While the holidays are one of the busiest times of travel, it’s common throughout any other time of the year. Amid the excitement and fun of it, it’s essential to learn some tips for preventing bed bugs while traveling to ensure the safety of yourself and your belongings.
About Bed Bugs
Having knowledge about bed bugs and the way they live is crucial for maintaining a secure home. Bed bugs sustain themselves by feeding on the blood of a host, which can be a person or animal, and will stay where that host sleeps or rests. Active only at night, they hide in multiple areas such as mattresses, beds, box springs, bed frames, and upholstered furniture to remain undisturbed. Bed bugs are the size of an apple seed, their bodies are flat and oval-shaped and are a reddish brown color. As they remain undisturbed, females reproduce, laying hundreds of eggs in their lifetime in secluded areas, and depending on the environmental conditions, hatch in 1-2 weeks.
Along with the knowledge of their appearance and behavior, recognizing signs of their presence is crucial. Here are some tips to look out for if you suspect any activity.
- Bites – After feeding, they leave small bite marks that appear after a day or two on a host. They appear small and red, in clusters or a line, and can become inflamed or irritated.
- Blood stains and dark spots – Bed bugs leave feces behind that appear as dark spots, or will commonly get squished unknowingly leaving behind blood stains. They get left on pillowcases, sheets, mattresses, bedding, or any other area a host rests in.
- Odor and shed skins – They leave behind translucent, empty exoskeletons as they grow, which can be found in furniture or any area where a host sleeps or rests. They will also emit a musty odor from their scent glands during severe infestations.
Tips to Prevent Bed Bugs While Traveling
Learn some tips to implement while you travel to protect yourself and your belongings!
- Inspect your accommodation – Inspecting the room or home that you are staying in can be the step that prevents taking activity back home with you! Use a flashlight to look behind headboards, in furniture, along seams of a mattress, and look out for signs like dark spots, shed skin, or a live bed bug itself.
- Use luggage racks – Place your luggage and belongings on racks or hardwood surfaces as these areas are less likely to have bed bugs on them, and will keep your belongings safe.
- Seal your belongings – Protect your belongings like clothes, shoes, and other items you travel with, in things like resealable plastic bags or containers. This will prevent any pests, especially bed bugs, from infesting them.
- Wash and dry your clothes – Upon returning home, prioritize washing and drying your clothes. Bed bugs and their eggs are sensitive to high temperatures and will die off in these conditions, so washing with hot water and drying on high heat will kill off any in your belongings.
Actions to Take
No one wants to deal with bed bugs, but unfortunately, it’s one of the easiest pests to take into your home. Here are some tips to help manage the activity!
- Consult with a pest control company – Bed bugs are a difficult pest to handle and multiply by the hundreds, which is why it’s important to consult with a licensed and experienced pest control company. Our technicians can assess the level of infestation and provide the necessary steps to eradicate the activity. Along with the treatment, we provide a detailed checklist for you to complete to ensure your home is bed bug-free.
- Clean, clean, clean – During the treatment, it’s crucial to clean your home and belongings regularly. Completing tasks like vacuuming, washing and drying clothes, and having protective covers over your mattress and belongings will help decrease the activity and create an environment they cannot sustain themselves.
- Monitor and follow up – Even after treatment, continue to monitor the affected areas for any signs of new activity. Look for the signs of bed bugs and completing post-treatment tasks to prevent continuing activity will keep your home safe.
Having bed bugs is a problem everyone wants to avoid, making it crucial to know these signs and tips. If you have questions about bed bug activity or want to schedule an inspection, please contact our office at (630) 451-8101.