Traveling is one of the most utilized ways in which bed bugs get from one harborage area to the next. It is part of the insect’s instincts to latch onto items such as shoes, clothing, and luggage to instantly know that the bugs will eventually find a way into a home with a host. Bed bugs only want to make it to a safe harborage area, which is usually your bed. Here, the bugs feed on human blood, mate, lay eggs, and continue a life cycle pattern that will continue until the bugs are discovered and eradicated. Whether you have ever experienced a bed bug invasion, or you generally want to avoid the horror stories popping up all over major Canadian cities, preventative measures are the only way to ensure that your clothing, items, or luggage are not infested with bed bugs and subsequently deposited into your home. If you ever discover bed bugs, either in your luggage or in your home, immediately consult a pest control Oakville company immediately.
Luggage is a necessity when traveling, even though it is prime area number one where hitchhiking bed bugs like to hide. The bugs will typically hide in easily accessible areas, like between zippers, in compartments, or inside of any other crack or crevice, where the bugs will stay until they make it into your home. If you discover bed bugs in your luggage during the trip, there are a few steps you can take to try and disinfect the bag. If you discover the bugs in or on your luggage once at home, call an exterminator to be on the safe side. If in a hotel room, immediately place your luggage inside of the bathtub or shower. Bed bugs have difficulty in climbing sleek surfaces, therefore the bugs will likely try and come out to begin infesting the surrounding room. Flush any bugs down the drain that attempt this. You can immediately begin to go through every crack and crevice of the luggage with a flashlight to ensure there are no live bugs.
As far as disinfecting is concerned, bed bugs do not like water, therefore flushing the bugs down the drain or saturating them with water until they drown will work to kill them. Never use rubbing alcohol on bed bugs to prevent igniting a fire. You can also call an exterminator to the hotel room to assess your luggage and your clothing for hitchhikers.
Disinfecting luggage during traveling is one way to ensure you do not bring bed bugs back home. You can also do this with luggage and clothes in your outdoor garage to ensure you do not bring any bugs inside. If you discover bed bugs in your stored luggage inside of your home, immediately isolate the luggage in a thick, sealed contractor bag and call an exterminator. Although it could be too late, there could also be a possibility that the bugs haven’t ventured out into the home yet.