If You Find A Bed Bug Don't Panic. Take These Steps Instead.

We are taught in grade school that every organism plays a vital role in the ecosystem. Well, for every rule, there’s an exception, and in this case, it’s bed bugs. They’re the vampiric bottom feeders of insect society and serve no ecological purpose whatsoever. Upon contact, the clear-cut answer is to exterminate. Once you make it through stages of denial and grief, resist the temptation to set everything they might’ve touched on fire. Whether you’re in your home or traveling, there are easier ways to deal with them.

Bed bugs are among a homeowner’s worst nightmares. A full-fledged infestation is near impossible to eradicate on your own, and the longer they’re left to their own devices, the more likely they are to proliferate. The first thing you should do is call a professional exterminator like Elite Pest Control right away. While you're waiting for the treatment team to come, there are several measures you can take to prepare your home properly for treatment. 

1. Seal them in a double bag for safe-keeping and store them outside or in the garage.
2. Wash all of your clothing, bedding, curtains, pillows, towels, and stuffed animals in hot water and blast them for an hour with the dryer’s highest heat setting.
3. Make sure that when transporting the above to the washing machine, they are in plastic bags.

The first thing travelers can do before settling into their hotel room or Airbnb is check it for bed bugs. If your search comes up positive, the best course of action you can take is to gather your belongings and leave before anything is contaminated.

Call the hotel staff immediately and have someone verify their presence. Document all the evidence you can by trapping them in containers or taking pictures of their sheddings and waste stains. Collect your luggage, inspecting it thoroughly inside and out, and isolate the items that came in contact with the bed or other areas with bug activity. Ask to change rooms (not a connecting one) or see if you can get a refund and stay at a different hotel. If you experience any resistance, show them the evidence you collected. An owner’s worst nightmare is receiving a public bed bug tag or Tweet, and some places will even offer to pay for your laundering.

If relocation isn’t an option, you’ll be forced to accommodate bed bugs during your vacation. First things first, get your belongings off the floor and away from infested areas. You can keep them on counters or in bug-free regions, such as in-room kitchens or bathrooms. Frequent travelers often carry bug spray and large plastic bags for safe storage. If you haven’t brought any, get them from the hotel. While they can easily sink through human skin, they can’t bite through the plastic.

 

Carefully inspect your belongings and place them inside the bags. To prevent nighttime assaults, sleep fully-clothed and wrap yourself in sheets and comforters to keep them from getting to you. You can also purchase a mattress cover to contain them within the mattress itself. Before you leave, inspect your belongings again, and after packing, place your luggage in a plastic bag for safe transport. Just one hitchhiker can lead to an infestation in your vehicle.

Once you arrive home, don’t immediately bring your luggage inside. Keep everything outside on the porch or in the garage until you can heat wash your clothing and vacuum the luggage. If possible, put the luggage in a freezer. At a setting of 32F, leave it for four days. Lower temperatures will take less time.

If there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that bed bugs deserve no mercy. The experts at Elite Pest Control are equipped with the tools and knowledge to eradicate your infestation and implement preventative maintenance measures. We have years of experience dealing with these menaces and tailor treatment methods to your home’s specific needs. Contact us today and get bed bugs out of your home and nightmares.