Many of us have been loosely locked inside of our homes for well over a year. Even those that ventured out rarely spent much time outside of our local area. But the world is opening up again, and – based on the way people are talking about their summer plans – it looks like it’s going to open up in significant ways.
While it’s great that everyone will be traveling again, it’s going to be even more important than ever to watch out for bed bugs. The more people travel, the more opportunities there are for bed bugs to spread, and because no one has had to think about bed bugs or traveling over the past 18 months, there is a risk that bed bugs are going to see a resurgence.
How to Watch for Bed Bugs When You Travel
The good news is that there are steps you can take when you travel to decrease the risk of bringing bed bugs home. While it’s impossible to prevent all cases of bed bugs – especially since bed bugs can theoretically be picked up anywhere, including your own workplace – it is possible to take steps that will make it far less likely that you’ll bring these pest home with you.
Bed bugs are hitchhikers, capable of hiding in very small places. They instinctually know to climb onto clothes or into luggage in order to spread form one property to another, so if you’re in a hotel with bed bugs, chances are at least a few are making it inside of your luggage. That is why you can help prevent bed bugs using the following tips:
- Inspect the Hotel – It doesn’t matter if a hotel is clean, dirty, cheap, or expensive. Bed bugs can live anywhere. When you first step foot into a hotel room, look around the baseboards, under the bed, and in the grooves of the mattress to see if there are any bed bugs or unexplained dirt. It takes only a few seconds, but many cases of bed bugs can be found this way.
- Heat Your Clothes – When you’re home from the trip, leave your suitcases outside, take all of your clothes out of your luggage (and your clothes off, if you’re comfortable enough) and put them in the dryer. Heat the clothes for 30 minutes. This will exterminate any bed bugs living in the clothes.
- Inspect the Luggage – Finally, go through the remaining suitcases in detail to see if there are any signs of bed bugs. If you’re not sure, or you have a hard time looking through your luggage, consider leaving your suitcases outside for a while. This won’t kill the bed bugs, but it increases the chance that any bed bugs that did try to hide in your luggage will go out and explore and, hopefully, be eaten by other bugs.
This type of approach isn’t perfect, but that is because bed bugs are survivors. If you do believe that you have bed bugs somewhere on your property, contact ADAPT Pest today to learn more about our bed bug treatments and removal in Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, and the surrounding region.
