How Easily Do Bed Bugs Spread?

The school year has come to a close and many families are planning a new vacation adventure. There are many fun destinations planned for so many of us. However there are times when travelers discovered they brought back more then just fond memories and souvenirs. Some will bring home bed bugs. Yes, bed bugs are often brought home while families travel and rest in public dwellings. Of course this doesn’t mean every hotel, inn, or motel is crawling with bed bugs. However with the high rate of visitors, you never know when they may be brought in. That’s why Eagle Pest Services will share some tips on how to avoid bed bugs during your next family vacation.

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs Home After Sleeping in Hotels

Bed bugs are very small insects that feed on warm blooded animals and mostly humans due to their somewhat hairless bodies and tasty blood. They are also hitchhikers that will grip onto clothing, hair, and other fabrics or coarse material. Because of this, bed bugs are easily transported and spread throughout the states. However with the following guidelines in place, you can avoid bringing them home.

1. One way to help avoid bed bugs or bring them home is to use hard plastic luggage cases instead of fabric bags, backpacks, or luggage.
2. If you don’t use or have hard plastic or steel luggage cases, before you take your luggage into your temporary dwelling area, you should conduct a search of the room. You can also just put your luggage in the bath tub or on a luggage rack which is free from any contact with the ground, furniture, or walls.
3. Conduct a thorough search of the room when your first check in. You should have a flash light in hand and search the room for bed bugs. Start with the bed and other furniture. Look in the cracks or creases of the bed and its framing as well as under the bed. You can use a black light to detect their feces or blood spots left behind. However, bed bugs themselves won’t glow like scorpions would in black light. Don’t neglect any other furniture or even curtains when checking the room for bed bugs.
4. When leaving if the room comes with a blow drier or you have one with you use the blow dryer inside your luggage. As the heat can kill bed bugs, make sure you go over the inside and outside of the bag thoroughly. As you repack examine all of your belongings as you go. Clothing and linens and also be quickly hit with the blow drier as well to makes sure if any unseen bed bugs die before you return home. Make sure you use the hottest and highest setting to produce enough heat to kill any bed bugs.
5. When you return home, all luggage should be placed in the wash room. Begin washing all your linens and clothing right away. If possible use hot water in the washing machine and high heat when drying them. It also doesn’t hurt to use a blow drier inside your luggage when you get home.
6. Lastly when you get home and you begin attending to your laundry, you may also want to clean the inside of your vehicle. Vacuum the inside to suck up any bed bugs that may be hiding inside. Hopefully the inside of the vehicle will get warm enough to kill any stragglers.

Bed Bug Inspections & Treatment

Follow this useful guideline and tips to avoid bringing bed bugs back home with you during your summer vacations. If you find that bed bugs somehow made their way home with you and are inside your home, don’t hesitate to contact Eagle Pest Control. We can treat your home for bed bugs quickly and efficiently.