Can you prevent bed bug infestation

Once inside, I immediately put the clothes I wore to the infested apartment in the dryer, which is located in a room just off the garage.

When staying in a hotel, I check the bed before I bring the suitcase into the sleeping part of the room so that if I have to ask the manager for another room, then I haven't exposed my suitcase to the bugs. When settling in, I put my suitcase up on the suitcase stand or the desktop so that any bugs are less likely to crawl into it. An extreme measure would be putting the suitcase in the tub. If it's a porcelain tub, bed bugs would have a hard time crawling up it. It's also unlikely that they would randomly crawl up a tub, because it's not near the bed.

But if I don't see bed bugs in the room when I inspect it, I just put my suitcase on the stand because I know the probability is really low that a bug is going to crawl up the stand and into my suitcase. I keep my clothes in the suitcase or hang them in the closet—I don't leave them on the floor because wandering bed bugs might crawl into them. I actually haven't found bed bugs in my hotel rooms, but I've seen them in other peoples' rooms. Enough of my students and postdocs have found them that I'm surprised I haven't seen them yet in a room where I'm staying.

How should one check a hotel room for bed bugs? Bring a little flashlight—hotel room lighting is always pretty poor and the dimmer the lighting, the harder it is to see small bed bugs or their fecal spots. I would pull back the bed covers and look all around the head of the bed.

Pull back the sheets, too, and look at mattress seams and edges that are exposed. Look all around the box springs, too. If there's a dust ruffle, pull it up and look under it as much as possible. Look for moving bugs and stationary, hiding bugs. The space behind the headboard is prime bed bug territory. Most headboards are hanging on the wall. If my wife is with me, we'll remove it and look behind it. This exposes a lot of possible bed bug territory. Even if you don't remove headboard, look around it.

Or if you move the bed out from wall, look at the wall under the headboard. Bed bugs could also be at the foot of the bed, but they're more likely to reside at the head of the bed. The foot of the bed, if the sheets are tucked in, doesn't allow bed bugs easy access to a sleeping host. The bugs would have to come up to the head of the bed to get you, and they typically minimize the distance to the host.

All of the stages of bed bugs are visible, at least if you don't need reading glasses and you have a sufficient amount of light. So if you're looking closely enough, you can even see bugs in the nymphal first instar stage.

A fecal spot, for its part, can be as large as a bed bug itself in terms of the area it covers. The spots are basically digested blood, so most are dark in color. On a white mattress, they stand out pretty well. Are there tactics that professional exterminators use that don't work? No one tactic alone will be effective.

A good pest control operator will develop a strategy to deal with the bed bugs that takes the particulars of the setting into account, and will return several times to check on progress. Dry ice sprays that freeze bed bugs have limited potential to reach hidden bugs. Steam has somewhat better penetrating ability. The downside of steam is that it leaves moisture behind.

Dry ice doesn't leave any residue at all. Vacuuming has a role, but it has limitations, too. Some insecticides leave behind deposits that are slow to act but are effective in the long-term. Other insecticides kill on contact, but only reach insects that are in view.

Insecticide resistance makes the choice of tactics more difficult. An important thing to remember is that good professional pest controllers do get rid of bed bugs. The fine line that bed bug experts have to walk in talking to the public is the line where the anxiety and depression and so forth that can result from thinking about bed bugs too much can cause more problems than the bugs themselves would.

Kate Wong is a senior editor for evolution and ecology at Scientific American. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Discover World-Changing Science. Could you have a bed bug infestation in your home and not know it? What should one do upon suspecting a bed bug infestation The first question I would ask that person is, what makes you think you have bed bugs?

Get smart. Sign up for our email newsletter. Storing items under your bed creates opportunities for bed bugs to hide near your mattress. You may also unknowingly store an infested item. Bed bugs find it difficult to crawl on smooth surfaces such as glass or plastic. Keeping your storage items in a plastic container or plastic bag helps to prevent spreading.

Keep your clothes off the floor. If a wandering bed bug happens to latch onto your sweater, you run the risk of infecting your dresser or closet. Cover your mattress or box spring in dust mite-proof encasements to create a barrier between you and any potential bed bugs.

This prevention method helps you remove stray bed bugs. For further prevention, dispose of the vacuum bag in an outside trash can. You never know if they may be transporting a bed bug from their home. Before unpacking your clothes in your new sleeping arrangements, such as a hotel, motel, or dorm room, inspect the space.

Check curtains, the carpet, the walls, and surrounding areas for any signs of bed bugs. Most importantly, check the bed for any signs. If there are bed bugs in the room, ask to be moved far from that room because bed bugs can easily travel to adjacent spaces. The rooms in the immediate vicinity are likely infested as well. If your room has no bugs, still proceed with caution.

Bring the memories home, but leave the bed bugs behind. Watch this video to learn more tips about preventing bed bugs while traveling. Shared laundry facilities are the perfect conduit for the transmission of bed bugs from one location to another. Instead of carrying your laundry into and from the facility in an open clothes basket, opt for plastic bags. Not all small, oval, reddish-brown bugs are bed bugs. Before calling in the cavalry, make sure that you are fighting the right bug.

Most bed bug bites are found on the hands, arms, face, and neck. They cause itchy bumps that can resemble a rash or an allergic reaction. Learn more about what bed bugs look like and how to properly identify them. Unlike this flea commonly found on cats , bed bugs have rounder bodies that are oval in appearance with legs tucked underneath them. Bed bug prevention begins with the understanding and knowledge of how to spot and eliminate breeding conditions.

Despite their name, bed bugs can infest and breed in any part of your home. While they are commonly found in bedding, mattresses, box springs, and bed hardware, it is important to monitor your entire home in order to prevent bed bug infestations.

Eradicating bed bugs from a home can become an expensive and time-consuming because the likelihood of a reinfestation increases if the pests are not eliminated completely and thoroughly the first time.

If you follow these tips, you can prevent your family and guests from getting bed bugs. Professionals, like Catseye, have been protecting homes and families from pest infestations like these for many years. High-end pest management companies can enter your home and ensure that the bed bugs are removed completely. So, if your dealing with a bed bug infestation, and these tips simply aren't enough, be sure to contact your local pest professionals to get rid of bed bugs once and for all.

Schedule Free Inspection: If possible, regularly wash the pet bed on the highest heat and dryer settings. Donate, recycle or dispose of anything you no longer need.

Place the devices under the foot of each bed post. Perform a preliminary inspection before purchasing used furniture. Check the vents on all used electronics before purchasing. Check window and screens to make sure there are no torn or damaged areas. They can be found in the cushioned seats in the dressing rooms and on the carpeted floors. Check for bed bugs by removing bedding and searching the corners and folds of mattresses.

Do not place your cleaned clothes on countertops or floors. Ashlea Keene is a project manager at Catseye Pest Control and has been with the company for over four years. She handles Catseye's community involvement, social media and public relations. Ashlea is also a certified pest management technician in New York and Vermont, specializing in structural pest and rodent control. Her passion for writing makes blogging for Catseye one of her favorite things to do.

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