Summer is often considered the most popular season for traveling or vacations. Unfortunately, this busy season also opens many homes and businesses to potential bed bug infestations without the proper precautions in place. No place is safe from the threat of bed bug infestation anymore, making early detection of these blood sucking pests more essential than ever before.
Bed bugs can be found in a wide variety of locations including public transportation centers, libraries, retail stores and more. However, the most common locations this pest is associated with are hotels and other places frequently encountered by large groups of travelers. Whether they have hitchhiked in or are looking to expand their reach by returning home with you, here are some of the ways you can protect your home from a potential bed bug infestation while traveling.
Bed Bug Prevention While Traveling
Bed bugs are adept at hiding until seeking out a blood meal, making proper detection of them necessary before you settle into your new location. Failure to do so will almost certainly lead to an infestation when you return home. Follow these steps at each hotel or lodging location you stop at:
- Luggage Storage – Until the room has been thoroughly checked for signs of bed bugs, it is important to keep your luggage in a safe place. This could include leaving it in your car or a non-upholstered area like the shower.
- Perform Inspection – With your luggage safely stored, begin searching the room for signs of bed bug infestation. Start by pulling back the sheets on each bed and checking for blood marks, shed skin or live bed bugs on the mattress or in the mattress piping. It is also important to search nightstands, luggage racks or dressers.
- Perform Skin Checks – While staying in unfamiliar lodging it is also a good idea to check your skin for any unexplained marks each morning to ensure no bed bug bites are present. These bites will often appear as welts and may gradually increase in intensity over the duration of the vacation.
- Unpack Cautiously – When you return home from traveling it is important to treat your luggage like it already has bed bugs in it. Take the necessary precautions to check your luggage before unpacking your items or placing them on fabric items or other furniture.
Pied Piper Services for Bed Bug Control
If you have brought home bed bugs from a previous vacation, it is important to utilize the services of a pest control company to rid your home of these elusive pests. Pied Piper Services has the equipment and knowledge needed to ensure your home returns to normal following a bed bug infestation
Call us at 888-737-8943 or visit www.thepiedpiper.biz