PestAway Pest Control Blog
Avoid bringing bed bugs home from vacation
A chance to relax and escape daily works and home is a real reward, but today’s vacations bring an extra worry besides airline baggage fees: bed bugs. Once rarely seen, these blood-sucking creatures are appearing with a vengeance at the very places we go to escape like hotels and vacation rentals. But worse than finding bed bugs on vacation is bringing them home!
Bed bugs are good hitchhikers, riding into homes or hotels in and on luggage, furniture, bedding, or clothing. Once inside, the pests like to hide in small cracks and crevices – behind the bed’s headboard, in the seams and tufts of mattress and inside the box spring, along baseboard cracks, and behind wallpaper. The presence of bed bugs has little to do with cleanliness, although clutter can provide good hiding places and make them difficult to treat. Read this article about bed bug infestations increase in Australia.
Bed bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts. Bed bugs typically feed on blood every five to 10 days, but can live for a year or more without eating. They also can withstand a wide range of temperatures from nearly freezing to almost 45 °C.
Signs of Bed Bugs
Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless and have a rusty red colour. They have flat bodies, antennae and small eyes. They are visible to the naked eye, but often hide in cracks and crevices. So when you clean, change bedding, or travel, look for other signs that they may present, like:
- Dark small spots on furniture, including mattresses. They are bed bug faeces and may bleed on fabric like a felt-tip marker.
- Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
- Bed bug eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and white.
- Live bed bugs, though there are many other bugs that may look a lot like bed bugs. It’s important to get an expert’s identification.
Please click here to read more about bed bugs and PestAway bed bug control services in Victoria and Melbourne.
Do Some Research
Before making hotel reservations, do a quick search online to see if bedbugs have been reported at the hotel or rental you have chosen. While these sites can sometimes be in error, if you spot multiple listings within a specific area, it’s possible this is a bedbug “hot spot” (a higher risk for infestations).
Bed Check
Once your research is done, inspecting your vacation rental or hotel room upon arrival could prevent bedbugs from hitching a ride home with you. Check the sheets, comforter, and the seams of the mattress and box spring. Lift the mattress and look underneath, where bedbugs like to hide. Check for telltale pinpoint spots of blood. Examine the headboard too, because bedbugs will hide in joints in the wood.
While you’re in the room, avoid putting clothes or luggage on the floor because bedbugs can get inside. Pull the luggage rack away from the wall to stop bedbugs from crawling inside. The most common sign that you’ve slept with bed bugs is the itchy red bumps they leave behind.
When you get home, take steps to avoid bringing these pests into the house. Undress in the garage and bag your clothing and luggage in garbage bags, tied tightly and sealed with duct tape. If you do develop a problem, contact a pest control company experienced with bedbugs. Treating these pests is not a DIY job.
Common Bed Bug Myths
You can’t see a bed bug!?
You should be able to see adult bed bugs, nymphs and eggs with your naked eye.
Bed bugs live in dirty places!?
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt and grime; they are attracted to warmth, blood and carbon dioxide. However, clutter offers more hiding spots.
Bed bugs transmit diseases!?
There have been no cases or studies that indicate bed bugs pass diseases from one host to another.
Bed bugs won’t come out if the room is brightly lit!?
While bed bugs prefer darkness, keeping the light on at night won’t deter these pests from biting you.
Pesticide applications alone will easily eliminate bed bug infestations!?
Bed bug control can only be maintained through a treatment strategy that includes a variety of techniques plus careful attention to monitoring. Proper use of pesticides may be part of the strategy, but will not by itself eliminate bed bugs. It is a good idea to consult a qualified pest control and management professional if you have bed bugs in your home.
Bed bugs can multiply very quickly
It is always best to contact a pest control company experienced with bedbugs and consult a qualified pest control and management professional if you have bed bugs in your home. Call free PestAway Australia at 1800 330 073 for a consultation and estimate and get rid of your bed bug worries today!
Posted by PestAway Australia on 25th June, 2012 | Comments
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