’Tis the season to travel and make merry, from grandma’s house to a mountain ski lodge.
The holidays surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Day are one the busiest travel periods of the year for Americans. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the number of long-distance trips (to and from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 23 percent during the winter holiday period.
All those trips to see relatives and friends, or get away for a ski trip or visit to the islands, make for crowded roadways, airport terminals, and a lot of packing and unpacking in hotels and resorts.
These getaways also put holiday travelers at greater risk – coming into contact with bed bugs.
Bed bugs know no boundaries when choosing a location to infest. In hotel rooms, they infest beds, furniture, and drapes; in train cars, taxis, buses, and movie theaters, they can lurk in seats. Bed bugs even turn up in the luggage, shopping bags, and backpacks we carry around.
No matter where your travels take you this holiday season, the Clark Man offers the following six tips to prevent bed bugs from spoiling your holiday adventures:
- Pull back the sheets on beds and inspect mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains or spots. If you see anything suspect, notify the front desk and change rooms – or hotels – immediately.
- Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas/chairs. If any pests are spotted, change rooms or establishments immediately.
- If you do need to change rooms, be sure that you don’t move to an adjacent room, or one directly above or below the suspected infestation. Bed bugs can hitchhike easily via housekeeping carts, luggage, and even through wall sockets.
- Pack and store your clothes is sealable plastic bags to prevent bed bugs from infesting them.
- Inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house, and vacuum those suitcases thoroughly before you store them away.
- Wash your clothes – even articles that haven’t been worn – in hot water to ensure that any bed bugs that may have made it that far do not get introduced to your home.
If you think you have a problem with bed bugs, call or text (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or drop me an email at clarkcares@clarkpest.com. One of our expert inspectors will come to your home and conduct a thorough inspection to see if you do in fact have bed bugs, and they will make a treatment recommendation.
Until next time, safe travels and happy holidays from the Clark Man, and thanks for helping me keep unwanted pests out of your home!