They’re quick, small, and come out at night to feed on humans. They are bed bugs, which can be found in mattresses, furniture, carpet and walls. Yesterday the Washington County Environmental Health Department held an informational session about bed bugs, how to prevent getting them, how to rid a home of them and what the law says regarding bed bug issues, particularly in rental homes.

Pest control operator Dena Wetlaufer with Springer Pest Control explained using a dog, or K-9 unit, to detect the pests is best and then she recommends a professional heat treatment to rid a home of the bugs, followed by some chemical treatments to keep them away.

Gordon Olberding of Hawkeye K9 Bed Bug Detection Inc. demonstrated how his dog Jackson is able to find the bugs with 95-percent accuracy.

Bed bugs do not carry disease but do feed on people while they are sleeping. Not everyone reacts to bites but evidence of bed bugs includes unexplained small drops of blood on your sheets and black spots along the seams of a mattress. For more information click here and here.