When planning a trip out of town thinking about bed bugs is probably not high on your priority list; at least it isn’t until you get bitten by them. Bed bugs are blood sucking parasitic insects that can ruin your trip and your home life, should you unsuspectingly bring some back with you to Oklahoma in your luggage. Many people believe that you only find bed bugs in inexpensive hotel chains but the truth is that there have been hundreds of documented cases in higher end hotels all over the United States. But how do you know if your hotel room is infested with tiny blood sucking insects?
Pied Piper Services have provided the following tips and expert advice to avoid sharing your hotel room with bedbugs and stop them from hitchhiking home with you!
• Check your room for bed bugs before you unpack – You might think that the luggage rack is a safe place to put your luggage, but bed bugs can hide out in the fabric of the strapping. To be safe, place your bags in the tub where bed bugs won’t be hiding while you check for signs of bed bug infestations.
• Check the headboard for bed bugs first – Bed bugs have a tendency to stay close to the bed, as their range is typically 20 feet or less from the host. Many smartphones have a flashlight app you can download if you don’t already have one. A flash light will help you get a good look at the headboard including the creases. What do bed bugs look like? A good rule of thumb is to look for anything that resembles an apple seed. They can be either flat or plump, depending on when they last fed, and either pale or reddish brown in color.
• Examine the piping around the mattress for bed bugs – the piping around the mattress is a great place for bed bugs to hide. The experts at Pied Piper Services recommend taking off the sheets before examining the piping on both the top and bottom of the mattress carefully.
• Examine the mattress and pad for signs of blood spots and bed bug excrement – Bloodstains look like tiny dots that can be either brown or red in color. Excrement looks like tiny raised mounds or dots that resemble ink marks made by a magic marker and are typically light to dark brown or black in color.
• Look in the nearby drawers and nightstands for bed bugs – Bed bugs love dark hiding spots like the corners of drawers, but to be extra safe, remove the drawers and look at the undersides as well. Other prime real estate includes the luggage rack, bed frame, picture frames (especially pictures above the bed) and other item within a couple of feet from the bed.
Bed Bug Detection After a Thorough Inspection
If you find bed bugs, notify the front desk immediately and ask to be moved to another room. Make sure your new room is not next door, above or below your old room. Be sure to examine the new room as carefully as the first.
What do you do if you wake up the next morning with bed bug bites? While this is something you probably don’t want to think about, especially if you have spent time thoroughly searching the aforementioned room, the first thing you should do is ask the hotel to launder your clothes immediately. After laundering, the experts at Pied Piper Services recommend placing your clothing in a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes along with steaming your luggage thoroughly. As an extra precaution, place all of your garments in a vacuum sealed bag before returning home.
Bed Bug Pest Inspections, Detection, Prevention & Removal in Cushing, Muskogee, Tahlequah, Okmulgee, Wilburton, Eufaula, McAlester, Broken Arrow, Glenpool & Tulsa OK
While bed bug bites are not dangerous they are itchy and uncomfortable and some people can have localized skin reactions that will require a doctor visit. For more information about bed bugs and how to protect your home, contact the knowledgeable experts at Pied Piper Services and speak with a customer service professional today.