Do you know that there is a 90% chance that a famous hotel — a presidential or suite room in a five star hotel — may have bed bugs? Your favorite hotel may even have bed bugs infestation too without you knowing about it.
So, you now ask, how would you know if your hotel have bed bugs? What are the signs and symptoms of bed bugs infestation? If your hotel has bed bugs, what should you do so that your home won’t be infested when you get home?
Here are the common signs and symptoms of bed bugs infestation:
* Bed Bug Rash
The first sign is itch. Bed bug rash starts with an itch but the rash won’t be visible yet when you feel the itch.
Bed bug bites are more itchy than mosquito bites. With mosquito bites you will feel its sting and sucking of blood while it is up to it. But with bed bugs, the itch will only be felt an hour after the skin has been bitten. This is because of the anesthetics in bed bug’s saliva. Bed bugs inject anesthetics and anticoagulant, to avoid blood clotting, before it will suck blood from your skin.
Bed bug rash will appear an hour after you were pierced. But to some people, the bed bug rash appear only after some days or week from being bitten. This depends upon the body’s reaction to chemicals being secreted by bed bugs.
How does a bed bug rash look like? Bed bug rash starts with a single, small, red (from being inflamed) round, bump which look more swollen than mosquito rash. Bed bug rash when it becomes visible, may just be a single, swollen bump. Days after, the bed bug rash will multiply. This only means that the other bed bugs are biting you. But for some people, bed bug rash look like an in-line bite marks. This kind of bed bug rash are seen on people who moves a lot when asleep. Bed bugs return fast to their hiding place once they have noticed any movement around them.
When you have a rash that you suspect as a bed bug rash, observe it for some days. Bed bug rash are itchy even after days that the bed bug rash appears. Also, bed bug rash does not heal as fast as mosquito bite marks. It stays swollen for weeks.
* Bed Bug Odor
Next sign to look for after the bed bug rash appears is the bed bug odor. How does bed bug odor smells like?
Hotel with heavy bed bug infestation has this offensive, sweet-like, musty odor that bed bug releases. You may search for this odor under the mattresses and headboard. If your hotel has a wooden chair or a sofa with crevices, smell them too for a bed bug odor.
Hotels with minimal or light infestation, the bed bug odor is not easily detectable.
* How to avoid infesting your house with hotel bed bugs
The night before you check out, remove every item from your suitcase. Bed bugs are effective hitchhikers. They can survive for years without food and if they hitched in your luggage, they can start an infestation in your home.
Check your wooden items with bed bugs. Bed bugs like wooden items, cloth and paper. These are the material in which they create their habitat.
Spray on a water based insect killer around your suitcase. Shake off your clothes for any bed bugs. Wipe your bath tub dry and put your items and clothings in there. Bed bugs won’t stay on tub crevices since a tub is made of ceramic or marbles and it usually gets wet.
For your used clothing, have it washed before you leave for home. Remember, this is not a simple matter. Once your bedroom has been infested with bed bugs, it will spread fast to neighboring rooms. Getting rid of bed bugs is a very tough job. You even need to throw away your bed and sofa to wipe your house clean from any trace of bed bugs.