How Do You Check for Bed Bugs at Your Vacation Rental or Hotel?

bed bugs in hotel in Mississippi Gulf Coast | Southern Pest Control

bed bugs in hotel in Mississippi Gulf Coast | Southern Pest ControlA hotel stay promises relaxation, comfort, and excitement. However, hidden within the folds of sheets or tucked away in the seams of mattresses, an unwelcome guest might be lurking: the bed bug. These tiny insects have become notorious for their ability to turn a peaceful night’s sleep into a nightmare. Knowing how to check for bed bugs at an Airbnb, vacation rental, or hotel could help you avoid waking up covered in bites – or worse, accidentally bringing them home with you. 

Signs of Bed Bugs in a Hotel

Bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, so it can be challenging to spot an infestation right away. The last thing you want is to set down all of your luggage just to realize that the bed is crawling with insects. That’s why it’s important to take a few minutes to inspect your hotel immediately after arriving at your room. If you notice any of these signs, your hotel room may have bed bugs:

  • Visible Bugs: Although bed bugs are small and typically hide during the day, you might spot them in seams of mattresses, along baseboards, or behind picture frames. They are about ¾ of an inch and are reddish-brown.
  • Blood Stains: Dark or rusty spots on bedding, mattresses, or furniture could indicate bed bug excrement or crushed bed bugs. 
  • Fecal Spots: Small, dark spots resembling ink stains on bedding or nearby furniture might be bed bug excrement.
  • Shed Skins: Bed bugs shed their exoskeletons as they grow. These translucent shells can be found near their hiding spots, such as the headboard or in carpeting.
  • Musty Odor: Some describe the odor of a severe bed bug infestation as musty or sweet. If you notice an unusual scent in the room, it might be worth investigating further.

Ways to Prevent Bed Bugs While Traveling

Unfortunately, hotel rooms aren’t the only place where bed bugs might be hiding. They’re also known for invading public spaces with plenty of upholstery, such as airports or public transportation. If you want to avoid accidentally picking up bed bugs while traveling, follow these steps:

  • Use hard-shelled luggage
  • Seal your clothes in plastic bags
  • Avoid placing your belongings on upholstery
  • Carefully inspect your luggage before bringing it indoors
  • Wash your clothes on high heat after returning home
  • Call a professional if you suspect you have bed bugs

Get Rid of Bed Bugs Fast

Despite our best efforts, it’s still possible to accidentally pick up bed bugs while traveling. Returning home from a long trip is already exhausting enough even without the stress of dealing with an infestation. At Southern Pest Control, it’s our goal to make sure pests are the least of your concerns. We offer fast and efficient bed bug removal services that ensure you can rest easy. With customized treatment plans and long-term solutions, we’ll also make sure your infestation doesn’t come back in the future. If you think you have bed bugs, give us a call now!

Pest Control Bedbugs

Bed bug on skin in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

Pest Control Bedbugs We know that bedbugs continue to be a problem in our part of the country. We at Southern Pest Control would like to educate you somewhat on these little creatures that can cause havoc in your home.

First of all, Bedbugs are small, oval, brownish insects that live on the blood of animals or humans. Adult bedbugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, however, their bodies swell and are a reddish color.

Bedbugs do not fly, but they can move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings. Female bedbugs may lay hundreds of eggs, each of which is about the size of a speck of dust, over a lifetime.

Immature bedbugs, called nymphs, shed their skins five times before reaching maturity and require a meal of blood before each shedding. Under favorable conditions the bugs can develop fully in as little as a month and produce three or more generations per year.

The good news is even though they are a nuisance, they are not thought to transmit diseases.

One big question that always comes up is where do they hide? They may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches, and other items. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces, about the width of a credit card. Bedbugs do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people to bite in the night.

Over time, however, they may scatter through the bedroom, moving into any crevice or protected location. They may also spread to nearby rooms or apartments.

Because bedbugs live solely on blood, having them in your home is not a sign of dirtiness. You are as likely to find them in immaculate homes and hotel rooms as in filthy ones.

Bedbugs are active mainly at night and usually bite people while they are sleeping. They feed by piercing the skin and withdrawing blood through an elongated beak. The bugs feed from three to 10 minutes to become engorged and then crawl away unnoticed.

Most bedbug bites are painless at first, but later turn into itchy welts. Unlike flea bites hat are mainly around the ankles, bedbug bites are on any area of skin exposed while sleeping. Also, the bites do not have a red spot in the center like flea bites do.

To confirm bedbug bites not some other insect, you must find and identify the bugs themselves.

This is where a professional pest control company comes in. We identify that you have bedbugs and use the proper safe method to rid your home of these unwelcome guests. We at Southern Pest Control have been serving the entire Gulf Coast Region for over 37 years with trained professional technicians. Please call us at 800 527-9832 if you suspect bedbugs, we can help. Also, please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet our team and learn about all the services we offer.

