos transmit several nasty diseases. In many parts of the country, we do just that to people who find themselves in the unfortunate position of having bed bugs sharing their living spaces.

Moths can eat our clothes and are very much attracted to our living spaces, especially our closets. I’ve never heard of people refusing to visit because they’re afraid they might bring home moths.

Termites are a very destructive insect and can quite literally wreck a home. In all my years in the business, we’ve not experienced a situation where people refused to visit just because friends or relatives might have termites!

While we can’t single-handedly eliminate the public stigma of having bed bugs, we can eliminate the bed bugs. And we do it in just one day.

Don’t let bed bugs ruin your holidays... or any day for that matter! If you find a bed bug this holiday season, don’t panic! Give us a call at 717-478-HEAT and we’ll kill the bed bugs, and keep your family and reputation safe. Trust Total Shield Bed Bug Treatments to eliminate the the fear and frustration of bed bugs. Your life will be less stressful. When we’re done, we know all your bed bugs will be dead.

Don’t take our word for it

It’s been 2-1/2 months of that blissful feeling of getting into bed with all of our uninvited guests. I brought the bed bugs home from working in-home care. It is not any one person’s fault — these guys are the hitchhikers from H _ _ _. We sprayed, bombed, powdered and turned the rooms upside down and picked bugs and put them into soapy water (soapy-otherwise they will swim right out). When we called and talked to Bill, we KNEW this was our solution. Of course it makes sense to heat the entire house. We even had a quote from a “large” corporation that said they would “treat” 4 rooms for a price 1/3 higher than Bill’s. If we had gone with Bill right away, we would have saved so much money in bombs, sprays, laundering, and mattress covers — but also time and aggravation. The house also felt so fresh after the treatment. Bill takes the time with you for you to feel comfortable in your decision. We left for the entire day and felt completely comfortable with Bill having the run of the house. Poor Bill, though. We had our home treated on the day of the first winter storm in November. That man spent longer hours at our place due to the extreme winds and cold. What a trooper. We would say that Bill is the type of person that we now call a friend. He is welcome at our home anytime.

Peggy Showalter
5 Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
December 18, 2018