How To Find Bed Bugs At Home Or Away

By Author: Marisn Mackle
Total Articles: 849
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If you are about to go on vacation you want to be able to relax and have fun without worrying about waking covered in bed bugs bites, itching like crazy on the first morning or worst still arriving home with extra passengers in your luggage.

So whether you want to inspect a hotel room or your own bedroom, lounge whatever, here is your bed bug checklist which will tell you step by step how to find bed bugs (if there are any!)

Let’s talk briefly about staying in a hotel, remember bed bugs do not discriminate, whether it is a grubby motel or a 5 star luxury hotel if they can find food – they feed on human blood – they will happily take up residence and multiply at an alarming rate! How do they get there? Quite simply they are experts when it comes to hitching a ride! They will be brought into the hotel in the clothing, luggage, laptops etc. of unsuspecting guests. Once inside these little vampires can travel and can spread from room to room fairly easily.

What can you do?

The first thing you can do is check out the hotel using the internet, if the hotel of your choice has had a bed bug infestation ...
... you can be sure there will be comments made somewhere on the many review sites available.

On arrival make use of the luggage rack provided by the hotel, don’t be tempted to throw luggage, laptops, purses or jackets onto the bed or floor! Keep everything sealed and do not unpack until you have checked the room and are satisfied that it is bed bug free.

Now to begin your inspection of the room, it is wise to wear disposable gloves for this. Why? Bed bugs feed on human blood; if you find a well fed bed bug it will pop fairly easily if you happen to touch it and will therefore splatter blood over your hands putting you at risk of infection.

* Start with the bed – you don’t have to pull the bed apart if there are signs of bed bugs you will find them! Begin by removing the bed sheets to allow you to inspect the mattress. Check closely along seems, around buttons, in any folds of fabric as well as around any handles, these are all places you are likely to find bed bugs hiding.

* What bed bug signs are you looking for? You are looking for fecal matter – this will take the form of small black or dark brown spots which are stuck to the surface of the mattress. Using a wet cloth wipe some of these spots, if they smear the chances are it is fecal matter belonging to bed bugs. Keep a look out also for skins that have been shed by bugs as they grow, these are small, translucent and can be hard to spot. If bed bugs have been popped you will also undoubtedly, find small blood stains on the mattress surface. Small white eggs are something else to hunt for, these too are stuck to the surface on which they have been laid and look similar to a grain of rice.

* As well as checking the mattress for these bed bug signs make sure you also check the headboard and frame of the bed.

* Now to inspect the furniture. Look carefully inside drawers, closets and along the length of the headboard, at this point not only are you looking for the presence of bed bugs but also for traces of white powder which is a definite indicator that this hotel has had bed bug treatment by a professional Brisbane Pest Control company.

* Be aware of any strange odors when you enter the room. A large infestation of bed bugs gives off a very distinct smell which has been described as rotten meat or sweet, like raspberries.

* If at any point during this inspection you find signs or indeed live bed bugs remove your belongings immediately and inform the management. The chances are you will be allocated another room, personally I’d prefer to look for another hotel!

* Don’t be fooled into thinking that if you check into a brand new hotel it will be bed bug free. Our vampire friends can easily infiltrate the newest building in the clothing or luggage of other guests.

* Lastly always check each piece of clothing thoroughly before packing to leave making sure you checks your suitcase first. Also, check all other items of hand luggage i.e. handbags, laptop cases and so on. If you do find bed bugs seal the infected items in a plastic bag and do not remove them until you can launder the clothing at as high a temperature as the fabric will allow. If they cannot be laundered put them in a tumble dryer on a high setting for around 10-15 minutes, alternatively use a steam cleaning machine – this is a fantastic method of pest control.

Carrying out all these checks to find bed bugs before you can begin your vacation can be annoying and time consuming but these pests will bite young and old alike making you itch like crazy and feeling miserable.

Getting rid of a bed bug infestation is far from simple so prevention has to be the best option and using this checklist is one way to ensure no bed bugs travel home with you!

These are only a few pointers as to where to look for bed bugs either in a hotel room or at home. If you want to extend your search remember, bed bugs are nocturnal creatures and will hide out in any dark areas during daylight hours.
Happy hunting!

My name is Michel Marsin and i work full time as a freelance writer, editor former social worker. I am passionate about writing articles on different topics.