You can get bed bugs from Amazon packages

Mark this as an unusual way to get bed bugs. A user on Reddit shared how they got bed bugs from ordering towels on Amazon.com.

Recently, Amazon was forced to close down a 1 million square foot fulfilment center in Amarillo, Texas due to a bed bug infestation. It isn’t hard to imagine how bed bugs could find their way onto products prior to being shipped.

Throw launderable items in the dryer right away

If you suspect your items bought online have bed bugs, using your clothes dryer is an effective way to kill all bed bugs. If your items are launderable or if you have a dryer with a shelf (which you can place books, or items that should not be tumble dried), using a dryer is effective. According to Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech, the thermal death point for bed bugs is well understood.

The thermal death point is determined by two things; temperature, and exposure time. Bed bugs exposed to 113°F will die if they receive constant exposure to that temperature for 90 minutes or more. However, they will die within 20 minutes if exposed to 118°F. Interestingly, bed bug eggs must be exposed to 118°F for 90 minutes to reach 100% mortality.

According to that paper, a loosely filled dryer set on “high” is capable of killing all bed bug life-stages and their eggs in 30 minutes.

Tell us your story

Did you get a bed bug infestation through an unusual way? Let us know in the comments below or share your story for publication on our site!

Sources

1. Using Heat to Kill Bed Bugs

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