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

Bill was great. We were in a pinch for time and he came to do the treatment within 4 days of us contacting him. There was a snow storm on the scheduled day but he showed up right on time. Our house is very large with huge rooms and hallways, and was built in 1770 so very drafty. Bill stayed for 20 hours getting every part of the house up to temperature with the freezing temps outside. He charged a very reasonable price for the size if the house. There was no damage to the house. Most importantly NO MORE BEDBUGS!!! It’s been 3 months and no sign of the little nasties. Bonus, the treatment also killed a bunch of stink bugs that were trying to winter over in the house. Thanks Bill!

Erinn Shockey
5 Stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
June 23, 2019