Tips for Frequent Travelers: Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Aug. 8, 2011 - PRLog -- If you’re a frequent traveler, you should know about a lurking threat to your health and well being: bed bugs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have noted that the current bed bug epidemic in the US is due in large part to increased travel.  Travelers have unwittingly transported the parasites in their luggage and personal belongings, thereby introducing the pests to new locales.

"Bed bugs are great hitchhikers,” says Donnie Shelton, President & CEO of Triangle Pest Control, a Raleigh, NC-based pest control and bed bug extermination company.

“When people travel, they unknowingly pick up bed bugs in their luggage.  Then, when the travelers head to their next destination or return home, they bring the bed bugs with them, introducing infestation to where it didn’t exist previously.”

If you’re a road warrior, heed these simple tips for preventing bed bugs from bugging you next time you travel for business or leisure:

1. Planning to stay in a hotel or motel?  Make sure you check with the staff before booking a room to make sure they use bed bug mattress encasements.  These washable covers not only trap common allergens, but they also keep any bed bugs from sneaking in/out of a mattress.  This is crucial because bed bugs need access to their human hosts, and without it, they can't feed on human blood, which they require to survive.

2. Bring along a small flashlight.  Use the flashlight to inspect the mattress, boxspring, headboard, bed frame, as well as areas around the bed--nightstands, behind wall art and mirrors, and around carpeting.  If you spot any signs of bed bugs, including molted exoskeltons, spots of dried blood, excrement, or even living bed bugs, notify hotel staff immediately and vacate the room.

3. Pack your clothing and shoes in garment bags that are specially designed to keep out bed bugs.  Also, you’ll want to stow your luggage away from bedding, carpet, and furnishings where bed bugs may lurk.  In fact, the safest bet is to keep your bags in the bathroom or shower.

4. Checking out?  Check your luggage!  At the end of your stay, inspect your belongings for any signs of bed bugs.  If you find the pests lurking in your luggage or garments, decide immediately: Trash your luggage and clothing, or have them laundered at high heat to kill the bed bugs and their eggs.

5. Take it outside.  When you arrive home, make sure to unpack your luggage outside.  Then, vacuum out your baggage thoroughly.  As a precaution, wash and dry your clothing in high heat to kill any bed bugs or eggs that you may have overlooked.

For more information about bed bugs and bed bug elimination and extermination, visit Triangle Pest Control online at http://www.trianglepest.com/bed-bug-control/bed-bug-exter...

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Founded in 2003, Triangle Pest Control is North Carolina’s leader in Bed Bug Management. A Raleigh extermination company, Triangle Pest Control specializes in an integrated pest management process that includes both elimination and prevention. The company has a firm commitment to working only with materials that have maximize the safety of families, children, and pets and is ranked #1 in customer service among Raleigh pest control companies.