Mar 24, 2023, 14:33 PM by Fred Speer

You can’t wait to throw the bathing suit and sunscreen in the bag and hit the road for spring break. Whether it’s a trip to the beach, the desert, or the mountains for some late-season skiing, there is one attraction you’ll want to skip – bed bugs.

Bed bugs are adept travelers, because they are so easily transported from one place to another in human belongings. This makes spring break travelers especially susceptible to picking up bed bugs while away from home, regardless of whether they stay in a hotel, a rental, or a relative’s house.

These unwanted pests know no boundaries when choosing a location to infest. Bed bugs will infest beds, furniture, and drapes in hotel rooms or rental homes, the seats in train cars, taxis, buses, and movie theaters, and the luggage, shopping bags, and backpacks you carry around on your trip.

As you hit the road for your spring break adventure, Clark, your friendly termite, pest, mosquito, rodent, and grounds care expert, would like to remind you to be aware of bed bugs and take the appropriate steps prevent these pests from spoiling your trip.

The bed bug backstory

Bed bugs live on mattresses, bed frames, headboards, and furniture, and in carpets. They tend to hang around cool, dark places where they can feed on sleeping humans, like in bedrooms. Their flat bodies make it easy to hide in mattress seams and crevices. Bed bugs suck blood and feed at night, with their peak feeding time about an hour before sunrise. They’re attracted by the carbon dioxide we exhale on our breath, as well as our body heat.

Pre-trip tips

• Pack and store your clothes in sealable plastic bags to prevent bed bugs from infesting them.
• Check travel review websites to see if there are any concerns regarding bed bugs at the property where you will be staying.

When you arrive

• Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas and chairs. If any pests are spotted, change rooms or establishments immediately.
• Pull back the sheets and inspect the 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.
• If you do need to change rooms, make sure that you do not move to a room adjacent and/or directly above or below the suspected infestation. Bed bugs can easily hitchhike via housekeeping carts and luggage, and even through wall sockets.
• Place your suitcase in a plastic trash bag or protective cover during the duration of your trip to ensure that bed bugs cannot take up residence there prior to your departure.

When you return

• Inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house and vacuum your suitcase thoroughly before storing it. Consider using a garment hand steamer to steam your luggage, which will kill any bed bugs or eggs that may have hitched a ride home.
• Wash your clothes – even clothes that have not been worn – in hot water (and dry them on high heat) to ensure that any bed bugs that may have made it that far do not move into your drawers or closet.

If you think you have a problem with bed bugs, call or text Clark Pest Control at (800) WE-NEED-YOU (936-3339) or email us at clarkcares@clarkpest.com. We will come out to conduct a thorough inspection, make a proper identification, and make a treatment recommendation.

Until next time, the pest management professionals at Clark Pest Control thank you for helping to keep unwanted pests out of your home and yard.