Blog
Bed Bugs Travel With Honolulu Vacationers
11/6/13
The Hawaiian Islands are one of the top destinations for travelers, especially over the holidays. The warm temperatures, picturesque landscape, and Hawaiian culture draw thousands upon millions of travelers each year from all over the world. But when vacationers come, so can unwanted pests such as bed bugs. Bed bug infestations are popping up everywhere these days, with popular vacation destinations being one of the fastest growing problem areas. These tiny, flat parasites can easily adapt to a wide variety of environments, making traveling for them a breeze. The most common way bed bugs travel from location to location is in luggage, purses, backpacks, used furniture, and people. These blood sucking insects are able to attach themselves from traveler to traveler with ease. Even when you think you are not carrying bed bugs while you travel they can be around you, lurking in buses, airplanes, taxis and other modes of public transportation.
Once vacationers arrive at their destination, all it takes is placement of an infested suitcase in a hotel room and bed bugs will begin to infiltrate the hotel room, quickly building their colonies often unseen to the human eye. In hotels and homes some of the most common places bed bugs will build their nests are in mattress and box springs, behind floorboards and in carpeting, in crevices of upholstered furniture, behind pictures and wall hangings, and even in outlets and in electronics. However, bed bug infestations are not just found in lodging facilities and homes, they have been known to also invade hospitals, university dorms, apartment and condo complexes, retail stores, movie theaters, and public transportation.
Although there is certainly cause for concern regarding bed bugs and travel there are some precautionary measures one can take to ease their mind. If you are a traveler, first inspect your hotel room for signs of bed bugs, thoroughly inspecting mattresses, furniture, behind pictures, and along the floor near walls. Always keep your luggage off of hotel floors, beds, and chairs, place them on luggage racks or even better, the bathtub in your hotel room and only open your suitcase when you need items. When you return home after a trip, leave your luggage outside your home until you have checked it for signs of bed bugs and be sure to wash all your clothes, even items that were not worn in the hottest water possible. If you are a property owner or manager in Hawaii, it would be beneficial to make sure your staff is well educated on bed bugs, with knowledge on how to identify them in all life stages. You can also have your property regularly checked by K9 scent detection dogs. These highly trained dogs can do a 2-3 minute sweep of a room with little to no disturbance of items in rooms.
While no one wants to ever have to deal with bed bug problem, there are times when no matter what you do to prevent them, an infestation can still occur. If you have noticed shed bed bug skins, dried blood spots on linens and mattresses, have itchy red welts on your skin from bed bug bites, or smell an overwhelming sweet musty odor in a room, don’t hesitate; contact Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions and let our bed bug professionals resolve you bed bug problem today!