The last souvenir you want to bring home from your travels is a suitcase full of bed bugs. Unfortunately, these little guys love to travel, and they have no problem getting through security without a boarding pass. Bed bugs are small, flat, brown parasitic insects with six legs and no wings. As connoisseurs of human blood, they will gleefully hide in bed sheets and wait until you fall asleep before turning you into an all-night buffet.
Bed Bugs Have Perfected the Art of Free Travel
Bed bugs are usually brought into hotels by guests. When you place your suitcase on the bed or floor, they crawl inside and hide. Because they are tiny, they may go unnoticed by hotel staff until someone complains. People enter and leave hotels and resorts constantly, so there’s no way to completely prevent bed bugs from coming in. The presence of bed bugs doesn’t indicate poor sanitation—they’re as likely to infest clean accommodations as dirty ones. Your best bet is to take measures to keep them out of your belongings so they can’t get a free ride to your home. The following tips can help.
Bug-Free Travel Tips
1. Before booking your hotel, check online reviews to see if other guests have complained about bed bugs.
2. If your destination is in the United States or Canada, check the The Bed Bug Registry also.
3. Avoid placing your suitcase on the bed, carpeted floor, or upholstered chairs in your hotel room. Instead, place it on an elevated shelf or a tile floor.
4. Examine your sheets, dust ruffle, comforter, and all other fabric items in the room for evidence of bed bugs. Signs include dark specks of dried blood or feces, pepper-like particles, or dead insects. Repeat your investigation the next morning.
5. Don’t place dirty clothes on the bed or floor; keep them in your suitcase or a plastic bag.
6. Pack a few large outdoor garbage bags, and encase your luggage inside them during your stay. This will help keep the bugs out. Discard used bags just before you leave.
7. When you get home, vacuum your suitcases thoroughly and launder all clothes immediately.
If It’s Too Late for Bed Bug Prevention, ABC Can Help
If you’ve already flown or driven a few hungry bed bugs back to Austin, don’t worry. The experienced pest control specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services know how to evict your stowaways. Our effective, non-toxic bed bug heat treatments kill the invaders in mattresses, wall cavities, and every hard-to-reach area they like to hide. Our process works with a single treatment, and it won’t damage your belongings. Like all of our services, success is guaranteed, so schedule service today, and sleep without biting bed buddies tomorrow.