One of the grossest things you can come across when traveling has to be bed bugs! Even in the states, bed bugs are everywhere, and we all know, they can get into high end hotels, just as well as low end. And don’t get me started on bed bugs contaminating luggage. They can remain undetected for months because they only need to feed once a week and can lay dormant for up to a year.
You can see the top 50 cities for Bed bugs, but you might not want to, yuck!
What do they eat? You! Human blood is there staple food.
Shake off your shivers with these how to protect against bringing these pests home from your travels.
They are Named Bed Bugs for a Reason
#1 Never put your suitcase on the bed – Suitcase to bed is the highest transfer rate for bed bugs. When traveling place your suit case in the bath tub, on the suit case rack, on the chest of drawers, on a table, even the floor away from walls is better than the bed.
#2 Pull back sheets and blankets from the beds. Look for black dots or stains on the bedding especially in the corners of the mattress and box-springs under the braiding that seams them together. I do this before I bring my suit cases out of the bath tub. If you find ball point pen black looking stains around the corners of the mattress or on the bedding in that area leave with your bags immediately. Ask for a new room.
#3 Unpack suit cases and all travel items away from the house when you get home. In the driveway is the best, garage or bath room with rugs removed.
# 4 Wash everything in hot water or run it through the hot dryer for an hour when you return home. Only heat kills these yucky bugs. Cold only makes the bed bugs go dormant. Heat needed to kill the bugs is 118-120 degrees for and hour.
What to do About Luggage
Lets be realistic. Bed bugs can come from seats on planes, movie theaters, public transportation, computer bags and phones, basically everywhere. We did throw out some luggage the first time it happened, but after that we have learned.
#1 If it is small enough put it in the dryer for 1 hour on hot.
#2 Place in black sealed trash bag in a car that reaches over 120 degrees for an hour.
#3 Place in black trash bag with diatomaceous earth for at least a month.
DO NOT bring it into the house if all possible. Store in the garage, shed or outside of the home. Place in large black trash bag with bed bug sticky stripes to trap the little devils when they do come out or in diatomaceous earth, a natural white powered substance to suffocate them.
Be Realistic
We are very fortunate in the USA to have clean water to wash with, plastic to cover infected items with, and amazon.com to order almost all products needed to battle this little beasties.
There are plenty of countries where bed bugs are a way of life.
PLUS
There are no know diseases that come from bed bugs and allergic reactions are rare. Hives and welts can result from bits but normally disappear within days.
As with all travel, check your surroundings carefully. One final tip, bed bugs are slow and can’t hop; they must come in contact with you. A hotel bath tub makes an excellent luggage storage space.
What tips do you have to prevent bed bugs?
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