Don’t Let Bedbugs Keep You From Traveling This Summer

The Bedbug Registry (interactive map of bedbug infestations)

From the 3 August 2011 posting by A-1 Exterminators

First, decide where you would like to take a trip. When choosing your travel destinations you can pick an area that has had little trouble with bedbug infestations. This may mean avoiding major cities or simply staying at the right hotels. Check the bedbug registry to see the top danger zones for bedbug infestations. You can also type in the name and location of a particular hotel and view bedbug reports before you book your stay.
When you arrive at your hotel room you should check the room to make sure it is bedbug free. This may include looking under the mattress, upholstered furniture, and framed pictures hanging on the wall. This quick check only takes a few minutes and could save you the trouble of dealing with these nasty little pests. We also have some tips to protect yourself against bedbugs so you don’t bring them home with you!

From  Dr. Oz Takes Up Fight Against Bedbugs

Here are a few things you can do to try to keep them out.

• At the movies, keep your bags on the floor, not on a nearby seat. Bring a small flashlight and inspect your seat. Look in crevices and under armrests.
• At the mall, check clothing before trying it on or purchasing it. Look under the arms, behind the collar, and inside cuffs and seams. “Remember, you’re not the first person to touch it,” says Dr. Oz. “Someone may have returned the very shirt you’re about to take home, and there’s a good chance it entered their bedroom.”
• When your return from a high-risk area like a movie theater, flea market, or mall, throw your clothes into a dryer on high heat for 30 minutes. Place shoes in a pillowcase before putting them in the dryer.
• When traveling, inspect your hotel room and keep luggage on racks as far from beds and sofas as possible. When you return home, wash clothes in hot water or dry on high heat. Before bringing luggage into living areas, vacuum it thoroughly inside and out.
• Inspect used furniture before bringing it into your home.

Related articles

• Avoiding Bedbugs When You Travel (everydayhealth.com)
• Dr. Oz Takes Up Fight Against Bedbugs (univitedguests.wordpress.com)
• Bedbug Information from MedlinePlus (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• Yikes! Bedbugs!! 15 best bug-busting tips for travelers (cbsnews.com)
• How To Get Rid Of Bedbugs (mydecorarticles.com)
• What do bedbug bites look like? (zocdoc.com)
• Dr. Oz Takes Up Fight Against Bedbugs (everydayhealth.com)
• Bedbugs Foiled by Hairy Limbs, Study Finds – ABC News (blog) (abcnews.go.com)
• Incestuous reproduction key to bedbug spread (windsorstar.com)
• Inbreeding is what’s secretly driving all the bedbug infestations [Biology] (io9.com)
• Bedbugs: Why They’re Back (webmd.com)