Bed bugs just don’t “drop in” or appear out of thin air in a home or place of business; they are introduced to living and work spaces.
One of the most common ways people pick up and transport bed bugs is when they travel. And it is not the stereotypical “flea bag” hotel that most would assume is infested with bed bugs. These nasty blood-feeders can be found in budget motels and in presidential suites of five-star hotels.
McNeely Pest Control in Winston-Salem, N.C., takes customer education seriously and so do its clients.
“We see a very keen interest from customers in learning more about how they can prevent bed bugs from infesting their home or business,” says McNeely Pest Control Vice-President Frank Fowler. “A lot of the interest comes from a previous experience with bed bugs because once you’ve had them, you don’t want them again.”
The company shares the following checklist with its residential and commercial clients to help lessen the chance they will bring bed bugs back to their home or office.
- There are no socioeconomic boundaries for the presence of bed bugs.
- Before leaving home, place multiple large size plastic bags in laundry area and purchase several “No Pest Strips” (available at home improvement stores). Also have change of clothes set in laundry.
- Enjoy your travel and avoid unpacking and placing your clothing in dressers and nightstands, if possible.
- Upon your return home, DO NOT take your luggage and clothing into your bedroom to unpack.
- Take luggage directly to the laundry room. Clothing that can be washed – place in the dryer on hot cycle for 20-30 minutes, then wash and dry. If you have clothing to dry clean, place that clothing in one of your large plastic bags and seal to deliver to dry cleaners. If there is clothing or items that you do not wash you may place clothing in dryer on hot cycle for 20-30 minutes. An alternative to heating items in dryer would be to place the items in a chest freezer for approximately one week and then remove. Change from travel clothing into clothing that was left in laundry room.
- Following handling of clothing place luggage in large plastic bags and place a “no pest strip” in each bag and seal bags. Leave luggage in bag for a minimum of one week prior to removal, airing out, and then storing. Always be sure to read and follow label instructions.
Following these procedures lessens the likelihood of your customers bringing bed bugs into a home following a vacation or business trip.
Information adapted from customer information sheets created by McNeely Pest Control in Winston-Salem, N.C.