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A relaxing hotel is the perfect place to escape during your vacation. However, even clean facilities can attract bed bugs—with about 80% of hotels reporting sightings each year. Furthermore, if you find one of these creatures, it is likely a sign of a larger pest control problem. To stop itchy, red marks from appearing on your skin in your sleep, always check your room for signs of these invaders.

How to Look for Them

Bed bugs love to feed on blood, so they typically hide around the edges of mattresses. Start your search there. They’ll appear as small, black beads. Check around and behind the headboard, the bed linens, and in creases in the wallpaper. You may also find their skins, called moltings, which are small rust-colored specks.

Look under the bed with a flashlight, and lift the mattress from the box-spring. Examine couches, pull-out sleepers, chairs, and any other upholstered items where they may also hide—usually around the seams. Leave your luggage in your car while doing this so bed bugs won’t climb in.

What to Do If You Find Them

pest controlIf you find bed bugs or signs of them, exit the room and take any belongings with you. Alert hotel management right away so they can call pest control. Bed bugs can spread and breed quickly. You’ll need a new room where you should again check for bed bugs.

They aren’t only a problem at the hotel; if bed bugs get into your luggage, they’ll travel home with you and create another pest control issue. Remove clothes you were wearing when you discovered the bed bugs and store them in a separate container from your luggage. Wash them as soon as possible to ensure no pests are present.

 

If you brought bed bugs back from a recent trip, turn to All Service. Based in New Braunfels, TX, but also serving Seguin, San Marcos, and Schertz, they offer a wide scope of services but specialize in animal and pest control. Learn more about the creatures they handle on their website. Call (830) 626-2847 to schedule an inspection. For more tips, connect on Facebook.

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