Bed Bugs Increase in the Summer

Bed bug on skin in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

Bed Bugs

 

Bed bug infestations always increase in the summer. Here are some of the ways summer will increase your chances of getting these unwanted pests.

  • Your college age children may have brought them home from school. Bed bugs love dormitories. The more people living in the same place, the better. And this is a bug that thrives in dirty environments.
  • Did anyone in your family return from camp recently. They could have brought bed bugs or their eggs home with you. Baby bed bugs are quite small and can easily be missed if they crawl into a seam of your luggage. It is always important to wash and dry your clothes and bedding on the hottest temperatures when you return from a trip.
  • Have you stayed at a hotel recently? You could have brought bed bugs home. These bugs like filth, but they can be found infesting even the nicest luxury hotels and resorts.
  • Have you used any public transit lately, like city buses? Bed bugs can live inside the seats of trains, planes, buses and taxi cabs.
  • Did you visit a friend or family member or have family or family members spend the night at your home? Your friends and family can have bed bugs and not even know it.
  • Have you checked for bed bugs recently? If you don’t do routine bed bug inspections, you are at more risk of having these bugs.  Inspect bed creases and corners for black sticky residue. Inspect the seams and stitching of upholstered furniture for the same black residue. This could be bed bug feces. Check your sheets and pillowcases for dried, brown blood stains.

We at Southern Pest Control offer affordable bed bug protection service for any of our present customers as well as anyone in the Gulf Coast Region that is having bed bug concerns or any other pest issues. We have been serving our region for over 37 years with quality affordable pest control. Please call us at 800 527-9832 to speak to one of our friendly knowledgeable pest control experts.

Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to learn more about us and the services we offer.

Bed Bugs Should you be concerned

bed bug close-up in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

bed bugs

When lying in your bed at night are you ever concerned about bed bugs? These unwelcome pests can invade your hope without you even knowing. Questions to ask yourself when being concerned are: Have I traveled lately? Have I had house guests stay overnight lately?   With bed bugs instead of being able to sleep comfortably, you will find yourself uncomfortable and itching. We at Southern Pest Control provide professional bed bug removal services.

These pests are not easily eliminated. Major factors which play a role in how readily a bed bug infestation can be eliminated is the amount of available harborage for this pest to use as a safe haven from control efforts.  Crowded and/or cluttered conditions, as well poorly sealed baseboards, chair and/or crown moldings, window frames, door frames, paneled walls, etc. offer an environment with virtually unlimited harborages.

In many cases two or three services may be all that is necessary to eliminate the problem. However, there are also many cases that require a greater number of visits before the problem is resolved. Finally, there are some infestations where it can be difficult if not impossible to achieve 100% elimination.

Please contact us at 800 527-9832 regarding our bed bug removal services or any of the other services we offer. We have been serving the Gulf Coast area for over 37 years with quality and affordable pest control service. When calling you will speak with a trained experienced member of our team that can answer any questions you may have. We have many satisfied customers that we can give you as a reference if requested. We assure you that we will eliminate any pest problem you may have. We also offer animal removable if needed.

Please visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to review all our services and meet our team of professionals.

BedBugs in the Winter

Bed bug on skin in the Mississippi gulf coast; Southern Pest Control

 

 

bedbugs in winter

 

Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Ultrasonic devices marketed to drive bedbugs away don’t have any effect. Bug bombs don’t work. Bedbugs are evolving resistance to a common insecticide that once killed them. Even if the chemicals work, they can be dangerous for the humans exposed to them. High heat can be effective, but that’s not always a practical solution.

Some studies have indicated that cold might kill bedbugs after as little as one hour of exposure. But research published in the Journal of Economic Entomology finds that’s not the case. Cold can kill a bedbug, but only after days.

Joelle F. Olson of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and colleagues froze bedbugs at various stages of life, fed and unfed, for varying lengths of time. The bad news was that the bugs didn’t die nearly as quickly as other studies had found, a mere hour or two at -16° or -17° Celsius. “In our study, bedbugs survived lower temperatures, with eggs surviving in short-term exposures … to temperatures as low as -25° C,” the researchers write. But the bugs are not freeze tolerant, the scientists found, and they can be killed — no matter their stage of life or feeding status. All it takes is 80 hours in temperatures of -16° C.

Not addressed, though, was whether even lower temperatures might kill the bugs faster. Perhaps a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher (-66° C) or liquid nitrogen (around -200° C) could kill in an instant. Items that wouldn’t fit in a fridge could then be disinfected within moments.

With all this said, we at Southern Pest Control have had great success eliminating bedbugs in your homes. If these unwelcome guests have invaded your home, please call us at 800 528-9832, we can help. You are welcome to visit our website at www.southernpestcontrol.biz to meet our team of professionals.