Things To Bring To Avoid Bed Bugs While Traveling

Like everything else though, these improvements have their downside. With the increase in travel, more and more diseases have entered this side of the world. Aside from this, pests have also hitched a ride with travelers, ultimately settling in the homes of many Americans. One such pest is the bed bug - a small insect that feeds only on the blood of humans and animals.

Bed bugs are terrible to have around the house. They are nocturnal creatures, so they bite while you are asleep. They leave you feeling itchy and irritable, with matching ugly bite marks on your skin to boot. Obviously, there is nothing good about bed bugs.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small insects that are oval in shape and are brownish in color. They have flat bodies and are the size of an apple seed, but bloat and turn red after a blood meal. Bed bugs do not fly but can move quickly; you might first find them on your bed, but next thing you know they are on the couch, on the walls, inside cracks and crevices, and on floors.  

The adult female bed bugs can lay as many as a hundred eggs. This is the reason why getting rid of them as soon as possible should be the top priority because they can soon spread into uncontrollable numbers.  

Since bed bugs are nocturnal, they bite people when they are asleep. When they bite, they pierce the skin with their elongated beaks. Their bites are painless, that is why we do not wake up to their bites. However, these bites would eventually turn up as itchy welts later on.

They Are Also High Health Risks

Add to the fact that these bed bugs are considered high health risks. Government agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environment Protection Agency, and the Center for Disease Control, have tagged them as such. Aside from their bites, there are cases that have shown that bed bugs also cause insomnia, stress, anxiety, and even depression.

You may ask, if they are high health risks, then do they transmit diseases too? We all know that other household pests do transmit diseases. Mosquitoes, for one, transmit malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis. Cockroaches transmit cholera, allergies, and salmonella. Mice transmit leptospirosis, rat bite fever, and salmonella. The only good news about the bed bugs is that they do not transmit diseases like the aforementioned pests.  

That is why if you already have a bad case of bed bug infestation, do not leave anything to chance. You can have the professionals look into your pest problems. Better yet, choose the best pest control management in North Carolina.

How Dangerous Are The Bed Bugs Really Are?

It is important to note that bed bug problems are not that simple. We all remember the phrase "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite." Yet it is not as simple as that. Bed bugs bring about other physiological damages too.

Many people who find bed bugs in their homes, especially in their beds, report cases of insomnia. Insomnia is characterized by a person not being able to sleep, or if the person gets to sleep, is easily roused and never able to go back to sleep.

What comes next then, is people being stressed out. The presence of bed bugs naturally brings out frustration, especially if you could not get any sleep. Stress is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a physical, mental, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental factor in disease causation.” Signs of stress include headaches, sleeplessness, irritability, neck ache, backache, cold and sweaty hands or feet, constipation, diarrhea, either feeling of wanting to eat more or loss of diet, frequent urination, diminished sexual desire, anxiety, and depression. People also find it very difficult to function under stress, be it at work or at home.

Signs That You Have Bed Bugs At Home

Even though having bite marks on your exposed skin is an obvious sign that you have bed bugs at home, basing your actions, or waiting for these bites to appear before you act on it, could make it too late for you. This is because bite marks from bed bugs would appear after 1 or 2 weeks, at which time the bed bugs would have probably spread to different parts of your home. Bed bug bites appear as a pattern, usually a straight line. They are not scattered like flea bites.  

We can always look for other signs of their presence. These signs include a sweet musty odor on your bed, blood-filled fecal matter excreted on your mattress, exoskeletons from the bed bugs after molting, or you might even see bed bugs in the folds of the mattresses.

When Traveling…

All of us are always excited to travel to faraway places, be it for vacation or even for work. Seeing new places, eating local cuisine, meeting new people, and experiencing a different culture altogether is something we always look forward to. However, traveling also entails risks. One risk that is very real is getting those bed bugs from the hotel you are going to stay in. It is important to note that even 5-star hotels can have bed bugs too.  

Before you leave home, pack using a suitcase with hard sides. Since bed bugs are good at hitchhiking, such a suitcase would not give them hiding places that they can latch on to. Wrap your suitcase in plastic for added protection, especially if you cannot bring a hard-sided suitcase.

After you have arrived at your hotel, the next best thing to do in your hotel room is to inspect it thoroughly. Inspect the bed, the mattress, the chairs, the couch, carpets, curtains, under the television, under the phone, and basically everywhere. Since bed bugs are nocturnal, they would definitely turn up in the dark. Turn off the lights to trick the bed bugs into going out. Bring a flashlight with you every time you travel  Use this flashlight to inspect for bed bugs in the dark. When you see something that resembles a bug, inform the hotel staff at once.

You can also bring with you a large garbage bag, one that your suitcase can fit in. While traveling, put your suitcase inside the garbage bag as protection from bed bugs. You can also bring with you long pants and long-sleeved sleeping attire. This can at least limit the bed bug’s chances of getting to your skin.

If you are a frequent traveler, you may try investing in a sleeping bag liner. At least, you are sure that what you would be sleeping on is clean, since you brought it in the first place. This would also help you keep other insects out, like mosquitoes and cockroaches.

Also, you may read some of the reviews on The Bed Bug Registry, just to have an idea. Keep in mind though, that these are reviews not made by professionals, so some accountability could be missing here.  

However, as careful as you are, there would be times when the bed bugs might just sneak in your clothes, or your suitcase, bringing them home with you. If that is the case, then you should do everything you can to eliminate them.

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

1. Wash your clothes, mattress, and linen in hot, soapy water. After washing, dry it using a dryer and place it on its maximum setting. Do this for 30 minutes. This will kill the bed bugs.
2. Use a vacuum cleaner. Vacuum your carpet, sofas, chairs, and beds. After that, make sure to dispose of the vacuum bag properly to ensure that the bed bugs would not be able to return.
3. Use diatomaceous earth. These are fossilized remains of diatoms. When bed bugs crawl on these, it can cause tiny cuts on their bodies that would make them bleed until they die.  
4. Call the best pest control management in North Carolina, Go-Forth Pest Control, to handle your bed bug problems.

Simply The Best

Go-Forth Pest Control is a family-owned company that has excellent experience in exterminating pests. They have a team of expert technicians who use state of the art equipment and a family-friendly and pet-friendly method of extermination, so you are assured of your family’s safety.

Go-Forth Pest Control has earned the trust of residents and business establishments for more than 50 years. For more information, or to set an appointment, just click here or dial 336-841-6111. Our friendly operators are standing by.