Thanksgiving is almost here, and we all know how stressful it can be to get ready for the big day. Travel alone during the holidays can make you want to pull your hair out. Not only do you have to make transportation arrangements, but there are also sleeping and meal accommodations. On top of all that, you now have to worry about the ever-increasing population of bed bugs in public places.
Planning ahead when you travel is by far the biggest way to avoid some major holiday hiccups. Here are a few tips that can help you enjoy Thanksgiving while keeping the risk of bed bugs to an absolute minimum:
- Do research on hotels, motels, and inns before you reserve your sleeping accommodations to make sure reviews don’t mention bed bugs.
- Pack your clothing in airtight plastic bags within your suitcase.
- Take along extra airtight bags for things you buy or for dirty laundry.
- Watch for bed bugs in taxis, buses, trains, and planes, especially on headrests.
- Be aware that bed bugs can be found in restaurants, libraries, and movie theaters as well.
- Inspect your sleeping accommodations before you bring your luggage inside.
- Look in and around all furniture, especially beds, bed frames, and headboards.
- Look in creases, seams, bedding, around outlets, and behind wall hangings.
Throughout all of this what you are looking for is shed exoskeletons, live bugs, and dead carcasses. You may also notice tiny maroon dots that come from bed bug feces.
If your inspections show signs of bed bugs, ask for a different room. If there are no signs, bring your luggage in, but keep everything off of the floor. Keep your clothes in the airtight bags until you are ready to wear them, hang up items on a rack that need to be hung. Then go and enjoy your Thanksgiving with your family and friends.
Once you are home, you should inspect all of your luggage, clothing, shoes, coats, and other items that you took with you before bringing them indoors. All washable items should be washed thoroughly with hot water, including unworn items. Wipe down your luggage and shoes. Once you are back at home you should watch for signs of tiny red itchy bite marks or tiny maroon dots on your sheets and pajamas as that will be a sign you have brought back some unwanted pests from your trip.
In the event that you did bring some bed bugs back to your Owensboro, KY home, your first action should be to contact a professional pest control company. Here at Action Pest Control, we know from experience that bed bugs are hard to get rid of and a horrible experience for people everywhere. We offer a comprehensive bed bug control service that allows us to quickly identify an infestation by using specially trained dogs to accurately detect bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs. Our up-to-date, effective heat treatment technology gets rid of all of those developmental stages of bed bugs, and it is eco-friendly. If you have bed bug problems in your Owensboro home, Action Pest Control has the solution. Give us a call today and ask about our bed bug solutions.