Many people think bed bugs only invade dirty, cheap hotel rooms, but that’s one out of many myths that is simply untrue.
Bed bugs are not deterred by super clean, hygienic spaces, and will infest any spaces where humans sleep.
Hotel rooms are particularly vulnerable to infestations as they have a high turnover of guests, therefore increasing the chances of bed bugs being carried into the hotel.
Bed bugs can hide in the seams of luggage and hitchhike on clothing, and this is how an infestation can spread from one hotel to another, or from a hotel to your own home. Therefore you should always inspect your clothes, bed sheets, and mattresses for signs of bed bugs in your hotel room.
Look at the seams of chairs, cushions, and your mattress and if you see any small insects measuring no bigger than an apple seed, then it’s a sure sign of an infestation. However you may not always spot any bugs, so check for other indications.
If you notice clusters of brown or red spots approximately the size of a pencil tip, bed bugs are certainly present. If you look close enough at the seams of mattresses or edges of bed sheets, you may spot bed bugs eggs and/or eggshells. They’re usually 1mm in diameter and have a yellowish colour.
You can use a bed bug monitoring device to check for the presence of bed bugs. These are portable and lightweight so can be taken with you when you travel. Simply place it on or under your bed and in the morning check to see if any bed bugs have harboured inside it.
If the tell-tale signs are present, contact your hotel reception and leave your room. If clothes or luggage touched the bed, chairs, or couches, you should inspect them thoroughly and wash and tumble dry them. This is necessary to prevent bugs from hitching a lift back to your home, or spreading them further if travelling to another destination.
Ultimately, only a professional pest controller can successfully eradicate bed bugs.
However, prevention is better than cure, and knowing how to spot the signs is a great advantage if you want a bug-free holiday.