The fall and winter weather is the time of year that people are spending time together for the holidays. The holiday season kicks off in the fall and that means that people are traveling and you are most likely going to have additional visitors and possibly overnight guests. Whether it is your mother-in-law or a great friend you need to protect yourself and your guests from bed bugs. They are one of the hardest to deal with types of pests that cause major anxiety. They are first off quite hard to even see since they are known to hide in cracks and crevices of mattresses, couches, luggage and other materials. If you visit a place that has bed bugs you can pick them up and bring them home by simply leaving your suitcase on the ground. Now that you know you may have some visitors coming to your home, you need to be wary if they are going to bring in bed bugs.
A-Tex Pest Management Offers Steps to Ensure Your Guests Don’t Bring Bed Bugs into Your Home
Ask Your Friend or Family Member if They Have Bed Bugs: It is not a comfortable thing to have to talk about especially if you are not ready to have a confrontation but the best thing you can is to ask your guests. You can find out if they have had or currently have bed bugs in their home. Even if they had bed bugs in the past, it is good to know how long ago their home was treated. If it is too recent you may want to have your guests make different arrangements so you don’t end up with an infestation too. If your guest has bed bugs they will know all the problems that exist with them and how hard they are to deal with. This is often enough that they will not have their feelings hurt when you ask them to stay elsewhere.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Luggage: When you have guests coming in and they say they don’t have bed bugs, you still need to be careful. Often times the bed bugs are picked up along their travels. It can come from the plane, any hotels they stayed in and also sitting near people that have bed bugs. When they show up at your home it is not a bad idea to have your guests put their luggage in a large plastic bag so it can be left outside until it can be inspected. Never bring it indoors and place it on the bed or other fabric furniture. This will allow the potential bed bugs to get on your furniture to stay.
Bag Guests Coats & Shoes: Another way to help to protect your home from bed bugs is to have bags available to place your guests coats. They can place them in a plastic sack that can be sealed up. That way if there are bed bugs they will suffocate and die off. This can work well for shoes and even their dirty clothes too.
Bed Bug Mattress Encasements: You can also purchase plastic covers for the mattresses that your guests will be staying on. The bed bugs will not be able to find a spot to hide and live if the mattress is covered. They will be more likely to stay with the guest and leave with them.
Bed Bug Inspections & Removal Treatment in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
If you suspect that your guests have brought bed bugs into your home, you will want to contact a professional company as soon as possible. A-Tex Pest Management offers expert pest control services that include inspecting and treating for bed bugs. Contact us today!