Summer is in full swing here in Florida, which means cookouts, beach days, and vacations. Every year, Floridians spend millions of dollars traveling to visit people and places near and far. On top of that, many Floridians welcome friends and family from out of state into their homes during the summer. According to reports, the total amount of dollars spent by Americans on vacations is rising each year. It’s exciting and fun, but there is one risk that comes with traveling or having visitors that is also on the rise: bed bugs.
The National Pest Management Association’s 2015 report on bed bugs states that while bed bugs are not considered a seasonal pest like mosquitoes or termites, reported bed bug infestations happen twice as much in the summer months. Bed bugs can thrive regardless of the outside weather and climate because they make their way inside and get to enjoy air conditioning and central heating. So why are they more numerous during the summer months?
The top three most common locations for a bed bug infestation to occur, according to the same report, are apartment buildings, single-family homes, and hotels/motels. During the summer, when more people are traveling to these places, the risk of picking up a hitchhiking bed bug or two is greater. Vacationers sleep in an infested hotel, rental home, or even a family member’s home, bed bugs make their way into luggage and clothing, and stowaway long enough to infest a new home when the vacation is over.
If you’re doing the traveling, here are ways to lower your risk of picking up bedbugs as a souvenir:
- Read reviews about the hotel/motel/rental house you’ll be staying in to make sure no other guests have complained about bed bugs.
- Wrap your luggage in a plastic bag, keeping it tied when not using.
- In hotels, store your luggage in the bathroom; bed bugs don’t like tile floors.
Even using preventive measures, you can still bring bed bugs home with you when traveling because it only takes one pregnant female to start a new infestation somewhere new. And if you will be hosting guests, they may bring extra unwanted visitors in their luggage from anywhere they’ve stayed before.
A few bed bugs are very hard to detect and can multiply to staggering numbers very quickly. Bed bug infestations are not a DIY type of problem and can become expensive if not caught early. Let us help you make sure you don’t let a few summer stowaways become a costly infestation! Our Bed Bug Preventive Warranty provides a full inspection for bed bugs, specially made mattress encasements, active guard mattress liners, interceptor traps, and residual powders to trap and kill bed bugs. Our professional technicians will caulk and seal cracks and crevices to close potential harborage areas where bed bugs could hide.