Swat Pest Management, Inc.

Part 2 in Bed Bug Series

It takes a bed bug to infest your house. Only 1 – not 10, not 100, and not 1,000. Only 1. But there are ways we can lower their risk.

1. Beware buying used furniture, especially upholstered. Don’t buy used mattresses. Bed bug infestations are easily brought into homes through used furniture.
2. Mattress encasements designed to lock out bed bugs can prevent mattresses and box springs from infestations and make home infestations easier to detect.
3. When you reserve a hotel room, go to the Bed Bug Registry. See if other hotel patrons have reported spotting bed bugs at your hotel.
4. When you check in at a hotel, ask the clerk if your room has been inspected for bed bugs in the last 6 months and is bed bug free.
5. Don’t bring a purse, suitcase or other bag with you when you check your hotel room for bed bugs. In the room, look under mattress covers, and under pillow covers. Look for spots of blood (bed bugs poop “blood spots”).  Be sure to look under the mattress and carefully inspect mattress crevices, looking for signs of bed bugs or the “blood spots.”  Look for nymphs, which are only 1/16 of an inch long.
6. Most hotel headboards hang on walls and are removable. Take the headboard off and look for signs of bed bug infestation.
7. If your room has bed bugs, leave the room quickly, report it to the manager, and find another hotel.
8. If you do not see signs of bed bugs, bring your luggage into the room. Keep your clothing in your suitcases with the suitcases completely closed or else hanging in the closet. Do not use hotel room drawers. Some people purchase luggage encasements to store the luggage during travel.
9. Carefully inspect luggage for signs of bugs, especially in the zippers and crevices. A flashlight can help you see better.
10. Periodically inspect your mattresses at home. Look for the signs of bugs and poop spots. The sooner an infestation is found, the easier it is to remove.

Part 1 in Bed Bug Series: How Swat Pest Beats the Bed Bug World

Part 3 in Bed Bug Series: When Bed Bugs Bite

Part 4 in Bed Bug Series: Drama, Our Hero and the Bed Bugs' Greatest Foe