In this segment, Joe Skelley of Natureplex shows us how to detect and kill bed bugs the all-natural way.

Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite! That’s a common nighttime refrain between parents and their children. But the reality is that bed bugs are widespread in homes, hotels and dorm rooms.

The Balancing Act was a little grossed out to learn that bed bugs do exist, but with the help of Joe Skelley and the SleepTight product from NaturePlex, we have the answers that will help viewers get a good night’s sleep!

What are bed bugs? They are parasites that rely on other creatures to feed themselves. More specifically, bed bugs feed solely on blood, and, for the most common strain of bed bugs, human blood. How do you get bed bugs in your home? Typically you can pick up a few while you are visiting a place that has them. Or have someone in your home who has them on their clothing. Bed bugs are small and flat, which allows them to hide in almost any seam or crease, and hitchhike, unseen, to your house. They can hide in clothing, furniture, luggage, almost anywhere. Because of their small size, bed bugs are notoriously difficult to detect, until they are already out of control. And once they start, they are frustratingly hard to eradicate.

Skelley gives expert advice on how to detect bed bugs:

• For most people, bites are often the first sign of an infestation. On many people, the bed bug bite will appear as a small welt, similar to a mosquito bite. In fact, bed bugs bites are often mistaken for mosquito bites. The welts, for many people can be very irritable and itchy. However, not all biting parasites are bed bugs.

• The second, and more reliable sign of bed bug infestation is small red or brown spots on mattresses, bed springs, or clothing. These small spots are the parasites' excrement, and are a more reliable indication of their presence.

• Once an infestation starts, it only gets worse, because they multiply fast; each female lays up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. Not only do they reproduce quickly, bed bugs can live up a year without food so removing their food source (you) temporarily does little to get rid of them.

To safely eradicate bed bugs, Skelley recommends SleepTight because it kills the bed bugs. Furthermore, SleepTight is a non-toxic bio-based product. That means it is completely safe for your home, your family, and your pets. It is also safe to use on fabric or clothes to prevent bringing bed bugs home in the first place. Not only is SleepTight safe for you, it is safe for the environment because it is made of ingredients from organic materials, which pose absolutely no pollution threat to our environment.

For more information, visit www.getsleeptight.com.