Bed bugs had been kept under control in most industrial nations in the last century with the development of appropriate pesticides.
However, as people become more global in their travels and insects of all caliber become more resistant to chemical treatments, bed bug infestations have become common in some of the finest hotels and homes in the world.
The good news is that bed bugs do not transmit diseases. They do, however, leave nasty welts or blisters where they bite, which later become red and itchy.
How To Spot Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are typically in hiding during the daytime when most travelers check into a hotel room, so it’s difficult to spot them. However, a large infestation of bed bugs can smell like a soft drink has been spilled in the room, creating a sweet, musty odor. Think of how the thick syrup from a soft drink smells.
Knowing how to spot bed bugs when staying in a hotel will help avoid a distinctly unpleasant travel experience as well as keep from bringing them home. Here are a few things to do when checking into a hotel.
- Immediately pull the bed covers back and inspect the seams of the mattress for several inches for bugs or their droppings. Droppings leave behind a small reddish, brown spot or stain.
- Also check seat cushions on couches and chairs or even the desk chair.
- Look at the ceiling. Are there small brown or reddish spots on the ceiling?
- Inspect the luggage stand if it is made of wood or includes fabric straps. If it is free of bugs or made of aluminum, use the luggage stand. Placing luggage on the floor increases likelihood of bed bugs getting in and you taking them home.
- Pull luggage stand away from the wall.
- Never put clothing in hotel drawers.
- Hang clothes in the closet.
- Do not leave clothing on the bed or on the floor.
- At home, immediately wash clothes in hot water.
- Forget about buying commercial sprays. Bed bugs are resilient to most on the market.
Other places bed bugs can hide in hotel rooms are behind the head board or behind pictures on the wall; in tears in the carpeting or wallpaper. Heat and moisture, like that which accompanies a human body, attracts bed bugs.
Obviously, if there are any signs of bed bugs in a hotel room, guests should immediately request a new room.
Orkin, a leading pest control company, recommends unpacking in the garage or utility room to make sure any critters they may have entered luggage or clothing is not carried into the home.
The only thing that kills bed bugs is heat over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Some consumer products are available in which clothing and luggage can be inserted and heated. However, about the only way to rid a home or hotel from a bed bug infestation is with a professional pesticide service.
For more reading, try Health Concious Travel.
Diana Lambdin Meyer - As at home on her family's grain farm in southern Illinois as she is riding a camel on the Sinai Peninsula, Diana Lambdin Meyer most ...
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