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The busiest season for bed bugs is June through October, by far. The increase in heat and humidity during the summer and into early autumn months does appear to have the effect of making bed bugs more active. The timing of this is less than ideal, since summer also tends to be the time of the year in which people travel the most. If you’re visiting family or friends this year, you might be slightly worried about catching them in your luggage and bringing them home to reproduce in your own home. In order to keep yourself safe from a bed bug infestation, which i’m sure you know can be a huge headache, follow these tips when you’re traveling this summer.
Research Your Stay Beforehand
The number one thing you can do to avoid bed bugs if you’re staying in a hotel during this trip is to research. There are many review sites online now that can tell you about the experiences had by previous guests that stayed at a hotel. Bed bugs are one of the number one reasons that people leave a bad review, so scan through some of the reviews to make sure you’re not staying somewhere that has a known bed bug problem. You can also check bedbugregistry.com for your hotel, or even use it as a first stop when booking a hotel.
Inspect Carefully Before Settling In
Once you get to your hotel, or the room you’re going to be staying in, you can do an inspection for bed bugs before putting all of your stuff away. Leave your luggage in the bathroom, up on the counter while you do this in order to keep it bed bug free. Pull the sheets off the top part of the bed and inspect the edges of the mattress for tiny black spots that look like mold spots. These are usually waste that bed bugs leave behind, and are tell-tale signs of a bed bug problem. It’s rare that you’ll see any actual bugs since they hide in the walls and furniture when people are around, but the black waste spots are a dead giveaway that they’re hanging around somewhere. Also, check the bed skirt in between the mattress and box spring, which should be completely clear. You’ll also need to check the headboard, and any upholstered furniture.
Seal Your Luggage
Even if your room seems like it’s clear from any issues, there might still be bed bugs hiding somewhere. The smartest thing you can do to prevent giving them a ride straight into your home is to place your luggage in plastic zip bags. BugZip and other brands make bags like this just for this reason. These are cheap insurance and much more effective than just using the luggage rack or bathtub to try and keep your luggage away from bed bugs.
Follow these tips carefully while you travel this summer, and you’ll be much less likely to run into a bed bug problem, or worse, bring one back into your own home.
