Travel can be a wonderful and illuminating experience, but in hotels and B&Bs that see a large number of visitors from all over, the risk of picking up bedbugs is very real. Denning Pest Control, the leading exterminator in Jefferson City, MO, explains below how to avoid picking up bedbugs while traveling. Bedbug bites are painful, and bedbug treatment is often challenging and costly, so prevention is your best course.

How to Avoid Bedbugs While Traveling

Inspect Room Before Unpacking

Before you unpack—in fact, even before you bring in your luggage—you should inspect the room for bedbugs. They tend to hide, so check the folds of the linens and mattress cover, and lift the mattress to inspect below it. Also check furniture upholstery, box springs, and bed posts. Adult bedbugs are flat, oval-shaped, reddish-brown, and about 5 mm long, and they leave dark brown or black spots of excrement after feeding. Nymphs are much smaller and golden or white in color, so they are more difficult to spot.

Elevate Luggage

Even if you don't see signs of bedbugs, take precautions. Keep suitcases off the bed and floor. Elevate them with a luggage rack, and keep them away from the wall. Of course, be sure to inspect the luggage rack before placing your suitcase on it.

Double-Check Luggage When Repacking

When you're repacking to leave, check your clothing and belongings for signs that you've picked up unwelcome guests. Check the bed after you've slept in it for tiny spots of blood; this is a sign you rolled over a bedbug in your sleep and smashed it.

Leave Luggage Outside Upon Return

When you return home, leave your luggage outside or in the garage. If it is cold outside, the temperature could kill any stragglers. If it is not, unpack your bags outside and immediately launder your belongings on the hottest setting possible. This should prevent an infestation from reaching your home.

If you find that, despite all your precautions, you haven't been able to shake the pests, Denning Pest Control in Jefferson City, MO can help. They offer fast, reliable bedbug treatment at an affordable price. Visit them online for contact info, or call (573) 442-4010 to schedule service.