Arrow Environmental Services offers tips to avoid bringing home bed bugs after traveling
TAMPA, Fla. (May 29, 2018) – Summer is officially here, which means millions of Americans are eagerly gearing up for their next big vacation. However, if you’re not careful, unexpected guests may return home with you – bed bugs.
“Bed bugs are certainly not a souvenir that you want to bring home from vacation,” said Brad Pitts, regional vice president for Arrow Environmental Services, a leader in sustainable pest and lawn services throughout the Southeast. “These are one of the most difficult pests to control and will continue to feed on their hosts night after night unless they are treated.”
Bed bugs are a parasitic insect that feed exclusively on blood. They are brown or reddish-brown in color, oval-shaped, about the size of an apple seed. Individuals may develop red welts and may experience itching and swelling the day after being bitten by bed bugs, while others experience no symptoms at all.
Arrow Environmental Services recommends travelers take the following precautions:
• Thoroughly inspect the entire hotel room or rental before unpacking. Look under the sheets and around the mattress for live bed bugs, as well as reddish stains on sheets or mattresses where bed bugs have been crushed and pale-yellow eggs (roughly the size of a grain of rice) tucked in the creases of the sheets and on mattress tags. Bed bug droppings, which are small and dark and may bleed like a marker, may also be present. Bed bugs are typically found near upholstery piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.
• Check the bed, furniture and all upholstery. This includes chairs, couches, curtains and cushions in the bedroom. Bed bugs can also be found in drawer joints, electrical outlets, under loose wallpaper, at the junction of the wall and the ceiling, and even in the head of a screw.
• Place luggage on clean hard surfaces rather than upholstered or carpeted surfaces where bed bugs may live. The best place to store your luggage is on tile, wood or in the bath tub, as bed bugs do not typically live on these surfaces. A luggage rack can also be used after it has been thoroughly inspected. Do not use a luggage rack if it has hollow legs, where bed bugs may hide unseen.
• If any pests are spotted, notify management and change rooms or properties immediately.
• Inspect and vacuum your suitcases when you return home. Empty and thoroughly vacuum your suitcases outside the house, before bringing them into the home and wash all clothes – even the items not worn – in hot water.
“If you spot bed bugs on your vacation, the last thing that you want to do is bring them home,” said Pitts. “Make sure you’re taking the proper precautions, and if they do come home with you, immediately call a licensed pest professional to recommend a course of treatment. Treating these pests quickly is important so they don’t spread throughout your home and make a meal out of everyone inside.”
For more information, visit www.arrowservices.com.
About Arrow Environmental Services:
Arrow Environmental Services is a leader in sustainable pest and lawn services around the Southeast, building on a family tradition established more than 100 years ago. Arrow offers residential and commercial pest control, termite control, mosquito reduction services, insulation services, lawn and shrub pest control and fertilization and palm care in west and central Florida. We guarantee customer satisfaction to the fullest extent, “period.” For more information, visit www.arrowservices.com.
About Environmental Pest Service
Environmental Pest Service, LLC is a leader in sustainable solutions for termite and pest control, and lawn care services in the southeast, building on a family tradition established more than 100 years ago. The company has eight brands: Arrow Environmental Services in west and central Florida, Bug Out Service in north Florida, Skyline Pest Solutions in the metro Atlanta area, and Smith Exterminating, Wood Termite & Pest Control, MelvinSWAT Termite & Pest Control and Action Termite and Pest and State Pest Control in central and coastal North Carolina. For more information, visit www.environmentalpestservice.com.