Got Summer Travel Plans? Don't Bring Home More Than Souvenirs

Summer is a great time to travel. The kids are out of school and it’s just too hot to sit at home and do nothing, so why not pack everyone up and head out for a week or two? Spending your kids’ summer vacation on a trip is sure to provide lasting memories for a lifetime. But, don’t let those memories be of the time ‘we picked up bed bugs on our summer vacation’. This could very easily happen to you, without some prior planning and a little know-how, so prepare yourself before your summer vacation and you’ll be primed for some family-fun without worries about bringing home the dreaded bed bug. 

1. Be Prepared! If you know you could be coming across these blood-sucking parasites on your vacation, implement some bed bug avoidance measures before traveling.  These can include packing your belongings in only hard-sided suitcases, which are harder for bed bugs to infiltrate. You can also purchase large sealed bags (like these storage bags from Ziploc) to go inside your luggage and zip up tightly to avoid allowing in bed bugs that want to come home with you.  You can also make sure to only pack clothing and belongings that can be washed and dried on very hot settings. After your trip, you’ll want to wash all your belongings in very hot temps so that you can kill bed bugs that have stowed away amongst your things.

2. Know what to look for. Be your family’s bed bug inspector, or teach the kids what to look for and you can almost make a game out of it! Knowing signs of bed bugs and how to perform bed bug inspections are both great tools in avoiding bringing these pests home with you.  Bring a flashlight and a magnifying glass and show the kids where to look for these bugs. But first, make sure they know what bed bugs look like.  Simply knowing about these pests and where bed bugs can be found can be very helpful in the fight against bed bugs.

3. Do your research. Before you choose the hotel at your destination, do a little ‘bed bug research’. You can do this by checking out sites like tripadvisor.com and bedbugregistry.com.  Both of these sites can give you some insight into possible bed bug issues that can be found at hotels you are interested in. These sites can also give you an idea as to the hotel management’s view on bed bug control and prevention- knowing that the hotel staff is proactive against bed bug infestations can be useful in helping you determine which hotel you want your family to stay in.

4. Make sure to follow up. When your vacation is over, although you may just want to get home and collapse on the couch, you need to do a couple more things before you can rest. Before bringing your luggage into your home, go through your belongings. Perform a bed bug inspection on your own, looking for any signs of stray hitchhiking bed bugs. If you find any, do NOT bring your luggage indoors. Contact a pest control company like the professionals at Action to perform a bed bug inspection on your luggage and everything else that went with you on your trip.

These bed bug prevention tips can help make sure that you don’t bring bed bugs home with you from your summer vacation. But because bed bugs are sneaky little pests, it is still possible to find a bed bug infestation returns with you to your home. If this is the case, don’t hesitate to contact Action Pest control in Indianapolis, Terre Haute and throughout our service area for a bed bug consultation.  Our bed bug exterminators will get rid of any pests that followed you home.  Have a great summer vacation and don’t forget to relax, because you’re prepared to have a great (and bed bug free!) trip!