The holidays are a time for making memories, sharing meals, and enjoying the company of loved ones. You’re probably busy planning festive gatherings, shopping for the perfect gifts, and booking travel to see family and friends.
The last thing on your mind is bed bugs, but preventing them should be a top priority.
After all, holiday travel creates the perfect storm for these pests to hitch a ride into your home. Millions of people are moving through airports, staying in hotels, and sleeping in guest rooms. This increased movement gives bed bugs plenty of opportunities to travel from an infested location right into your luggage.
We’re going to walk through how to protect yourself from these unwelcome travel companions. We’ll cover where they hide, what to do during your travels, and most importantly, when it’s time to call in the professionals.
Why Are Bed Bugs Such a Big Deal During the Holidays?
Bed bugs have mastered the art of hitchhiking. Rather than flying or jumping from place to place, they simply crawl onto your belongings and go wherever you go (without you noticing, of course).
The surge in holiday travel means more suitcases, backpacks, and coats moving between locations; sadly, a bed bug can easily crawl from an infested hotel headboard onto your suitcase, or from another traveler’s bag onto yours in a crowded airport terminal.
These pests are also incredibly resilient. A female bed bug can lay one to three eggs every single day, which adds up to hundreds in her lifetime. This means a single pregnant female hitching a ride home with you can quickly lead to a full-blown infestation.
They’re also not picky; believe it or not, a five-star resort can have bed bugs just as easily as a budget motel. It’s a myth that cleanliness has anything to do with it. These pests are just looking for a meal, and that meal is you.
Your Pre-Travel Bed Bug Prevention Plan
Here’s your “pre-flight checklist” for staying pest-free this holiday season.
Pack Smart
Start by choosing the right luggage. Hard-shell suitcases are a better choice than fabric ones because they offer fewer seams and crevices for bed bugs to hide in. The slick surface also makes it harder for them to latch on.
Next, pack your clothes and toiletries in resealable plastic bags to create an extra barrier. If a stray bed bug manages to get into your suitcase, it won’t be able to get to your clothes. It might seem like a small step, but it’s a highly effective one.
Protect Your Luggage
Before you unpack and make yourself at home when you get to your hotel (or wherever it is you might be staying), take ten minutes to do a thorough inspection; this is the most important thing you can do to prevent bringing bed bugs home.
Leave your luggage in the bathroom, preferably in the bathtub or on a tiled floor. Bed bugs have a harder time climbing smooth, slick surfaces, so this will give you a “safe zone” while you investigate.
Inspect Your Room
Grab the flashlight on your phone and get ready to play detective. Bed bugs are small, about the size of an apple seed, and are reddish-brown. You’re looking for the bugs themselves, but also for the signs they leave behind:
- Tiny black spots: This is their fecal matter, which looks like someone dotted the fabric with a fine-point permanent marker.
- Shed skins: As young bed bugs (nymphs) grow, they shed their skin. These look like translucent, empty bed bug shells.
- Small, pale eggs: These are tiny and pearly white, making them very difficult to see. They are often found in clusters.
Bed bugs love to hide in tight, dark spaces close to where people sleep. Pull back the sheets and check the mattress and box spring, paying close attention to the seams, tufts, and piping. Also inspect the headboard, furniture, luggage rack, and other spots you might be concerned about, like behind picture frames, in nightstand drawers, and along the baseboards, near the bed.
If you find any evidence of bed bugs, don’t stay in that room. Report your findings to the front desk immediately and ask for a different room, preferably one that is not adjacent to or directly above or below the suspected room.
How to Handle the Journey Home
You’ve had a wonderful trip and you’re heading home, but when it comes to bed bug prevention, your job isn’t done yet. When you arrive home, don’t bring your luggage inside right away. If you have a garage, a patio, or even a tiled entryway, that’s the perfect place to unpack instead.
Carefully inspect your suitcase outside, checking all the pockets and seams one more time. Then, take all your clothing, even the items you didn’t wear, and put them directly into the washing machine. Wash everything in hot water and then dry it on the highest heat setting for at least 30 minutes. The heat will kill any bed bugs or eggs that may have tagged along.
For items that can’t be washed, like shoes or certain bags, you can still use the dryer. A cycle on high heat can be just as effective. After you’ve emptied your suitcase, vacuum it thoroughly inside and out. Dispose of the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag outside your home immediately.
When to Call an Exterminator
Even with the best precautions, infestations can happen. So, how do you know if you’ve brought bed bugs home?
The most common sign is waking up with itchy, red bites. Bed bug bites often appear in a line or a small cluster. However, some people don’t react to the bites at all, so you can’t rely on bites alone as a sign.
You might also spot the same signs you looked for in the hotel room: dark spots on your mattress, shed skins, or the bugs themselves. If you suspect you have an issue, act fast.
DIY methods like over the counter sprays or foggers are ineffective, as they can cause the bugs to scatter to other parts of your home and make the problem worse.
This is the moment to call a professional exterminator. At PWI Pest Solutions, we have access to commercial-grade products and specialized equipment, like heat treatments, that can safely and effectively eliminate bed bugs from your home.
Don’t let the fear of bed bugs put a damper on your holiday spirit. With a bit of knowledge and a few preventive steps, you can enjoy your travels and come home with only good memories. And if the worst happens, know that help is just a phone call away.
If you’re worried you might have brought bed bugs home from your holiday travels, don’t wait. Contact PWI Pest Solutions today.
