Whether you are planning to visit family in Terre Haute or you leave here and are gearing up to go somewhere else in the country, you should make bed bug prevention a part of your plans. These bugs are active during the holiday season because the holidays are when people travel.
If you don't want to bring these hitchhiking bugs home with you, take a minute to read through these bed bugs tips and facts:
- What you may not know about bed bug eggs: What is most noteworthy about bed bugs is that they lay eggs that do not need the mother present to hatch. That means that a batch of tiny white eggs in the seam of some luggage or the hood of a sweatshirt can turn into a bed bug infestation in your home.
- What you may not know about how bed bugs travel: These pests don't just hide in beds. They can hide in all sorts of things. They have been found in pocketbooks, luggage, bags, bedding, clothing, and some not-so-obvious places, like laptop computers, alarm clocks, and other electronics. All it takes is one female bed bug to start an infestation.
- Signs you may see and not be aware of: When you travel, it is important to be aware of the signs when you see them. The most important sign is recognizing these rust-colored oval bugs when you see them, but also look for the evidence they leave behind. Bed bugs dribble blood, so you may see dark brown splotches on sheets and pillowcases. Bed bugs leave their urine and feces everywhere. If you see streaks of black residue or light brown stains on beds, upholstered furniture, baseboards, backboards, or seat cushions, these can inform you of the threat. These bugs also molt. Rust-colored insect casings can also clue you into a problem.
- Do you know where to look for bed bugs? The first place you look is any bed you intend to sleep in; that is a good place to start. Search the seams and corners for feces, shed casings, and urine stains. But bed bugs don't just live in beds. They can be in couches, chairs, electronics, behind baseboards, and even inside outlets.
- In more startling places you'll find bed bugs. These blood eaters don't just live in hotels and motels. They have been found in every form of public transit in between. If you plan to travel by plane, bus, train, boat, or covered wagon, be aware that bed bugs can infest the seats in these forms of transportation. Look for the signs.
Holidays are when bed bugs spread. Be aware of your surroundings, and make sure those bugs don't travel home with you. If you've just come back from a trip, and you didn't have this information before you traveled, give us a call. At Action, we have trained bed bug-sniffing dogs that can smell living bed bugs even before they hatch from their eggs. If you brought these bugs back with you, we can make sure an infestation doesn't begin.