Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite This Summer Travel Season

As the summer travel season kicks off, the Professional Pest Management Alliance designates a week each June as National Bedbug Awareness Week. With recent outbreaks in bedbugs, it’s important for the general public to know how to spot bedbugs and the steps to take to prevent the spread of bedbugs, especially if you plan to travel this summer.

Bedbugs hide anywhere and can quickly add misery to a vacation. A bed bug bite can cause a rash, itchiness, and possible severe allergic reactions depending on how your body reacts to the bite. When traveling, they can crawl from suitcase to suitcase on a plane, hide in electronic devices, and of course they can hide in bedding.

Here are a few tips if you have travel plans this summer:

Know how to spot a bedbug

A bedbug is a small, dark red, and oval-shaped insect that looks similar to a tick. Bedbug eggs look like small grains of rice. Bedbugs have an odor that is often described as spoiled raw beef or a sweet, musty odor.

Protect yourself from bed bugs

Keep your suitcase and clothes off of the bed and carpeting. Place suitcases on luggage racks and preferably, place the luggage rack on a tiled surface such as the bathroom floor. Any used clothing items should go into a plastic bag before packing them back into a suitcase for the trip home.

If a traveler wants to prevent bedbugs from joining on the return trip home, cover a suitcase in a plastic lawn bag before placing it in the car. Before bringing the suitcase into the house, vacuum the suitcase in a garage. Wash any clothing that traveled. Place shoes outside in the sun because high temperatures can kill the bedbugs.

 Monitor bites

A bedbug bite is itchy and similar to a mosquito bite. Bedbugs typically do not transmit diseases, but constant scratching can lead to an infection of the bite.

Travelers should report bedbugs to an establishment immediately so the infestation can be remedied.

Our team of experts lead the fight against bedbugs in Texas and surrounding states. The company has the largest heat remediation fleet in Texas and was the first to employ this treatment, along with the use of skilled bedbug dogs. The eco-friendly, heat remediation approach has been proven to be 97 percent effective in the control of bed bugs. Bed bugs have a threshold to heat of 113 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pest Management team elevates the temperatures of the affected area to 130 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours, which kills all stages of bed bugs. A detailed antimicrobial service is used as a final process to keep the establishment clean.

From prevention to detection and to treatment, the team at Pest Management, Inc. can manage all aspects of a bedbug issue. Contact our team to learn about our bedbug prevention and treatment methods.