Don’t Bring Home Unwanted Souvenirs: Bed Bug Prevention Tips for Holiday Travel

The holidays are a time for joy, celebration, and time with family and friends. Whether you’re traveling to see loved ones, exploring a new destination, or simply getting away from it all, almost everyone loves to bring home a few souvenirs to remember their trip. But there’s one thing no one wants to bring home—bed bugs.

As pest control experts, we’ve seen firsthand how quickly these tiny hitchhikers can turn holiday cheer into holiday stress. We’re here to help with simple, practical tips to keep bed bugs from ruining your holiday travel, stowing away with you for the return trip, and setting up house in your home.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny insects - about the size of an apple seed - but they’re visible to the naked eye. You may not notice them until you look for them. Adult bed bugs are tiny and reddish-brown, with flat, oval-shaped bodies. Their younger counterparts, called nymphs, are even smaller and have a delicate, translucent or pale-yellow appearance.

Bed bugs feast on blood, particularly human blood, and usually at night. They can multiply quickly and are experts in unleashing havoc in your home. Because they are hardy and long-lived, removing these unwanted guests usually requires a professional pest management team.

Here are a few facts about bed bugs:

• Unlike their cousin, the mosquito, bed bugs don’t carry or transmit disease.
• Bed bugs are surprisingly resilient—they can go months without a meal.
• They don’t discriminate. You can find them in every state in the U.S., in all types of homes, hotels, and neighborhoods.
• A female bed bug can lay up to five eggs a day and will lay hundreds in her lifetime, causing an infestation within a few months.
• They are heavy-duty drinkers, consuming up to seven times their weight in blood.
• Climate doesn’t faze them. They can survive in temperatures from almost freezing to 122 degrees F.

Why Are Bed Bugs a Concern During Holiday Travel?

The holiday season is one of the busiest times for travel, with increased activity in hotels, rentals, and crowded transportation hubs. Unfortunately, this high turnover creates an ideal environment for bed bugs to spread holiday misery.

Here’s why bed bugs are a travel concern:

• They’re tiny but troublesome: About the size of an apple seed (or ¼ of an inch), bed bugs can easily hide in small cracks and crevices.
• They’re hitchhiking pros: They can latch onto luggage, clothing, curtains, furniture, mattresses, or personal items. They’re happy to go wherever you go.
• They’re stealthy invaders: Bedbugs often go unnoticed until you get home. Then, they reveal themselves through itchy bites or visible signs of infestation. Nobody wants to end their vacation with that.
• They’re not just in beds: You can find them on headboards, bedside tables, couches, and personal items.

Bed bugs may be tenacious and difficult to avoid, but that doesn’t mean you should cancel your travel plans. With some vigilance, you can stay one step ahead of these tiny terrors.

How to Check for Bed Bugs in Hotels and Rentals

Prevention is the best way to deal with bed bugs – or, better yet, not deal with them at all. While it’s commonly believed that bed bugs only live in dirty or unsanitary conditions, you can find bed bugs in even the best homes and hotels. So, even if your room looks clean, it’s good practice to check for bed bugs when you arrive at your destination. Here’s how to do a thorough check:

Step 1: Protect Your Luggage

Put your bags and personal items in the bathtub before you make yourself comfortable in your temporary home. They’re unlikely to be in the bathtub, but if you find them there, there’s a big problem. Leave immediately.

Step 2: Shed Some Light on the Situation

Bring a flashlight (or use your mobile phone’s light)to inspect dark corners and crevices in the room. Like tiny, sneaky criminals, bed bugs prefer darkness. Bring disposable plastic bags to isolate your luggage or belongings if necessary.

Step 3: Scope Out the Living Areas

Bed bugs love fabric-covered surfaces where people relax, such as beds and sofas, so take time to check the living spaces, including:

• The mattress: Check the seams, piping, tags, and corners for tiny black spots (droppings), shed skins, or live bugs.
• The bedding: Look for small blood spots on the sheets where bed bugs may have been crushed.
• The headboard and bed frame: Use your flashlight to examine cracks and crevices.
• Nearby furniture: Inspect nightstands, chairs, drawers and drawer joints, as bed bugs can hide anywhere near the bed.

Step 4: Set Your Luggage on a Pedestal

Or at least off the bed or floor. Once you check your room for bed bugs, put your bags on a luggage rack or a hard surface like a desk or dresser.

Step 5: Stay Vigilant During Your Stay

Bed bugs bite, but while the National Pest Management Association reports that bites are the most reported sign of an infestation, that’s not the most reliable sign because some people don’t react to the bites. Bottom line: If you see bites on your body, suspect bed bugs; if you don’t, don’t assume they aren’t there.

If you find anything that points to bed bugs, notify management immediately.

Home Sweet Home - What to Do When You Return

Even if you didn’t notice bedbugs during your stay, it’s still wise to take precautions once vacation is over. You’re their food source, so they want to tag along with you. Here are a few extra steps to take when you return:

• Inspect your luggage outside or in a garage before you bring it indoors.
• Put your clothes in the washer immediately. Launder them using the hottest setting possible for the fabric (check the labels) and dry them in high heat (again, check the labels).
• You should closely inspect shoes, electronics, and even stuffed animals for stowaways. Use a flashlight to look for bugs in crevices and seams.
• Use a handheld vacuum to clean all compartments of your suitcase, paying particular attention to seams and zippers.

Found Signs of Bed Bugs? Here’s What to Do

Despite your best efforts, bed bugs can sometimes find their way into your life and home. If you see signs of them after a trip, act quickly:

1. Isolate the problem. Keep infested items away from your living and sleeping areas.
2. Don’t DIY. Using over-the-counter foggers and sprays might feel like a quick fix for bed bugs, but these products often backfire. Instead of solving the problem, store-bought foggers usually drive bed bugs to scatter, spreading the infestation to new areas and making the situation even harder to manage.
3. Call Pest-End. Our friendly team has the experience, expertise, and tools needed to eliminate bed bugs. We remove the problem safely and effectively, so you don’t have to worry about a repeat performance.

A bed bug encounter can be unpleasant and problematic, but we’re here to help every step of the way.

From Our Team to Yours: Happy Travels!

At Pest-End, we want you to enjoy a pest-free holiday season. But if a bed bug issue does arise, whether during your travels or once you get home, you can count on us for professional solutions that work. Give us a call.

All of us at Pest-End wish you fun and trouble-free travel. Happy Holidays!

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