Imagine the scene you have just returned from holiday and are able at last to enjoy a good night’s sleep in your own bed. However, you suddenly start itching and there are red bumps on your skin. Have you been bitten by a swarm of very hungry mosquitos? The answer is almost certainly “no”. The chances are that you have bed bugs in your bed. But how did they get there? And how can you prevent them from colonising your home?
Bed bugs are one souvenir that you don’t want to bring back with you from your holiday
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How do you know if you have bed bugs?
Bed bugs red/brown in colour. They are insects that crawl rather than fly. Bed bugs do not grow larger than 8.5mm and are usually found in places where it is warm. Larvae (or "nymphs") from bed bugs are between 1mm and 6mm in size and are lighter in colour unless they have just suckled blood. Bed bugs and their larvae suck blood to feed. They survive on blood.
In order to get to our blood they bite. We normally don’t feel them biting us, often because we are asleep. Once we have been bitten the bite area resembles a mosquito bite. However, environmental health expert Tine Vande Maele told VRT News that there are differences between mosquito bites and bites from bed bugs. "The difference with mosquito bites is that bed bug bites are often clustered, with multiple bites on a small area of skin".
If you have not yet been bitten but find brown spots on your sheets these could well be droppings from bedbugs. Tine Vande Maele said that "If is this case it should serve to raise the alarm”. Apart from causing irritation to the skin when they bite, there is no evidence that bed bugs pose any threat to health nor that they spread infectious diseases.
But how did the bed bugs end up in your bed?
Bed bugs are constantly on the lookout for the blood, our blood, on which they feed. This means that they thrive in places where there are a lot of people staying close together such as hotels and holiday parks. During the day they hide in a host of places such as crevices and cracks in walls, behind skirting boards, in the seams of mattresses, in curtains, clothing and even in plug sockets.
During the night they come out of their hiding places and strike while their victim is sleeping. The bed bugs might also seek a hiding place in items that a holidaymaker has brought with them from home such as a suitcase, a backpack, items of clothing or towels. If this is the case the insects return home with the tourist and before they know it they have a bed bug infestation in their home. Trying to “starve out” the bed bugs by sleeping in another room where there are no bugs is not an option as they can easily survive for several months without food.
How can I prevent a bed bug infestation?
Although you may not be able to completely rule out the possibility of bed bugs finding their way into your bed, the tips below will make the probability of an infestation occurring a lot less likely.
1. While on holiday:
• Check your bedroom for bed bugs immediately on arrival at your hotel or holiday home. Take the sheets off to check the bed and mattress seams (where bed bugs like to hide). Be on the alert for mold-like spots on the sheets. This may be excrement from bed bugs.
• Do not open your suitcase or backpack on the bed. This will prevent the bugs from having the opportunity to crawl inside.
• Put your suitcase or backpack on a clothes rack or in the bath if there is one. Bed bugs don't like smooth surfaces and don't like surfaces that are coloured white very much.
• Put any used clothes into plastic bags. This will prevent the bed bugs from being able to get into your clothes too easily.
• If you notice a scent that smells like sweet almonds, this may be an indication that there are a lot of bed bugs around. The bugs have glands that give off a sweet almond-like odour.
2. On returning home
• Open your suitcases and travel bags outside, on a white sheet or in the bath so you are able to see clearly whether there are any bed bugs.
• Thoroughly check your bags.
• If you are not 100% reassured after your inspection you should wash all your clothes at a temperature of 60°C or more. Bed bugs are unable to survive at temperatures above 60°C. What if your clothes are not able to be washed at such high temperatures? In this case they need to be put into a freezer for a week.
What if you have a bed bug infestation in your home?
What if, despite all these precautions, the bed bugs have found their way into your bed? Then it is time to call in the professionals.
Tine Vande Maele told VRT News that "We really don't recommend trying to tackle the bed bugs yourself. They are very resilient and difficult to detect. If you spot a few of them, the chances are there are many more, hiding in dark and concealed places."
Even when the pest control professional has completed their work, you will still need to remain alert. "Be sure to ask the pest control company for advice about which "aftercare" measures are needed”, Tine Vande Maele said.