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Summer Travel Tips To Help Prevent Bringing Home Bed Bugs
6/18/13
A summer vacation is what many people look forward to all year long, but with the increase in the number of bed bug outbreaks across the country you may be a little nervous to travel for fear of bringing bed bugs back home with you. And while this is a valid concern because hotels and other commercial lodgings can be hot spots for bed bug activity, there are many steps that you can take before, during and after travel to significantly decrease the chance of bringing bed bugs back with you to infest your home.
When researching hotels or resorts that you want to stay at during your vacation, you should check out websites like tripadvisor.com and bedbugregistry.com to see if they have had any problems with bed bugs. You will also want to look into any preventative measures that the hotel itself takes to prevent bed bug outbreaks such as bed bug mattress and box spring encasements and routine bed beg inspections and treatments. After choosing a hotel that you are comfortable with, you will want to pack various sizes of zip top baggies to help prevent bed bugs from infesting your belongings. Clothing, toiletries, shoes and items like books and magazines should be stored in the sealed baggies when not in use to help prevent bed bugs from having access to them. If possible, you should travel with hard sided suitcases instead of ones made of fabric; fabric suitcases are a great vehicle for bed bugs to hitch hike home with you. You are also going to want to pack a small flashlight to help you inspect your room once you arrive at your destination
When you get to your hotel and before your bring your belongings into your reserved room you should inspect it for bed bug activity. If you packed a small flashlight you should use it to check for live or dead bed bugs, their fecal material or blood droplets. Areas where bed bugs hide in during the day include mattresses especially around the buttons and seams, box springs, foot boards and headboards, behind pictures on the wall, around the baseboards of the room and in the closet areas. If you see any signs of bed bugs, you should either choose a new hotel or ask for a new room that is not adjacent to the bed bug infested one. Even if you don’t see any signs of bed bugs you should still make sure that your suitcase is kept up off of the ground and that you keep all your belongings in zip-topped baggies when not in use.
Once you return home from your vacation you will want to make sure that all clothing items (clean or dirty) are put directly into the washer and washed in hot water and then dried in the dryer. Once your suitcase is empty you will want to take it outside and vacuum it along with any purses and other bags to remove any bed bugs that may have snuck home with you.
This may seem like a lot of work, but by being cautious and by taking preventative measures you will save yourself a lot of time and money by not having to deal with eliminating a bed bug infestation in your home after a vacation! However, even after taking all of these precautions if bed bugs do find a way into your home, it is important to get help at the first sign of bed bug activity. A pest control company should immediately be called to provide bed bug elimination services; this will help to prevent the bed bugs from spreading throughout your home (they breed very quickly) and ensure that the entire problem is eliminated all at once and allow you get a peaceful nights rest sooner than later!
For bed bug control services and treatments from a company you can trust, Rose Pest Solutions is your best choice. Since 1860, Rose Pest Solutions has been providing effective and friendly pest control services to six states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Contact Rose Pest Solutions today for more information on bed bug inspections, services and treatments as well as all other general pest problems.