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• Uncategorized ,
• 14 May

By Josh Kattenberg

Any person dealing with bed bugs, whether tenant or homeowner, will be freaked out. As a property manager who may encounter tenant complaints about bed bugs at some point, you will need to empathize with your tenants. Knowing the negative effects of bed bugs can help.

Bed bugs are not venomous, and they do not spread diseases, so they are not inherently dangerous. However, anyone who has dealt with bed bugs in their home would agree that they are not benign. Their bites cause discomfort, and their presence causes emotional distress.

Bed bugs feed at night. Their only source of food is blood; preferably, human blood. They crawl out of cracks and crevices of the bedding and bedroom at night, creep onto the bodies of sleeping humans, and drink their fill of blood. People wake up in the morning with large red, itchy spots. The bites can become infected through excessive scratching.

In addition to the scratching, emotional suffering happens also. Many people with bed bug infestations fear going to sleep at night, knowing their blood will soon be a meal for the little creatures. They might fear locations where they have encountered bed bugs, such as hotels. Also, while bed bugs are not associated with dirty houses, bed bugs do carry social stigma, and people dealing with an infestation are likely to feel embarrassed.

How concerned does a property manager in Sioux Falls need to be of their tenants calling with bed bug complaints? While the problem does not seem to be widespread in Sioux Falls, there have been a few bed bug reports from tenants and schools in Sioux Falls over the past few years, so it is possible. At any rate, bed bugs do exist in Sioux Falls, and it is always possible that an infestation may appear in one of your properties at some point.