Why Bed Bug Breakouts Will Probably Happen This Summer

It was inevitable. This summer Americans are shaking off the cabin fever of quarantine and exchanging it for a renewed passion for travel. Airline prices are going up as travel increases and vacation season is in full swing. This is great news for the tourism and travel industries, but they aren’t the only ones rejoicing as Americans are now free to move about the country. Bed Bugs are also ecstatic I am sure.

Bed Bug infestations have taken a dive over the past year, as more and more people worked from home, attended school from home, and overall just travelled and socialized less due to Covid-19 recommendations. Experts are now warning, however, that as we begin to socialize again, so will the bed bugs, and infestations are likely to increase. So enjoy your travels, summer vacations, and social gatherings, but here are a few things to look for to protect you and your family from bringing home some unexpected house guests.

1) Bed Bugs tend to travel wherever people do. Movie theaters, trains, planes, hotels, and even your Uber are some common places to discover them. Make sure you look over your seating or sleeping arrangements before taking your seat, or even placing luggage in these areas.

2) Inspect mattress thoroughly in hotels. This is super important as even the nicest of hotel’s have been known to unexpectedly host Bed Bugs. They are super tiny bugs and can easily go undetected if you don’t know what you are looking for. When you check into your room make sure you place your luggage on your luggage rack, at least until you have inspected your bed. Pull apart the sheets from the mattress and check the corners and along the seams of the mattress, or under the label if it is exposed. Tiny black dots and or rust colored staining could indicate an infestation. Simply request to be moved to another room so you lower your risk of taking them home with you. Do not just stay in the room anyways. Bed Bug eggs are super light weight and even if the bugs themselves don’t attach to you, their eggs can.

3) If you suspect you may have been exposed to Bed Bugs don’t panic yet. Place clothing that was exposed into dryer to thoroughly heat your clothing. Heat will kill Bed Bugs and can be helpful in the treatment process. If your home has been exposed all bedding and other exposed clothing will need thoroughly dried. Whatever you do don’t bomb your home for beds. This will make your infestations worse as it will drive bed bugs deeper into cracks and crevices of your home.

4) Professional treatment is recommended for Bed Bugs once they have invaded your home front. They are extremely hardy bugs, and can be difficult to kill. Care and attention needs to be taken into account when it comes to fully eradicating all egg cycles, or your bed bugs will quickly return after the initial treatment. Over the counter chemicals may initially kill some bed bugs, but don’t tend to have much of a residual effect and don’t tend to take these egg cycles into account. At Flatline Pest Control we have an exciting treatment available that is changing the way we handle bed bugs. It is environmentally friendly, safe for you and your family, but extremely toxic to Bed Bugs. This treatment has a residual effect and will protect you from re-infesting your home as soon as treatment is completed. We also utilize a precise treatment schedule to fully eradicate the egg cycles.