Preventing bedbugs from infesting your home may not be your prime concern when you set out for a vacation. It matters not that you plan to stay at a hotel, motel, resort, or with family or friends. You are most likely thinking about the fun to be had and happy that accommodations are available for you to utilize - period.
Although the fun aspect is what you should be thinking about when going on a trip, the rise in bedbug infestations occurring around the world should cause you to add bedbug prevention measures to your travel plans. After all, you don't want bedbug bites while vacationing and once your vacation is over, you don't want to tote little biting buggers back home with you.
Preventing bedbugs from infesting the home may be a bit tricky for those who get bedbug bites and never know it. This is because those who have no reaction to bedbugs may never know they're being preyed on night after night. The small portion of the population who has adverse reactions to bedbug bites, however, cannot possibly miss the bites - although initially, they may not know what bit them. For this group, bedbug bites itch, probably worse than mosquito bites and they often cause red welts to appear on allergic people's skin. What's worse is several bedbugs can attack a single victim simultaneously. Since the process happens when we prey are asleep victims have virtually no chance to squish the little buggers - or at least pluck them away.
Those who don't have reactions to bedbug bites are fortunate in that they don't experience the excruciating itching. However, when traveling and staying in infested rooms, they could unknowingly take the little buggers home to family members who aren't so lucky. Within hours after an attack, those family members could show mild to serious adverse affects to bedbug stings. What's worse than that is a small minority of victims could suffer bad cases of shock resulting from bedbug-associated bacterium.
Due to their small flat shaped bodies, bedbugs are able to squeeze into small cracks and crevices where they hide during the day and come out at night - usually after the lights are off. Travelers should be aware that when they place their suitcases on floors, beds, dressers and in other areas where bedbugs reside, the little pests could easily enter said luggage and hitchhike rides home with the travelers. Bedbugs can also hitch rides inside purses, computer bags, dirty clothing stored on closet floors, shoes, and just about anything in their living areas.
In preventing bedbugs from entering your home after traveling, you should begin by inspecting the quarters you will stay in for your vacation. Examine the mattress, the bed boards, and all other areas about the bed. Look for bugs that are flat, translucent brown to dark reddish brown, and look for specks of dark droppings that could indicate bedbug presence even if you don't see actual bugs.
Don't stop at the bed area, however, because as stated above, bedbugs may reside in other furniture such as dressers, they may take up residence in closets, between cracks and crevices in walls or molding. Therefore, it is important to perform a thorough search of your sleeping quarters.
If you find evidence of bedbugs while staying in a hotel, motel, etcetera, you should request another room. Inspect that room also! If you're staying with friends or family members - still request a different place to sleep and let them know they have a bedbug problem. When people have little to no reaction to bedbug bites, they could live with bedbugs for years and never know their homes' reek of infestation. Allergic visitors coming along and experiencing bites by the pests could be the first indication to the non-allergic about the problem. This is why it is important that you "tell" your hosts - even though the situation could be embarrassing.
If you discover your quarters are infested, avoid placing your luggage and other bags on floors, beds, dressers or amid any infested areas. When you get home - just to be on the safe side - leave your luggage in the back yard. Take your clothes from your luggage directly to your washer. Wash everything in which bedbugs could infiltrate or lay their eggs. This includes your luggage. Spray all luggage compartments with the hose and let the luggage dry before bringing it into the house.
If you don't have a backyard because you live in an apartment complex, take your luggage and set it in the bathtub. Then proceed to wash everything as stated above even if you have to wash clothes in the basin or the tub with the suitcase in it. Of course, if you prefer, you can take the laundry to the Laundromat. If you choose to do so, just make sure you don't allow the laundry to set on your floor or your furniture or in your unattended opened suitcase.
Purses, computer bags and other items of this sort will benefit from inspection and or rinsing also. Bedbugs like fibrous materials. In addition, remember they are very small and capable of crawling through small spaces. Furthermore, their eggs are even smaller!
Other measures you should take to prevent bedbugs infestations involve precautions like used furniture inspections. All used furniture should be inspected thoroughly before you bring it into your home.
If you see signs of bedbugs in your home, kill them right away. You might also want to hire an exterminator to investigate the problem. Professionals can help you decide what type of pest control you want to use. In furtherance, some bedbug combating agencies are currently utilizing bedbug-sniffing canines to help locate problem areas.
Patching holes in walls and floors is a good idea for apartment dwellers because bedbugs can travel through wall crevices from an infected apartment to a (used to be) bedbug free apartment. They may also crawl into hallways and enter another apartment from under doorways. For this reason, regular vacuuming and linen washing is essential to preventing bedbugs from entering your home.