The key to minimizing the likelihood of a bed bug problem is to educate yourself about bed bugs, what they look like and how to avoid them, before they become an issue.

Here are a few tips to protect you and your family from a bed bug infestation:

Avoid Bed Bugs While On A Trip

  • Get familiar with what bed bugs look like. The adult bed bugs are easy to spot. They are dark brown and are about the size of a tick. Baby bed bugs (nymphs) are more of a challenge. They usually tend to be translucent and very small. Regardless of what part of the growth cycle a bed bug is in, they are very flat. This means they can hide nearly anywhere.
  • Understand that bed bugs aren’t necessarily in dirty places. Unlike roaches and ants, bed bugs are right at home in a clean and pristine environment.  If a bed bug has a place to hide and a human to snack on, they’re happy.
  • Inspect your hotel room, specifically the mattress and headboard. Before you move into the room and unpack, take a look around.
  • Place your luggage on a metal rack or other stand as far away from the bed and walls as possible. This will reduce the risk of unwanted stowaways.
  • Before you return home from traveling, consider visiting a laundromat. Toss all of your clothes (clean and dirty) in the dryer for a few minutes, until they are heated all the way through. The heat should be enough to kill the bed bugs and the bed bugs’ eggs. This will greatly reduce the chances of an infestation following you home.

Keep Bed Bugs Out of Your Home

  • Declutter and organize. The fewer hiding places you provide for bed bugs, the less likely the chance of infestation.
  • Talk to your neighbors, especially if you live closely with them such as in an apartment, town homes or college dorms. Communicating about issues can help us to treat bed bugs effectively and quickly.
  • Consider buying a mattress cover and caulk all cracks and crevices in your bedroom. The fewer places a bed bug can use to hide, the better.

If you have concerns that you may have bed bugs in your home or office, call us right away. Using a new and proven biopesticide, we’ve seen incredible success with controlling the bed bug infestation in just one treatment.