Here in Baltimore, MD it’s pretty easy to travel around. We can be in D.C. in an hour, Philly in two, and NYC in three, plus there’s no end of things to do in our own city! With all the travel opportunities and public transportation choices available to us, it’s easy to let ourselves get lost in the transit system. However, it’s not just people riding around on the bus or train. We’re also sharing our transportation with a little hitchhiker – the bed bug.

Bed bugs don’t just ride around on trains for kicks; they use human travel behavior as a way to spread themselves around and invade new homes and businesses. Let’s talk about how these pesky parasites get into your home and what you can do about them.

Bed Bug Hotspots

It’s a common misconception that bed bugs only happen in dirty places. The truth is these wily little stowaways can happen to anyone. The biggest risk factor for contracting bed bugs is frequenting bed bug hot spots. These include hotels, hostels, trains, buses, train or bus stations, airports, rental cars, laundromats, and anywhere else a lot of people pass through carrying a lot of stuff. The more time you spend in these places, the more likely you are to get bed bugs. You also run the risk of contracting these pests when you buy secondhand items and bring them into your home.

When you set your stuff down or even sit on a piece of furniture or the floor with bed bugs around, they crawl into your belongings or the folds of your clothes and hitch a ride into your home. Once inside, they immediately set up shop in whatever hiding place they can find and begin to breed out of sight. Bed bugs are so good at hiding out that even one or two of them can balloon into a major problem while you’re none the wiser. You may not notice a single sign of bed bugs until you have a large infestation hiding out in your mattress, your furniture, and just about everywhere else in your home.

How To Avoid A Bed Full Of Bugs

Bed bugs are really hard to get rid of. They’ve developed resistance to a lot of chemical sprays, and they can hide in insane places like under keyboard keys and behind light switch covers. That’s why an ounce of prevention is worth a pound (or in this case a ton) of cure. Luckily, there are lots of ways to avoid coming down with a case of bed bugs. Take measures like:

  • Never lay your luggage on soft hotel furniture like beds or sofas. Use the hard stuff.
  • Avoid secondhand shopping, and if you must secondhand shop, always thoroughly inspect your purchases for live bugs, bodies, eggs, exoskeletons, etc.
  • Inspect your luggage for the same things before bringing it back into your home after travel.
  • Avoid setting your belongings on the floor in bed bug hot spots.
  • Always wash and dry clothes on the highest possible setting after travel.
  • If you use laundromats, don’t fold your clothes onsite. Put them straight in your basket and take them home. Also don’t leave your basket on the floor.

Because bed bugs are such talented stowaways, you might wind up with a problem no matter the precautions you take. If that happens, you’re going to need expert help. Here at Pest Czar, bed bugs are one of our specialties. We offer targeted bed bug control services to help home and business owners alike deal with these pesky pests permanently. So give us a call at (855) 273-0517 or visit our contact page to schedule service today!