| This information came by way of a Travel Agent.
Bed bugs are an epidemic . . .and are being spread far and wide! Hi All: You may need to know about the following is a bit of information .
We have friends here in our community whose son is an entomologist
(insect expert). He has been telling them that there is an epidemic of bed
bugs now occurring in America. Recently I have heard on the news that several
stores in NYC have had to close due to bed bug problems, as well as a complete
Mall in New Jersey.
He says that since much of our clothing, sheets, towels, etc now
comes from companies outside of America, (sad but true), even the most
expensive stores sell foreign clothing from China, Indonesia, etc. The
bed bugs are coming in on the clothing as these countries do not consider
them a problem.
He recommends that if you buy any new clothing, even underwear and
socks, sheets, towels, etc; that you bring them into the house and put them
In your clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. The heat will kill the bugs - and their eggs. DO NOT PURCHASE CLOTHES AND HANG THEM IN THE CLOSET FIRST.
It does not matter what the price range is of the clothing, or if the outfit comes from
the most expensive store known in the U.S. They still get shipments from these
countries and the bugs can come in a box of scarves or anything else
for that matter. That is the reason why so many stores (many of them
clothing stores) have had to shut down in NYC and other places.
All you need is to bring one item into the house that has bugs or eggs and
you will have a 'dickens of a time' trying to get rid of them.
This Entomologist travels all over the country as an Advisor to many of these stores, Advocating 'prevention' and also to offer 'counseling' after they experience this problem.
Send this information on to those on your e-mail list so that this good
Preventive Information gets around quickly.
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14 comments:
Oh my! I had not thought of this! Great advice!
Ewwwwww, it is good advice but Ewwwww! And now I'm itchy! LOL
I wear only cotton clothing. I buy American made clothing or make my own. I always wash new clothing or linen and run through a hot dryer for at least an hour. This is something my mom taught me. If the recent problems with bedbugs has been caused by imported clothing then stop buying imported clothing. This would also have the added benefit of keeping US workers busy.
It's a pretty, bad problem in our country. I hope they don't make it to my home!
SEE-- now I am justified in my obsession with washing even brand new clothing!!
thanks for the info; I read the comment from the commenter who said she only buys American made clothing. Boy I would love to find some; hubby and me went on an expedition one time trying to find some clothing made in the good old USA and had a hard time finding anything. Maybe we weren't looking at the right place. Anyway, thanks for the info, something to definitely take into consideration when purchasing and bringing home new clotehs
betty
Oh, yuck...! Good advice, Linda...!
I wash everything I buy as soon as I get it home -- everything...! As soon as I get in the door, the tags come off, and into the washer it goes.
Bed bugs -- *shudder*
hi. I was doing research on recent bed bug outbreaks. Great post. What I keep reading is if an outbreak occurs - which is not nice - you should use Pronto Plus or Sleepy Tite. Both work well!
For Betty who cannot find American made clothing: I wear t-shirts and get the tagless type via mail order. Other clothing I make. I wash the fabric for those and dry it in the dryer, and iron it before putting the pattern down to cut.
Well, thanks for all the comments. I had pest control in today, but not for bed bugs. Just the usual home invaders....flys, spiders, mice, etc. As the weather turns, they like to come in.
Welcome,Chris!
This is partially false information. yes, there is a bed bug problem, and yes, putting things in the dryer for 20 minutes will kill them, BUT the origin of the bed bugs is NOT overseas shipments, where "bed bugs aren't considered a problem."
According to urban legends web site, "the problem was demonstrably local in origin, not foreign." For example, one abercrombie and fitch store was closed down due to an infestation, but another one, in the same city, that uses the same warehouse and received the same clothes in the same overseas shipment, did NOT have an infestation.
I just think that this email, basically "blaming" the infestation on foreign countries and [un]American goods, is awfully mean-spirited. It seems all innocent and "hey, just passing some information along." but it is subtly ugly. It paints other countries as less civilized, and other people in those countries as not as "smart" as us...and that bed bugs "aren't a problem" for those folks who are used to bugs crawling on them, and eating them and whatever else we might think of people in foreign countries because of our close-minded eco-centric sensibilities. This is hubris and arrogance of the worst kind, NOT just good old American patriotism....Yeah, I support and buy American, but we don't have to insult and denigrate imported goods, or the people who make them, or the people who buy them!
here is a link to the story:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/bugs/a/Bedbugs-in-Imported-Clothes.htm
Bedbugs are on the increase, but--despite what some unidentified person's unidentified entomologist son reportedly said--the primary vector is international and domestic travel, not foreign manufacture. To the extent the insects might be found in items purchased at clothing stores, it is far, far more likely that they spread from the persons and clothing of infested employees and patrons than from clothing that arrived in the U.S. infested. If anyone knows of a credible, confirmed report of new clothing or textile articles found on arrival in the U.S. to be contaminated from manufacture or shipping, I would be interested to learn of it.
In the meantime, as with all stories that attempt to discredit an easy target, I suspect the motives of the story tellers. Foreign manufacturers are often alleged to be the culprit and are an easy target of anyone with an ax to grind against international business. The reason clothing made in the U.S. is so hard to find is that consumers don't buy enough of it. The reason consumers don't buy enough of it is because it is generally, significantly more expensive. The reason it is more expensive is because it is made by workers who are not appreciably superior to their foreign counterparts but who make wages many times over. Thus, consumers who buy more expensive American-made products, are against their direct consumer interests and distorting the free-market processes that best drive capitalism.
International business and what's best for Americans depends on precisely which Americans you're concerned about...i.e., consumers, manufacturing workers, investors, retailers, etc. Anybody who espouses "Buy American" at the checkout counter, to avoid hypocrisy, should also convince themselves and their parents to trade in any stock in any company that markets or relies on imports and exclusively buy stock in companies that manufacture domestically from exclusively domestic materials. Then, when the stock in those companies flatlines, they can all move in together so that they can afford to continue to buy American-made. Anyone who hasn't taken the time to understand the most basic principles of modern micro-, macro-, and international-economics, just has an opinion to offer. And, we all know what they say about opinions...
If increased American manufacturing of basic goods is actually good for America (all things considered), then Americans should return to what made "American Made," historically mean something. American manufacturers need to innovate and develop manufacturing processes that yield good quality, competitively-priced consumer goods. Until that happens, consumers will largely act as consumers should...i.e., generally buy the lowest price articles of a desired quality.
All of these comments are great. I understand where the poster just before me means. We, as Americans, make a much higher wage than those in other counties. But, this does not mean we do better work. We want to think so because we, as Americans, think we are the best at everything.
Having said that, I still would like to support American made whenever I can. Does anyone know of a website that lists all the companies that make products only in the USA?
Lol...wow. If you guys are worried put your stuff in the dryer first...and calm down a little. Id be more worried about movie theaters and thrift stores.... (btw...I love thrift stores) so save the hate replys!
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