If it is possible for a household pest to come back from the dead, then bed bugs have done exactly that. If it is possible for a household pest to come back from the dead, then bed bugs have done exactly that. The bed bug, a blood-sucking, bed-dwelling pest, had become so rare, that many people believed they only existed in that rather creepy children’s rhyme. Unfortunately, a few of years ago, a massive bed bug resurgence began and now it seems that no city or town is safe from bed bugs.

Due to large population concentrations in cities, bed bugs can easily spread from apartment to apartment and since adult bugs only need to feed every few months, problems can be very difficult to completely wipe out. Here are a few tips you can use to keep your home bedbug free this year.

First, it is important to understand where bed bug infestations start. You either bring bugs into your home from the outside world or they invade your home from your neighbors. If you live in a single detached home, you almost always bring a bed bug infestation in from outdoors. If you live in an apartment or a condo, it is impossible to say which happens more often. In the case of single homes, bed bugs usually come back with you from a vacation. Bugs thrive in hotels since there is a constant turn-over of people sleeping there. It doesn’t matter if you are staying at a local low-rent motel or if you are a five-star luxury hotel, you can end up in a room with bedbugs.

When you check in to a hotel, leave your bags in your car or at the front desk. Go to your room and go directly to the bed or beds. Pull out the sheets and blankets and begin checking the mattress and box spring for black spots. Also, check for signs of blood. Pull back the ribbon that goes around the edge of the mattress and check very closely for problems. If that area passes inspection, see if you can move the bed at all so you can check behind the headboard. Finally, pull out the drawers out of the dresser and see if you can spot any problems in there.

Even if your hotel room passes a bed bug inspection, you’ll want to follow a strict protocol once you get home from your trip. Wash your dirty clothes as soon as you get home in hot water and then dry on high heat. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot stand up to high heat. You’ll also want to treat your suitcase in some way. You may have rolled your suitcase through a common area that could have had eggs or bugs in it and since you cannot just toss your suitcase in the washing machine, you may need to take it into the bathtub and wipe it down with rubbing alcohol. Another option is to take your suitcase to a dry cleaner and have it treated there.

If you find even one bed bug in your home, it is important that you contact a pest control expert immediately. And in the Mountain Home or Fayetteville-Springfield area, that is Hopper Environmental Services. Do not wait until you find a second and third bug or until you get more and more bites. You want to have your home treated right away before the infestation grows. Even a small delay can cause your bed bug problem to multiply.