How To Avoid Bed Bug Bites When Traveling
Anyone planning to travel should know what to do in order to avoid getting bitten by the bed bugs. The first thing is try not to ever encounter them at all if you can help it, but travelers cannot always be sure they haven’t been exposed to them so it is a good idea to always take necessary precautions whenever you are anywhere that there may be a potential for bed bugs to be nesting; such as hotel rooms, etc… to ensure that you do not get bit by these critters.
It is important to know what bed bugs look like so that you may correctly identify them if you see any. They are brownish red in color and they are small, flat and round, but not too small that you cannot see them. Bed Bugs feast on human and animal blood in order to survive and it is the only thing they are looking for. They will attach themselves to a viable host and suck the skin until their entire body inflates with blood causing them to plump up and turn completely red. You can see the blood right through their skin once they have ingested it. They are similar to a tick, or a flea, but unlike ticks, they usually won’t stay attached onto their host for very long. They will bite, suck and then move on. They leave behind red itchy welts that will usually heal in a couple of days. Since they are relatively small, their bite is not very big. As far as the bite itself, it is usually painless as well as harmless. If anything, the person who experiences a bed bug bite is more traumatized emotionally than anything else.
They like to hide out in cracks, crevices, creases, and seams, which can make them hard to find but not hard to see. Since they are good at being undetected, it has allowed them to spread and lately there has been increasing reports of bed bug bites in the US. Travelers do not realize that the bugs have found their way into their luggage and this tends to be the number one reason people carry them along onto their next destination, whether it be home, another hotel, or a family member or friends house.
The best and most effective way to avoid getting bed bug bites is to invest in a bed bug mattress cover. They are specifically designed to keep bed bugs sealed up inside the mattress and are even bite proof. This is a good idea if you anticipate traveling anywhere no matter how short the trip may be. You never know where you may find them.
These types of covers are only effective provided they are used correctly. They have to cover and seal the entire mattress making sure you do not leave the zipper open at all. it must be kept zipped while in use on a mattress. This is recommended for travel only to use on beds that are unfamiliar to you. It is not a permanent solution and therefore would not be a good idea to use them if you have bed bugs in your home. That will require a different course of action and this information is only intended for those traveling. It is also important that you clean these covers in between uses, making sure that any bed bugs trapped inside be properly exterminated and disposed of.
You have to wash the covers in very hot water or you can put the cover in a sealed plastic bag and store it in the freezer. Any bed bugs trapped inside will freeze and die, then you can simply unzip the cover and easily dispose of the dead bugs the following day. Make sure this is done between uses. Both the heat from hot water or the cold from the freezer will definitely kill bedbugs.
Sprays are also available which you can buy and use in addition to the mattress cover in order to help keep bed bugs off of you while you are asleep. Select a spray that will not irritate your skin if at all possible and check with your local outdoor gear or camping store, they should carry this product. A quite effective way to avoid any bed bug bites is to have both the mattress cover and the spray in use while sleeping in any unfamiliar bed such as in a hotel room.
The only way to prevent any bed bug bite is to to never allow them the chance to bite you in the first place. But there could be a time when you just happen to stumble across them and it is best for you to be prepared. Always carry these items with you while traveling. It’s your surest bet against getting bed bug bites.