Bed Bugs in Hotels

The ultimate irony of the current international bed bug pandemic is that it is being blamed to a large extent on an increase in international travel. But why? The answer is a simple one, bed bugs are said to be the best hitchhikers of the insect world.

Wingless and nocturnal in nature, they nest in warm places and reproduce where they cannot be seen. This includes mattresses, upholstered furniture, and suitcases. They might even be in padded jackets or thick lined coats, particularly if these are not regularly cleaned.

The scary part is that because they are nocturnal in nature and nest out of sight, you aren't necessarily going to have any indication of the danger ... until it is too late. You're not going to get seriously ill, because bed bugs don't pass on disease, but if you're allergic you could suffer severely from bed bug bites. In any case you will itch, and your skin is likely to become red and inflamed, with nasty welts. This is exactly what happened to CBS producer, Carl Leibowitz in 2010 when suffered bed bugs bites after staying at a hotel in Portland, Oregon.

The risk of bed bugs when travelling

The risk of encountering bed bugs during travels away from home is very real. A hotel or hostel room may look spotlessly clean, but somewhere lurking in the shadows, behind paneling or in a cushioned seat, there could be any number of eggs or bugs. They move at night, usually unseen, and can easily exit the nest in your hotel room and move into a new environment like a padded backpack. Even if you aren't bitten overnight, you could end up being the means to mobility for these bugs.

Much has been written about certain cities being renowned for bed bug issues. For example, mid-2010 the pharmaceutical company, Insight, that manufacturers a bug spray called Pronto Plus, released a list of what they had identified as the most bed bug infested cities in North America:

1. Columbus, Ohio
2. New York – reportedly bedbugs have even found in the offices of the giant Google
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Bloomington, Indiana
5. Manchester, New Hampshire
6. San Francisco, California
7. Durham, North Carolina
8. Vancouver, Canada
9. Chicago, Illinois
10. Denver, Colorado

At about the same time, pest control company Terminex released their top 15 US cities:

1. New York
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3. Detroit, Michigan
4. Cincinnati, Ohio
5. Chicago
6. Denver
7. Columbus, Ohio
8. Dayton, Ohio
9. Washington D.C.
10. Los Angeles, California
11. Boston, Massachusetts
12. Indianapolis, Indiana
13. Louisville, Kentucky
14. Cleveland, Ohio
15. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Of course this doesn't mean that all accommodation establishments in these cities have bed bugs. It is simply an overview, according to Terminex, of the cities where they have been called out the most.

How to prevent bed bugs when travelling

Unless you are camping, and carrying your own lightweight mattress and bedding, you're going to be staying in accommodation owned by someone else. You will also be sleeping on their mattress and using their bed linen. While it generally isn't feasible to use your own bed linen, some people find the means to take their own pillow and duvet, or a sleeping bag they know is clean and bug-free.

One good idea is to travel with a mattress encasement cover that you can use to ensure any bugs are trapped inside the mattress while you are there. Preventing them emerging from hidden hidey holes in walls or ceilings.

Bed bugs in hotels and hostels

It seems that bed bugs are most commonly found in accommodation that is offered to a transient population. This is in keeping with the idea that bed bugs are insect hitchhikers.

Some hotels and hostels eliminate potential harborage of vermin including bed bugs by providing clean mattress protectors and pillow covers that would prevent bed bugs getting into bed with their guests ... or at very least minimize the possibility of major bug infestations. Some also use dense foam mattresses which bed bugs find more difficult to penetrate.

How to avoid hostels and hotels with bed bugs

Bed bugs don't recognize the difference between cheap and expensive accommodation. However they are less likely to be noticed when they arrive at a hostel or hotel that is cluttered and badly organized. While they are not attracted to dirt, this is a dead giveaway of bad housekeeping.

If you are booking accommodation in advance of a trip, read reviews from other travelers or take the advice of friends who have travelled happily without being bitten by bed bugs. If you decide to book into a hostel or hotel, there is no reason why you shouldn't be given the opportunity to see the room where you will be staying before you make any sort of payment. Examine the seams of the mattress and look for obvious cracks and crevices in the structure of the room. If they won't let you, move on...