SYRACUSE -- Onondaga County is continuing its efforts to help residents combat bedbugs.
Kathy Mogul with the Onondaga County Department of Health says the pesky pests are showing up in greater numbers than ever before.
"We are getting more and more phone calls about bed bugs in peoples homes. There are a lot of questions about why bedbugs are in peoples homes and how to get rid of and prevent bedbugs," she says.
To help combat bed bugs, the Department of Health and the city of Syracuse are sponsoring a series of informational workshops with experts in bedbug prevention. Preventing bed bugs can be tough, they are notorius hiders and can be extremely difficult to detect. Mogul says the best thing people can do to keep bed bugs out of their home is to be careful they don't pick them up on their luggage while traveling.
"A lot of times while you are traveling what you want to pay attention to is your luggage. Be sure that your luggage is not placed on a bed or even on a carpet. When you are in a hotel one of the best ways to prevent picking up bed bugs on your luggage is to place it in a bath tub because bedbugs don't like to be on cold surfaces," she says.
Mogul says washing your clothes as soon as you return from a trip, avoiding used mattresses or furniture and covering mattresses with an encasement can also help prevent bedbugs. For more information on preventing bedbugs:
Syracuse Division of Code Enforcement
Onondaga County Health Department
Bad Bed Bugs
MayoClinic
