Bed bugs are a common problem amongst college students simply because of our various living conditions. Think about how many people slept in that bed in your dorm before you. Or the bed you bought used for your unfurnished apartment. Unfortunately the latter was how I came across my bed bug problem. And I had to look on a bunch of different websites to find all the answers I needed. But I'm going to put everything I found together to help any of you who might encounter this problem.

The key is to identify the problem early and prevent an infestation. The first sign of a bed bug problem is waking up with bites on your body. And when you do, you need to act fast because bites can take up to 9 days to show up. And female bed bugs lay from one to twelve eggs per day.

The first step is throwing out as much as you're willing to let go of. I threw out my entire mattress and box spring in my case but that's not always possible. But definitely consider throwing out your sheets and pillows. Then check areas around the bed for any signs of bugs. Like under your nightstand drawer and even behind your outlets. Those little suckers like to hide. And it may be a hassle but wash all your clothes and dry them not once but twice just to be sure you've killed them all.

Next it's time to bug bomb. You can buy products at Walmart or Home Depot. I recommend bombing twice just to be sure. The fumigators are fairly inexpensive and are guaranteed to work. I also recommend buying a spray and spraying other areas of your house like your couches and carpets before bombing. If you think there may be a chance that bed bugs spread to other furniture, steam them. Certain temperatures of heat will kill the bugs.

But once you've bombed, don't jump to conclusions that you're now he's bed bug free. Most websites say to wait between 50-60 days to ensure they've all died because the bombs can change the hatching cycles of the bugs if they sense it. Normally eggs hatch every ten days but this could change after the bombing.

Once your problem is gone, it would be helpful in taking some prevention steps. For example buying bed bug sheets for your mattress and box spring. This prevents bed bugs from getting in or out. So if you do run into this problem again, at least your mattress will be safe.

I hope no one ever has to encounter this problem but if so, these tips will help you out.