With increased world travel and greater population density, bed bug infestations in Mississauga have been on the rise throughout the last decade. They are notorious for transferring from one home to another by hiding in clothing or luggages and also by crawling into neighbouring apartments. Once you have been infested by just a few bed bugs, they can multiply very quickly with females laying up to 6 eggs per day. Bed bugs hide in many hard to reach places like inside tiny cracks and crevices so are very difficult to get rid of. They are also very resilient and tough to battle since they only come out at night to feed on your blood. For these reasons it is highly recommended to hire an experienced bed bug control company in Mississauga in case of an infestation to make sure they use the right methods to kill every bed bug in your home.
Although they are not physically harmful to humans, they have been known to cause significant psychological damage to their hosts and should be exterminated as soon as you notice an infestation. Luckily there are some things you can do around the home and precautions you can take to minimize your chances of having a bed bug infestation. In this article you will learn about these precautions so that hopefully you can stay away from these nasty pests.
Reduce Chance of Bed Bugs While Travelling
While travelling, whether it is for business or for pleasure, your chances of having a bed bug encounter are much higher. The reason is that you will likely be staying in some sort of short term accommodation like a hostel or hotel. Since so many other travellers have stayed in the same room before you, there is a chance that one of them has unknowingly brought bed bugs to the room at some point. If this is the case, these bed bugs will not only feed on your blood at night, some of them may also hide in your luggage or clothing so they can move into your home.
It is impossible to fully determine whether or not there are bed bugs in your accommodation, but following these tips will significantly reduce your chance of booking a room with bed bugs, and an even smaller chance of bed bugs penetrating your belongings:
- Do some research on the place you will be staying. Call ahead to ask if they’ve ever had bed bug reports and look them up on a bed bug registry online to see if there are any reports.
- Once you arrive to your accommodation, thoroughly inspect the room. Look for signs of a bed bug infestation and look for common bed bug hiding spots. For more info on detecting bed bugs, check out this article.
- To avoid having any undiscovered bed bugs hiding in your clothing, pack your belongings in sealable plastic bags or hang them in the closet to make it challenging for bed bugs to reach. Creating clutter by leaving clothes on the ground is an invitation for bed bugs to hide inside.
- Bed bugs rarely hide in bathrooms, preferring small crevices or fabrics near their feeding ground. As such, putting your luggage in the bathroom will significantly reduce the likelihood of a bed bugs hiding in your luggage.
If you do find bed bugs in your room after your inspection, leave the room immediately and notify the staff. Ask them to place you in a new room but don’t forget to also do an inspection of that room since bed bugs are known to spread easily between neighbouring rooms.
Additional Precautions
Even if you followed all the tips above, it takes a true bed bug control expert to be completely sure of no bed bugs. As a result, there is still a slight possibility of bed bugs attaching themselves to your belongings.
Here are some additional precautions you can take before returning to your home to ensure that no bed bug that has snuck its way onto your clothing will have a chance of getting into your home:
- Before leaving your accommodation, thoroughly inspect your clothing and your luggage looking for any sign of bed bug activity
- If you have the slightest doubt that there may be bed bugs in your clothing or luggage, take all your belongings to a laundromat and wash everything on high heat to kill off any potential bed bugs before entering your home.
