The world is changing. It is partly for the best, but it is partly for the worst. Technology allows us to travel from one side of the world to the other in a day, observe distant planets up close, and communicate at the speed of light. This technology also helps to protect us. When hurricanes, tornadoes, and other disasters are brewing, they warn us of danger. Review websites can also warn us of potential danger when dealing with businesses that want to sell us goods or services. But in this new era where reviews can make or break a sale, it isn't all good news. This is especially true when it comes to bed bugs.
Bed bug infestations are on the rise, and the hysteria these bugs can cause has inspired review sites to grow up from the rest of the services out there. Instead of looking to Yelp and Trip Advisor, many customers are going straight to review sources that focus directly on bed bugs.
This has put bedbugregistry.com, bedbugreports.com, and other bed bug-specific sites on the map, so to speak. But are these websites an accurate gauge for bed bug activity?
If you're thinking about taking a trip to Louisville and you do a search for bed bugs in Louisville, you'll get a lot of warning flags flipping up. It's true. Bed bugs are in Louisville. But the truth is bed bugs are in all major cities.
There are two primary things you need to understand when you read a bed bug review:
- Don't believe everything you read. These reviews are written by people you don't know. They shouldn't be taken as concrete evidence; but, rather, as a tool to help you catch a bed bug problem before it affects you or your family.
- These review sites don't explain that a bed bug sighting does not mean an entire business is filled with these bugs. These bugs come in on guests. This makes them hard to keep out. If a guest gets bitten by bed bugs, it doesn't mean the room is infested. Nor does it mean that the entire hotel is infested. When dealing with bed bugs, it is important to understand this.
Rather than allow bed bug review sites to make or break your vacation, be aware of how to detect these bugs and know that moving to another room in the same hotel is perfectly safe. Just make sure to check your room for these bugs:
- Pull up the sheets and examine the mattress and box spring for any black fecal spots, shed casings, brown urine staining, or dried brown blood spots. Look closely at the creases and corners.
- Use a flashlight to examine upholstered furniture in the room for the same signs. Examine stitching, in particular.
- Search the bed for any oval, rust-colored bugs, blood stains, shed casings, or excrement smears.
If you're traveling to Louisville or any other city-it is a good idea to see if bed bugs have been reported, but understanding how to detect these bugs is, by far, the better way to protect yourself and avoid inconvenience.
And, don’t forget, if you need help with bed bugs or other pests give us a call here at Action Pest Control. With 68 years of experience, 10 branch locations, 120 employees, and 4 bed bug-detecting dogs we are equipped and ready to handle any pest control issue you may encounter.