Residential Pest Prevention: Guidelines on Avoiding Bedbugs When Travelling

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If you are planning on travelling and staying in a hotel, you should be cautious about coming into contact with bedbugs. Bedbugs are often found in some hotels, motels and other accommodation spots. If you are exposed to these pests during your trip, you are likely to bring back the insects with you. These creatures will hitchhike on your clothes and suitcase. If the bedbugs end up in your home, you might experience an infestation, and extermination might be difficult. Therefore, consider using these below-outlined guidelines to protect your home from bedbugs when travelling. 

Wrap Your Luggage in Plastic Bags

You should think about wrapping your luggage in a plastic bag before leaving your home. This process will protect your suitcase from bedbugs during the journey. In some cases, these pests move across different baggage when in the cargo hold. If using a plastic bag is not an option, you should spray the suitcase with an insect repellent. This treatment should reduce your risk of getting bedbugs from other travellers. Also, you should repeat the process when travelling back to your home. 

Inspect the Hotel Room

When you step into your hotel room, you should perform an inspection of the space. Do not be quick to sit or place your luggage on the bed or carpet. These are common hiding places for bedbugs. Instead, you should put your bags on an elevated surface, such as a dresser, or the tiled bathroom floor.

Next, check the room for signs of an infestation. You should focus on the bed linen, the seams of the mattress and the cushions of the seats. The typical symptoms of an outbreak include red or brown faecal spots on the upholstery and other surfaces. Also, you should watch out for the live insects and their moulted skin. If you find these signs, notify the management and request for a room change or refund. 

Clean and Treat Your Luggage

Bedbugs can still find their way into your luggage even if you protect your luggage and inspect your room. Therefore, as an extra precaution, you should not bring in your bags and clothes into the house directly. Ideally, you should unpack outside in the garage or on a patio and put the clothes into your laundry machine. Choose the hot wash or dry cycle to eliminate any pests. Also, fumigate the suitcase with speciality pesticide before bringing it into the house.

If your home has already been infested with bedbugs, you should consult a pest control specialist for assistance. 

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24 October 2017

Deterring Pests while Protecting Pets

Hello, my name is Mandi, and although I own a number of pets including my dog, two ferrets and a guinea pig, I am utterly afraid of all non-pet creatures in my house. I hold the guinea pigs as I watch TV, and I sleep with my dog, but the idea of a mouse running through the walls makes me incredibly uncomfortable and tense. Since pests are such a trigger issue for me, I have spent a lot of time researching them. I have learned how to get rid of them, but more importantly, how to get rid of them without bothering or putting my pets in danger. If you are trying to balance the wanted and the unwanted creatures in your home, I hope these posts help!