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After World War I, the widespread use of DDT (which is currently banned for use) have caused the eradication of bed bugs. On the other hand, bed bugs are now starting to make a comeback. There is even a possibility that it may infest your own household if you checked in a hotel or motel with bed bug infestation.
Hotels Infested With Bed Bugs
Hotels infested with bed bugs are not that rare. In fact, the perfect place for bed bug transmission is either a motel or a hotel. Immigrants that lived in a country or location infested with bed bugs are presumed to be the harbingers of bed bugs in the US when they bring along luggage. Bed-and-breakfasts, motels, and hotels where immigrants and international travelers stay and unpack their luggage are where bed bugs start to hitchhike.
Bed bugs infesting a single room can crawl into the next room where they create a new colony. Some bed bugs from the new colony then crawl into the next room where another colony is created. This cycle continues until the whole establishment becomes infested.
Unfortunately, people often have misconceptions about bed bugs. For instance, hotel bed bugs only infest dirty hotels and motels. This is actually farthest from the truth. Unlike cockroaches or rats, bed bugs do not inhabit places just because they are dirty instead they are attracted to carbon monoxide that comes from the air being exhaled by humans and also the abundance of the human hosts where hotel bed bugs withdraw blood from.
What does this mean? Even the high-end hotels may have undetected bed bug infestations.
Areas Commonly Infested By Hotel Bed Bugs
Hotel bed bugs are capable of hiding and laying eggs in small crevices due to their reddish brown, very flat and oval-shaped body (likened to apple seeds). This makes it possible for hotel bed bugs to harbor their eggs in a small hole or crack.
Bed bugs are nocturnal which is why they are usually more active at least an hour before dawn and they feed during the night. There are instances, however, that some bed bugs do feed during the day, especially bed bugs who did not feed for the last couple of months. A bed bug in the adult stage may live for eighteen months without feeding. In the presence of a host, the regular bed bug feeding cycle lasts between five and ten days.
If you want to check the hotel for bed bugs, look in places where a human might stay for prolonged periods of time, such as the bed, the furniture nearest to the bed, sofa, carpets, and chairs. Carefully look in the crevices of these furniture including the bed frames and mattress seams and interiors.
Bed bugs love to breed under the bed mattress and even on the edge.
The Signs To Look For When Trying To Determine Bed Bug Infestation
– Heavy infestation is indicated by a scent that is sweet, musty, and offensive.
-Brownish dark lines (that are actually bed bug excrements) can be seen along the edge of the upholstery or bed mattress.
– You start to feel itchy within an hour of staying in bed. The itchiness remains even after you removed yourself from the bed.
– The itch lasts for several hours and is itchier than the normal mosquito bite.
Seriousness of Hotel Bed Bug Infestation
Hotel bed bug infestation is pretty serious if you see more than one of these little creatures crawling in your hotel. They are in fact rarely seen, however, if you see a bed bug crawling somewhere near you then it might mean that there is a high population of adult bed bugs fighting over a single host.
How To Not Bring Those Bed Bugs Home
Just like a hitchhiker, a hotel bed bug can ride on your luggage without your knowledge. They would then hop off the luggage as soon as you reach your final destination, which is your home.
There is no need to worry though since you can take necessary steps to make sure that those unwanted visitors do not go along for a ride. These include:
– Use an insecticide that is a non-gel type. Gel types do not have long periods of efficacy and in some cases may not even kill the bed bug. On your last night in the hotel, remove everything from your luggage then make sure that you spray the luggage bag with an insecticide.
Wipe the bathtub dry and put your things there. Do not put your things on the bed. Since humans do not stay for long periods of time in the bath tub bed bugs do not even attempt to breed in its crevices.
– As you begin to pack your things for the trip home, carefully check each and every item before putting them back into your luggage. You’ll be able to identify the bed bug because of its visibility to the naked eye.
Tagged with: bed bug signs • bed bugs
Filed under: Bed Bugs in Hotels