Dating doubles risk of bed bugs

By Margot Slade | March 9, 2011 - 3:45PM

As if the road to romance wasn’t hazardous enough, Cornell University entomologist and renowned bed bug expert Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann recently told Marie Claire magazine recently that dating basically doubles the odds of infestation. Preventive measures include:

Running your date's address through the Bedbug Registry(bedbugregistry.com) to see whether he or she lives in an infested apartment building.
Checking out your potential paramour's arms, face, back of hands and neck for telltale red blotches (but remember--not everyone has a physical reaction to bed bug bites)
Asking outright if your date has (or recently had) bed bugs.
Avoiding the movies, as bed bugs love plush furniture and human targets who sit still for long periods of time. Opt for ice-skating, bars without padded booths and museums.
Choosing your place over theirs if things get intimate. (For extra protection, toss your guest's clothes in the dryer on high heat to kill any hitch-hikers.)

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