For anyone worried about bed bugs, having overnight guests can be stressful.
What if guests accidently bring blood-sucking bed bugs into your home? The bugs are savvy hitchhikers. They cause itchy, red welts and can be hard to eliminate.
Of course, you could ask out-of-town guests to stay elsewhere, but that’s awkward. So is asking, “Hey, do you have bed bugs at your house?”
In this situation, it’s best to be proactive, say the bed bug experts at Pest HQ. Welcome overnight guests to your home, but do the following:
Before Guests Arrive
Get the Pest HQ bed bug product bundle to help you with these steps:
- Encase the mattress and box spring. Specially designed mattress encasements protect the bed and make it impossible for the bugs to hide in mattress seams, folds and crevices.
- Apply Diatomaceous Earth (DE). DE is a natural bed bug pesticide. It causes the bugs to dry out and die after walking through it. Apply DE dust behind baseboards, and to the joints and seams of nightstands and bed frames.
- Install bed bug traps. Some traps prevent bed bugs from crawling down the legs of the bed into the room. Other traps use a lure to attract and kill the bugs. These devices are discrete. Guests will never know their purpose.
After Guests Leave
- Launder linens in hot water or a hot dryer. High heat kills bed bugs. Transport dirty linens in a plastic garbage bag. Do not drag them through the house or you may spread bed bugs.
- Vacuum with a high-efficiency vacuum with HEPA filter. Target the baseboards, closets (where luggage was stored), seams of upholstered furniture, joints of furniture and bed frame.
- Inspect for bed bug activity. Know the signs of a bed bug infestation. Check traps and monitor for bed bugs over the next few months.
- Use the best bed bug killer spray in Ontario if you suspect bed bugs have become established in your home.
Questions? Consult the Pest HQ Learning Centre or contact our experts.
