Prevent Bed Bugs On Your Vacation
Matt Unrein • July 22, 2024
Stop Bed Bugs From Destroying Your Vacation
A suitcase is one of those items that everyone brings when they go on vacation. It contains everything you need for your journey and it’s where you pack the memories that you made on the trip. Suitcases bring a small piece of home with you as you go off to explore new places relax, or meet up with friends. Unfortunately, suitcases can pick up some unwanted bed bugs. This not your fault, bed bugs can be found anywhere people are located.
Bed bugs are believed to carry diseases and this has lead them to be connected with dirty and unsanitary environments. The fact of the matter is that bed bugs do not carry diseases, however, they are painful pests.
Bed bugs are found in North and South America, to Africa, Asia, and Europe. Anywhere there are humans, there are bed bugs. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) at pestworld.org, bed bugs can be found in college dormitories, bus and train seats, restaurant booths, second-hand furniture stores and even doctor’s offices.
For information about how to find and identify bed bugs, please visit our FAQ page.
Here are some tips and steps you can take to protect your suitcase and vacation. The NPMA recommends the following:
• Do not rush when you check into a hotel or short-term rental. Take your time to inspect the room or house.
• Turn over bedding, including the bedspread and look for brown spots left by bed bugs.
• Use your phone flashlight to look at the box spring.
• Never put your suitcase on the floor and always utilize hard surfaces, regardless of how clean beds look.
• Keep clothing off the floor and in plastic when possible.
As an extra measure of protection, you can put your suitcase and shoes in the bathtub to keep the bed bugs away. Bed bugs like places to hide after they feed and there are not hiding spots in the tub.
If you just got home from a vacation and find signs of bed bugs or mysterious bites, immediately put everything in the dryer. Heat is a safe and chemical free way to kill bed bugs. But if you weren’t able to address the problem in time. Please give us a call. SOS Pest Control offers free inspections.
The original article link is here:
Even the cleanest hotels are vulnerable to bed bugs—especially during the summer rush of travelers crisscrossing the country. With suitcases coming and going, and guests checking in and out in rapid cycles, these pests are finding new homes in hotels both budget and luxury. According to a recent USA Today article titled “Any hotel can have bed bugs. How travelers can avoid bringing them home,” experts emphasize that bed bugs aren’t tied to cleanliness but to human activity. “Bed bugs aren’t a reflection of cleanliness—they’re a reality of travel,” the article states. Bed bugs travel by hitching rides on luggage, clothing, or personal items. Once inside a hotel room, they can hide in mattress seams, behind headboards, or in upholstered furniture—waiting for their next host. This makes high-traffic hotels especially susceptible. The surge in summer travel has brought renewed attention to the risk of infestations. With the influx of summer travelers in full swing, bed bugs are hitching rides on luggage, clothing, and personal items, moving from guest to guest and room to room. For hotel operators, this means proactive action is more important than ever. Hotels should implement early detection protocols, such as routine inspections and discreet monitoring tools. Rapid-response treatment options that don’t disrupt guests are critical. SOS Pest Control's approach includes same-day heat treatments that are non-toxic and discreet, conducted with unmarked vehicles to avoid alarming guests. Because your guests should leave with memories, not bed bugs. According to the USA Today report, travelers can protect themselves by: Placing suitcases on luggage racks instead of beds or carpets Inspecting the bed, headboard, and surrounding furniture for small reddish-brown bugs or black dots (droppings) Washing and drying clothes on high heat after travel Even if hotels take all the right steps, prevention is a shared responsibility between guests and management. “Wherever there are people, there’s potential for bed bugs,” said Dr. Brittany Campbell, entomologist with the National Pest Management Association, in the USA Today article. SOS Pest Control warns that bed bugs can follow guests home and remain hidden for long periods. We recommend travelers inspect luggage before reentering their homes and seek professional help at the first sign of an infestation. If you’re a hotel manager in the Kansas City area, you can contact SOS Pest Control at www.soskc.com or call 816-237-5342. Article link: USA TODAY
New lawsuits against two Las Vegas Hotels and Casino about guests getting bitten by bed bugs have been made known to the public.
