Before 2010, bed bugs used were thought of as a reminder of the far gone past. However, recently, however, an outbreak of bed bugs has been seen in major metropolises of the USA, including Pittsburgh. Bed bugs, which are damaging to health, are causing issues in American cities.
Bed bugs haven’t affected Upper St. Clair on a large scale yet, but as junior Geoff Houy pointed out, “While the bedbug problem is only big in Mt. Lebanon right now, it could spread to USC.” If bedbugs spread to Upper St. Clair, residents’ paychecks, as well as their health, could take a dip.
Bedbugs have legitimate economic disadvantages. Bed bug eradication often costs are a thousand dollars. According to Alistair Barr, “insurers won’t cover such critter-related claims” (www.marketwatch.com). This economic dip could affect families heavily, particularly lower- and middle-class households.
Thankfully, there are many ways to dispose of bed bugs. Senior Josh Tropp told The St. Clairion that he would hypothetically “wash [his] sheets every week” if he had a bed bug infestation. In the 1777 English tome The Complete Vermin-Killer, bed bug specialists suggest to “boil a handful of Wormwood and white Hellebore in a proper quantity of urine, till half of it is evaporated; and waft the joints of your bedstead with the remainder” (www.thestar.com). Of course, one could hire expensive exterminators, but, as previously mentioned, costs from those operations could run very high.
Generally, bed bugs are just a nuisance to have. Bed bugs reflect poorly upon a household as they show that cleanliness is not maintained in the dwelling in question. Don Connelly articulated that bed bugs are simply “icky.” And though, from Chicago to Toronto, bed bug scientists, historians, and exterminators are conferencing to address this new tiny but powerful problem, normal citizens can take important steps to protect themselves from these small brown beasts.