Sacramento California Pest Control

Have Bed Bugs. Will Travel.

Bed bugs are well traveled and exist to do two things: eat and reproduce. They are brought into homes by infested furniture, luggage and personal belongings after staying in infested lodging. They can also be brought in by guests, a trip to the gym or visits to any other high-traffic public area. And in apartment buildings, townhouses, hotels and other connected dwellings, bed bugs can migrate from one infested unit into another via electrical wiring, plumbing and adjoining walls. However they get into your house, we promise that you want them out ASAP.

Just about everyone knows bed bugs bite. What you might not know is that repeated bed bug bites can lead to intense allergic reactions. This happens because your body can become overly sensitive to bed bug saliva. In turn, this can cause an already unpleasant situation to becoming painfully uncomfortable and potentially dangerous.

Although bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, secondary infections resulting from scratching the bites can occur. Symptoms and problems related to these infections are wide ranging so bites should be cleaned and treated accordingly.

Diligence is one of the best ways to prevent bed bugs from taking over your home. For starters, when traveling, around town or around the country, be aware of your surroundings. At home, look for tell tale signs of bed bug activity. The list below is a good primer for knowing what to look for and do.

When Staying In A Hotel

• Inspect head boards, sheets & curtains.
• Do not bring your belongings into the room until you’ve done a thorough search of the room.
• If you find any insects, which might be bed bugs, make sure the front desk is aware and request another room.
• If you get another room, start the process over.
  
• Don't leave clothes in drawers or near the bed. Put your luggage on the supplied luggage rack.
• If there is no luggage rack, put your suitcase on bathroom floor or in the tub. The further away from the bed, the better.
• Never use the dresser provided in the room. Keep all clothing in the suitcase.
• Remember, bed bugs are 5 star eaters even in 5 star hotels.

At Airports

• Hotels near an airport are high probability bed bug areas.
• Inspect all carry on, computer & electronics bags as well as all other personal bags, like gym bags.

When You Get Home

• Once the trip is over, DO NOT bring your bags into the house.
• Inspect all bags when you get home, this is true for traveling anywhere.
  
• Put everything in black trash bags then leave the bags in a hot area. This kills bed bugs.
• Self-contained heating units like a Zap-Bug or Pack-Tite are excellent devices to use near cooler coastal regions or during winter months when ambient temperature doesn't get hot enough to kill the bugs.
• Prepare your washing machine with hot water, then transfer clothes and other laundry from trash bags immediately to washer then into dryer.
• Wash all clothing even if it was not worn during the trip. You never know if bed bugs crawled into your luggage.
• Do not separate your clothes inside your house. Gather the load of clothes together outside and put directly into the washer. Dry on high if the material can handle it. Otherwise, consider dry cleaning.

Day-to-Day Activity

• Since bed bugs want to be where there's food, any public dwelling like movies, restaurants, libraries, municipal buildings, etc. can have bed bugs, so always be on the look out for them. 

If People Are Visiting You

• If people are going to stay at your home, have a conversation about bed bugs. It may be uncomfortable, but if someone brings bed bugs into your home, you’re the one who will have to pay to get rid of them.
• Inspect your guest bedroom often. Early detection will help contain bed bugs in a single room and the cost of treatment will not be as hard on the pocket book.