Bed Bugs and Spring Break: Be on the Alert
Visions of warm sandy beaches or powder covered ski slopes have many students and families excited for their upcoming spring break. With thoughts focused on how they will spend their vacation time and considering what souvenirs they may wish to bring home, the last thing they are considering is protecting themselves from bringing home bed bugs.
Bed bugs like to travel and are good hitchhikers. They will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures and can hide behind baseboards and in cracks, crevices, and folded areas of beds, bedding and adjacent furniture, especially mattresses and box springs. Bed bugs can wreak havoc on your life, not only because of their itchy bites, but they spread quickly and are extremely difficult to get rid of.
Turning a blind eye to a potential bed bug invasion is a risk you don't want to take; especially when travelling.
If you are planning to travel for spring break, or any time of year, here are some helpful tips for avoiding these pests:
€ Leave your suitcases on hard surfaces. Do not put your suitcase on the bed, carpet or upholstered furniture. Bed bugs are less likely to invade your belongings if you place them on a hard surface, such as the luggage rack or table.
€ Search your sheets at night to spot the actual bug. Bed bugs mostly hide out during the day, but you may be able to see them at night by using a flashlight. Baby bedbugs are nearly invisible, but their older relatives are brown to red-brown and oval-shaped.
€ When sleeping in a new bed, check for signs of their feces. Small, black or dark brown dots on sheets or the mattress are sign that bed bugs are lurking. (If you are in a hotel and find potential bed bug fecal matter, ask for a new room far from the original.)
If you suspect you've been exposed to bed bugs when traveling, bag up everything you brought and clean it out immediately when you get home.. Vacuum the interior and exterior of your suitcase (including the pockets) and be sure to wash all clothing in hot water, and put in the dryer, whether they are dirty or not.
Just knowing what to look for when you are traveling and taking a few simple steps toward prevention can be the difference between the greatest spring break ever and a very regrettable getaway.
Bed bugs like to travel and are good hitchhikers. They will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures and can hide behind baseboards and in cracks, crevices, and folded areas of beds, bedding and adjacent furniture, especially mattresses and box springs. Bed bugs can wreak havoc on your life, not only because of their itchy bites, but they spread quickly and are extremely difficult to get rid of.
Turning a blind eye to a potential bed bug invasion is a risk you don't want to take; especially when travelling.
If you are planning to travel for spring break, or any time of year, here are some helpful tips for avoiding these pests:
€ Leave your suitcases on hard surfaces. Do not put your suitcase on the bed, carpet or upholstered furniture. Bed bugs are less likely to invade your belongings if you place them on a hard surface, such as the luggage rack or table.
€ Search your sheets at night to spot the actual bug. Bed bugs mostly hide out during the day, but you may be able to see them at night by using a flashlight. Baby bedbugs are nearly invisible, but their older relatives are brown to red-brown and oval-shaped.
€ When sleeping in a new bed, check for signs of their feces. Small, black or dark brown dots on sheets or the mattress are sign that bed bugs are lurking. (If you are in a hotel and find potential bed bug fecal matter, ask for a new room far from the original.)
If you suspect you've been exposed to bed bugs when traveling, bag up everything you brought and clean it out immediately when you get home.. Vacuum the interior and exterior of your suitcase (including the pockets) and be sure to wash all clothing in hot water, and put in the dryer, whether they are dirty or not.
Just knowing what to look for when you are traveling and taking a few simple steps toward prevention can be the difference between the greatest spring break ever and a very regrettable getaway.
Source...