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Does your mattress have bedbugs? Three ways to know
“I think we have bedbugs.”
Those six words are something nobody — whether you’re a homeowner, a renter, or a wary hotel guest — wants to hear. Bedbugs can multiply pretty quickly, so your best bet to keep your mattress bug-free is to know the signs so you can act quickly — and replace your mattress if you need to.
Does your mattress have bedbugs? Three ways to know
Nobody wants to deal with a bedbug infestation — let alone one that’s gone unnoticed for any length of time. Costs to treat larger infestation issues can skyrocket up into the thousands, so finding — and treating — an infestation early is absolutely in your best interests.
Think of the most obvious sign of bedbugs. If you said insect bites, you’d be partially right. Once bedbugs get into your home, it’s possible you’ll wake up one morning with mysterious bed bug bites. But there are a few problems with that line of thinking:
- You may not notice you’ve been bitten until red welts appear hours or even days later.
- Although nocturnal, bedbugs don’t necessarily feed every night — it could take days or weeks before you notice bedbug bites.
- Bedbug bites can look similar to other insect bites — if confused with mosquito or flea bites, you may not think to check for bed bugs until other symptoms crop up.
If you want to identify a bedbug infestation quickly, here are three clear indications of the tiny bloodsucking pests.
Dark spots or stains on your mattress
Spotting a bedbug infestation early is your best bet for resolving the problem before it gets out of hand. Since bed bug bites can be confused with other types of insect bites, they shouldn’t be the main thing you look out for. Instead, look for physical signs of a budding infestation such as noticeable stains or spots on your mattress.
If you notice reddish stains on your bed sheets, this could be your first sign of a bed bug infestation. It’s not pleasant to know this, but it’s worth it to be prepared: These stains are likely the result of crushed bedbugs and an indication that you should take a closer look at your mattress.
Another sign of a bed bug infestation that is more likely to catch your eye is one or more dark spots on your sheets, pillows, or mattress. If bedbugs are the culprit, these tiny spots are insect excrement. Although they are likely to be no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, they can bleed or smear on your bedding’s fabric.
Signs of bedbugs around the home such as eggs, eggshells, or clusters of small insects
Although they are very small (adults typically grow as large as an apple seed, or approximately one fourth an inch), bedbugs aren’t invisible. If your bedroom is already host to a group of unwanted insects, you may notice small groups of live insects or their shells.
These can crop up on your mattress, but that’s not the only place you should look. Due to their small size, bedbugs can hole up in any number of small crevices or cracks during the day. If you woke up with mysterious bug bites and want to rule out a bedbug infestation — or simply want to do a thorough double check — look for clusters of super-tiny insects in or around the following areas:
- Window frames
- Electrical outlets
- Floor molding with noticeable gaps
- The seams of chairs or couches
- Wooden drawers or dressers
A sweet yet musty odor in or around the bedroom
Hopefully you never encounter this indication of a bedbug infestation, as it takes a large number of insects for an odor to develop. It’s crucial to recognize this smell for what it represents, however, so that you can act quickly to tackle your infestation.
Orkin pest control describes this odor as “a musty, sweet smell, often likened to berries.” It may present as a sweet, yet distinctly unpleasant, scent. If you get a whiff of this musty odor, it’s likely time to seek professional help to address your bed bug infestation — or just replace or mattress to be on the safe side.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters says workers at seven Amazon facilities will begin a strike Thursday morning in an effort by the union to pressure the e-commerce giant for a labor agreement during a key shopping period.
The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized walkouts in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a Dec. 15 deadline the union set for contract negotiations. Amazon says it doesn’t expect any impact on its operations during what the union calls the largest strike against the company in U.S. history.
The Teamsters say they represent nearly 10,000 workers at 10 Amazon facilities, a small portion of the 1.5 million people Amazon employs in its warehouses and corporate offices.
Amazon is ranked No. 2 on the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest companies.
At a warehouse in the New York City borough of Staten Island, thousands of workers who voted for the Amazon Labor Union in 2022 and have since affiliated with the Teamsters. At the other facilities, employees – including many delivery drivers – have unionized with them by demonstrating majority support but without holding government-administered elections.
The strikes happening Thursday are taking place at an Amazon warehouse in San Francisco and six delivery stations in southern California, New York City, Atlanta and the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois, according to the union’s announcement. Amazon workers at the other facilities are “prepared to join” them, the union said.
“Amazon is pushing its workers closer to the picket line by failing to show them the respect they have earned,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” he said.
The Seattle-based online retailer has been seeking to re-do the election that led to the union victory at the warehouse on Staten Island, which the Teamsters now represent. In the process, the company has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board.
Meanwhile, Amazon says the delivery drivers, which the Teamsters have organized for more than a year, aren’t its employees. Under its business model, the drivers work for third-party businesses, called Delivery Service Partners, who drop off millions of packages to customers everyday.
“For more than a year now, the Teamsters have continued to intentionally mislead the public – claiming that they represent ‘thousands of Amazon employees and drivers’. They don’t, and this is another attempt to push a false narrative,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement. “The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.“
The Teamsters have argued Amazon essentially controls everything the drivers do and should be classified as an employer.
Some U.S. labor regulators have sided with the union in filings made before the NLRB. In September, Amazon boosted pay for the drivers amid the growing pressure.
NEW YORK — The Teamsters union is launching a strike against Amazon at numerous locations across the country, including in Maspeth, Queens.
The Teamsters are calling it the largest strike against Amazon in United States history, and it’s set to begin at 6 a.m. Thursday. In addition to New York City, workers will be joining picket lines in Atlanta, Southern California, San Francisco and Illinois.
In a video announcement released Wednesday night, workers voiced their frustrations.
“Us being strike ready means we’re fed up, and Amazon is clearly ignoring us and we want to be heard,” one worker says in the video.
“It’s really exciting. We’re taking steps for ourselves to win better conditions, better benefits, better wages,” another worker in the video says.
The union says it represents about 10,000 Amazon employees and that Amazon ignored a deadline to come to the table and negotiate. The $2 trillion company doesn’t pay employees enough to make ends meet, the union asserts.
At the height of the holiday season, many are wondering what this means for packages currently in transit.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed.”
Amazon says Teamsters are misleading the public
An Amazon spokesperson says the Teamsters are misleading the public and do not represent any Amazon employees, despite any claims.
“The truth is that the Teamsters have actively threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce Amazon employees and third-party drivers to join them, which is illegal and is the subject of multiple pending unfair labor practice charges against the union,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
An Amazon representative says the company doesn’t expect operations to be impacted.
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