Beware – Summer Is Bed Bug Season

As summer rolls in, bed bugs will be returning with force.

If you’ve been ignoring yours due to a lack of reactivity, they’re going to become hard to ignore very soon. As temperatures rise, bed bugs proliferate for a few reasons.

First, bed bugs are normally able to pull moisture out of the air but struggle with typical dry summer conditions. This leaves only one source of liquid for them – blood.

With their lives on the line, bed bugs will be more likely to appear during the day and are willing to feed more aggressively.

Second, warm air also makes modes of transportation far more hospitable for the common bed bug – subways, trains, buses, and other vehicles are no longer tough to wait out in.

Finally, for many people, summer means travel, and travel greatly increases your chances of encountering bed bugs. If you’ll be staying in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast, you will be factually be making your home in a revolving door of people.

Rest easy knowing that there’s plenty you can do to avoid the problem entirely. For the full section on Traveling Safe From Bed Bugs, check out the Prevention page linked here.

Here’s the skinny:

• Keep luggage in sealed plastic bags. Purpose-made products are best, but trash bags are better than nothing.
• Keep clothing sealed separately from the rest of your suitcase’s contents.
• Inspect the room before unpacking. Check behind headboards and under sheets – look for stains and other bed bug signs.
• Also check nightstands, couches, and chairs for signs. Bed bugs don’t mind holing up in furniture.
• Keep luggage and clothing far from the bed and off of the floor. Use luggage stands, closets, or bathtubs to keep safe. Bed bugs can’t climb smooth-sided bathtubs or metal hangers.
• Have a plan for treating luggage once you get home. A small bed bug heater is an invaluable investment if you travel frequently. It could save you thousands in professional treatment costs to your home and in lost clothing.
• Be especially aware if staying in ultra-budget housing. It may be cheap for a good reason.

The Debedbug ebook also features a worksheet dedicated to helping you Travel Safe From Bed Bugs. Print it out or save it on your phone so you can go through each step upon checking in to your place of stay.

You can download and print it here:

For more resources like this, feel free to check out the ebook for much more.

When reading hotel reviews, know that reviews complaining about bed bugs are not always reliable.

Almost every establishment will have a client bring the pest in if they’re around for long enough; it’s the places with repeat complaints that you really need to avoid.

If you do find bed bugs in your lodging, do your best to capture a sample to be shown to management. A drinking/mouth rinsing glass is perfect for this.

As long as you take proper precautions upon returning home by having and executing a plan, your chances of bringing bed bugs into your home are virtually nonexistent.

Here’s a quick example of a protocol:

1. Upon returning home, leave bags outside.
2. Change and throw dirty worn clothes into the washer or dryer before showering.
3. Bring laundry in and either dry or wash and dry any clothing you brought traveling.
4. If you have a bed bug heater, use it on the entire suitcase’s contents in batches if necessary.
5. If you do not have a bed bug heater, treat whatever is dryer safe in the dryer.
6. If you do not have a bed bug heater, leave luggage outside for a week before bringing it indoors.

Please do not use an oven or microwave. It’s very dangerous and won’t work.

While you don’t have to be extremely cautious most of the time, you should act with speed and deliberation if you should come home with suspect bites or a confirmed case, of course.

There’s nothing wrong with being overly-cautious either…better cautious than bed bugged.

Thanks for Reading!

I hope you have a fulfilling summer full of travels, memories, and a distinct lack of bed bugs. Keep the above in mind, worry less, and enjoy more.

Take the time to educate your friends and family; we can beat bed bugs if everyone’s on board.

Congratulations on investing in your own health through knowledge, and best of luck in your fight to get or stay debedbugged!

References

https://debedbug.com/references/