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Bed Bugs Make Lousy Souvenirs

You've spent months planning your perfect vacation at a five-star hotel in a tropical paradise. You'll rest, relax, eat and shop for treasures. Souvenirs can be marvelous reminders of your dream vacation, if you're careful about what you're bringing back.

Many popular hotel chains, even presidential suites, are prone to bed bug infestations. If travelers knew the statistics, you can bet there would be far fewer bodies lining the beaches. Your favorite hotel may have hosted a bed bug infestation, while you slept completely unaware.

How would you know if your hotel had bed bugs? What would you do about it? You should have the answers before you take your next trip. Knowing the signs and symptoms of bed bug infestation is your best way to keep these pests from following you home.

Itchy

This initial symptom scratches the surface of a bedbug infestation. That's because the itch of a bed bug bite is prevalent even before the rash is visible. The bite of a bed bug is usually itchier than a mosquito bite. With a mosquito bite, you can actually feel the sting of the insect, and then the sucking of blood. Bed bugs bites are entirely different. First of all, you'll be fast asleep, because bed bugs only bite sleeping victims. Even if you were awake, you still wouldn't feel the bite. The bed bug saliva contains an anesthetic to dull the pain and an anticoagulant to prevent the blood from clotting. These insects can bite you, and leisurely feed until completely full, and you won't even feel it.

In most cases, a bed bug bite will show as a rash about an hour after the skin is pierced. For others, the rash won't develop until several days after being bitten. This depends on an individual's reaction to the chemicals secreted by bed bugs.

Can you spot a bed bug rash? First, it appears as one small, red, inflamed bump. Bed bug bites appear more swollen than mosquito bites. Initially, the rash will appear as a single spot, only to multiply days later. There's no mystery to the spreading rash; it's just the initial bug coming back with some friends for a late night feast. Some people notice a straight formation of bites, known as "in-line" marks. This happens to people who move around a lot in bed. The bugs feed quickly and return to hiding as soon as the host begins moving.

If you suspect that you may have a bed bug rash, observe it closely for several days. Bed bug rashes will stay itchy, even days after the rash first appears. The rash itself will not heal as quickly as a mosquito bite mark, and may stay swollen for weeks.

Oooh, that Smell

The presence of bed bugs can sometimes be detected by a particular odor in the room.

Hotel rooms with heavy bed bug infestations will often have an offensive, sweet, and musty odor. This scent created by the urine and feces of the bed bugs. When you first enter your room, conduct a "sniff test". Pay close attention to the headboard, upholstered furniture, wood chairs and especially under the mattress. If you detect a strange odor that you think may indicate a presence of bed bugs, pick up your bags and keep traveling.

The odor is less noticeable in hotels with light or minimal infestation, so be careful.

Avoiding a Home Invasion

* The night before you check out of the hotel, remove every item from your suitcase. Bed bugs are incredibly effective hitchhikers. They are able to survive for months without food, and could very easily start an infestation in your home if they traveled home in your luggage.

* Bed bugs are partial to paper, cloth and wood items. The insects can easily hid out and create a habitat in these porous materials. Any and all items made of these materials should be carefully inspected.

* Spray a water-based insect killer around your suitcase.

* Shake out your clothes to remove any bed bugs.

* Wipe the bathtub dry and put your travel items and clothing in the tub. Bed bugs don't like cold marble and ceramic surfaces, especially those that can get wet. The bugs will quickly leave this environment.

* Wash your laundry before returning home.

This seems like an awful lot of work, especially on your last day of vacation. It's nothing compared to the trouble you'll go through if you have to exterminate your entire home. Once bed bugs find their way into your bedroom, they'll quickly spread to other rooms in your home. It's incredibly tough to get rid of bed bugs, and you may even have to resort to throwing away your mattresses and upholstered furniture.

Your dream vacation should never become a nightmare. Rest, relax, have fun and stock up on keepsakes. Just be careful that you're not bringing any stowaways as unwanted souvenirs.

Article Source: http://www.inpop.net

Columnist Emanuel Elley provides material for a variety of Internet magazines, on family fun guide and family life issues.

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