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The Travel Bug
Travelling is the most common way people end up with Bed Bugs. You can pick up bed bugs from a hotel bed, air plane seat or really anywhere but hotel rooms are the most common place people pick up bed bugs and there’s little wonder why. The bed bugs have a new and ever changing food source so it takes longer for the infestation to be found out and dealt with. Usually, a good hotel will have procedures in place to check and report possible bed bug infestations so guests are not subjected to the nightmare that is dealing with bed bugs. But as a woman in the Bahamas recently discovered, even luxury hotels are not immune to bed bug infestations. Although the video is shocking, getting bed bugs is really a matter of bad luck and less a statement on your personal hygiene.
So what can you do to lower your chances of getting bed bugs?
Our number one tip is “look”; the first thing you should do when you get to
your hotel room is to stow your bags on the bag rack (not the bed!) and pull back the sheets and mattress protectors and check the seams of the mattress. What your looking for are bed bugs or black/brown spots or marks usually around the edges of the mattress, this is the bed bugs feces and waste. If the mattress looks clear, move on to any upholstered furniture. Use the torch in your phone to help you see better, again your looking for the bed bugs themselves or blackish brown spots that prove they’re around.
If you find bed bugs, calmly take yourself and your luggage down to reception and request another room on another floor. Remember to be polite as the hotel may not even know they have a bed bug problem yet.
If you discover bed bugs midway through your stay or suspect your last hotel had bed bugs we recommend you strip off as soon as you get home, place your clothes and the clothes you were travelling with in a hot wash and dry and take the bag you used and place it in a garbage bag, seal it and place it in the sun for 6-8 hours. Do not put this bag on your bed or other furniture. In fact, don’t bring it inside if you can avoid it. The hot wash and sun bake treatment will kill any bed bugs you’ve brought home with you and deteriorate any eggs they have laid in your luggage.
These steps will only take you 10 minutes respectively but could save you the pain and stress of dealing with a full blown bed bug infestation. Anyone who has had bed bugs will tell you it’s a stressful and expensive experience so prevention is key.
If think you might have bed bugs call a professional pest controller as soon as you make the discovery as bed bugs will only get worse with time and make it harder for you to reclaim your bedroom (or your house!). There is usually no need to throw out your bed or furniture as long as you hire a competent and qualified pest manager to deal with the bed bug infestation when you discover the problem.
Find out more
See our post about what to do if you have bed bugs here . The most important thing is not to panic and remember, there is life after bed bugs.
If you have bed bugs or think you might have a problem call Results Home Services on 3823 2500 and speak to one of our friendly staff about having a qualified technician out to asses and treat (if needed). We service all of Brisbane and the greater Brisbane area.