Image of Bed Bug (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Work has many of us in San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area traveling nationally and internationally. Of course, we’re also taking trips for vacations and visiting, too. Chances are you’ve stayed in bed bugs hotels. What can you do to prevent bed bugs bites? What can you do about bed bugs treatment?
Keep reading, and find out.
Where Most Bed Bugs Are Found…
It has been noted that about 90% of bedbugs are found in hotel rooms. In fact, in popular tourist destinations, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities, bedbugs are infesting not just hotels, but home as well.
Bed Bug Infestation in the USA (Courtesy of The Bed Bug Registry)
Bed bug infestations have grown by 500% in the U.S over the past few years. In Ohio, for example, more than 70% of the hotels in the bigger cities have battled infestations. You may not know it, but you can inadvertently bring bed bugs home with you. So, clearly bed bug infestations are just happening in some third-world country. They are happening everywhere.
With this in mind, it’s important to know how to identify a hotel room that has been infested by bed bugs.
Signs of Bed Bug Infestation
One of the most common signs of bed bugs infestation is a rash, which is usually itchy. In most cases, the person being bit (the host) may not notice the rash, but they will feel the itch. Bedbugs bites are itchier feeling than mosquito bites.
And, unlike mosquito bites where people feel the sting almost immediately, bedbugs have an anesthetic component in their saliva…which makes it hard for the host being bit to realize that s/he has been bitten.
Generally, the bite of a bed bug can only be noticed after a few hours. There are also some cases where the bedbug bite can be realized a few days after the first bite. Identifying the rash is important if the host wants to cure it. The bedbug bite is a red, round, and inflamed bump. And, it’s itchy.
At first, the host will only see a swollen bump. But over time, the rash may spread all over the host’s body.
Bed Bug Bite Prevention in Bed Bugs Hotels
If you really want to make sure that you will not suffer from bed bug bites – or bring a single bug at home with you, you must ensure that your hotel room is free from bed bugs. Before booking in hotel room, you can check online to see if there are any reported incidents of bedbug infestations in the particular hotel where you’re thinking of staying. It is always good to conduct some preliminary research to make sure that you are well-protected against bed bugs.
Once you arrive at your hotel, make sure to perform a detailed inspection of your room before unpacking your things. If possible, keep your bags outside the room during your inspection because if there are bed bugs in the room, they can easily hop onto your bags.
Where to Look for Bed Bugs in a Bed Bugs Hotel Room
Bed Bugs on Mattress Seam (Courtesy Michael F. Potter, University of Kentucky)
First, bring a small LED flashlight with you on your trip to help illuminate darkened or dimly-lit areas (I used the flashlight app on my iPhone…it’s LED light is nice & brite).
We recommend checking these areas:
- Bed & Headboard Area – Make sure to thoroughly check the bed and headboard area in your hotel room for any signs of bed bug infestation. Check the mattress, box springs, and behind the headboard before using the bed.Check the dresser drawers and the closet. Check the baseboards all the way around the room.
- Night Stands & Dresser – Check each drawer. Better to keep your clothes sealed in a protective bag (more on that in a minute).
- Baseboards – Walk the room and check every bit of baseboard…including in the closet, bathroom, and behind the curtains.
- Miscellaneous Furniture – Check couches, easy chairs, ottomans, etc.
- Closet – Closets are usually pretty empty, but others store their clothes in there, too…that may have had bed bugs on them.
- Bathroom – Give it a once over…just to rule it out.
- Miscellaneous Rooms – If your hotel room has separate rooms, naturally you should check them, too.
If in case you spot any signs of bed bug infestation in your room, you should immediately contact the hotel staff, report the infestation, and ask them to put you in another room.
Image of bed bugs on bed bugs hotel baseboard (Courtesy Michael F. Potter, University of Kentucky)
Many travelers are unaware of the epidemic of bed bug infestations in bed bugs hotels. And, some travelers who are aware may lull themselves into a false sense of security thinking that bed bugs only happen to other people. Or, they may think that inspecting their hotel room upon arrival is too much of a bother. Those are the travelers who often get bitten by bed bugs…and bring them home to have their very own bed bugs infestation.
Don’t be one of them.
Bed Bugs Prevention
[inset lr=”right”]Use protective bags to keep bed bugs off your clothes in bed bugs hotels[/inset]
San Jose Pest Control Company Van Hooser Enterprises makes inexpensive protective bags available for travelers (the bags are brand new). You simply put your garments and other items inside the protective bags when you pack for the trip. When at the hotel, your items stay inside the sealed bags. The bags remain sealed unless you’re accessing your items. When you return home, you toss your bags into the clothes dryer, then the washer, then back to the dryer because that will kill bed bugs dead.
Avoid putting your suitcase or clothes on the bed in the hotel room. And, when you arrive back home, we recommend you follow these steps:
- As Soon As You Arrive Home – Do not bring your suitcases inside your house. Keep them in the garage.
- From Suitcase to Washing Machine – If you don’t have the protective bags from Van Hooser Enterprises mentioned above, open your suitcases and transfer the clothes immediately into the clothes washer. Dry your clothes in the Dryer…not on line clothes line. By way of recall, heat kills bed bugs. Take any dry-clean-only items to the Dry Cleaners.
- Toiletry Kit – Thoroughly examine your toiletry kit items for any sign of bed bugs before you bring it into the house.
- Computer Bag, Purse, etc. – Same as for Toiletry kit.
- Suitcase Storage – Store your suitcases in the garage, for example, above the rafters.
- Cleaning up – Take a shower.
Bed Bugs Treatment
What can you do about bed bugs treatment? First, if you’ve been bitten by bed bugs, we recommend you see your physician for bed bugs treatment.
Bed Bugs Treatment - Van Hooser Enterprises mobile fumigation chamber
For bed bugs treatment of your clothes and suitcases, bring them to Van Hooser Enterprises. We will fumigate your belongings bags in our portable treatment chamber used for bed bugs treatment. Our fumigation process is guaranteed to kill bed bugs in your suitcases.
If bed bugs have infested your bed, we can fumigate it, too, in our portable fumigation chamber. And, if the bedbugs have spread throughout your room, we can perform bed bugs treatment there, too.
What To Do Now…
Call us today at (408) 536-0550 to get some protective travel bags for your next trip. And, if you’ve got signs of bed bugs infestation at home, be sure to call us right away for timely and effective bed bugs treatment.
Additional Resources for Bed Bugs and Bed Bugs Treatment:
The Bed Bug Registry
Purdue University – Bed Bugs and Bed Bugs Treatment
Bed Bugs Treatment
Filed Under: Bed Bugs Treatment
