do bed bug bites travel

Bed Bugs FAQs

What are bed bugs, where are bed bugs found, do bed bugs spread disease, what health risks do bed bugs pose, what are the signs and symptoms of a bed bug infestation.

• How are bed bug bites diagnosed?

How did I get bed bugs?

Who is at risk for getting bed bugs, how are bed bugs treated and prevented.

Bed bugs ( Cimex lectularius ) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm (roughly the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny), and can live several months without a blood meal.

Bed bugs are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Although the presence of bed bugs has traditionally been seen as a problem in developing countries, it has recently been spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe. Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found.

Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. Bed bugs have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a night but tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.

Bed bugs are not known to spread disease. Bed bugs can be an annoyance because their presence may cause itching and loss of sleep. Sometimes the itching can lead to excessive scratching that can sometimes increase the chance of a secondary skin infection.

A bed bug bite affects each person differently. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction. Bed bugs are not considered to be dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need medical attention.

One of the easiest ways to identify a bed bug infestation is by the tell-tale bite marks on the face, neck, arms, hands, or any other body parts while sleeping. However, these bite marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people so it is important to look for other clues when determining if bed bugs have infested an area. These signs include:

• the bed bugs’ exoskeletons after molting,
• bed bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets,
• rusty–colored blood spots due to their blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress or nearby furniture, and
• a sweet musty odor.

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How do I know if I’ve been bitten by a bed bug?

It is hard to tell if you’ve been bitten by a bed bug unless you find bed bugs or signs of infestation. When bed bugs bite, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that prevents a person from realizing they are being bitten. Most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite. The bite marks are similar to that of a mosquito or a flea — a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritating. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line. Other symptoms of bed bug bites include insomnia, anxiety, and skin problems that arise from profuse scratching of the bites.

Because bed bug bites affect everyone differently, some people may have no reaction and will not develop bite marks or any other visible signs of being bitten. Other people may be allergic to the bed bugs and can react adversely to the bites. These allergic symptoms can include enlarged bite marks, painful swellings at the bite site, and, on rare occasions, anaphylaxis.

Bed bugs are experts at hiding. Their slim flat bodies allow them to fit into the smallest of spaces and stay there for long periods of time, even without a blood meal. Bed bugs are usually transported from place to place as people travel. The bed bugs travel in the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, furniture, and anywhere else where they can hide. Most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel.

Everyone is at risk for getting bed bugs when visiting an infected area. However, anyone who travels frequently and shares living and sleeping quarters where other people have previously slept has a higher risk of being bitten and or spreading a bed bug infestation.

Bed bug bites usually do not pose a serious medical threat. The best way to treat a bite is to avoid scratching the area and apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine. Bed bug infestations are commonly treated by insecticide spraying. If you suspect that you have an infestation, contact your landlord or professional pest control company that is experienced with treating bed bugs. The best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation.

This information is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a health care provider. If you have any questions about the parasites described above or think that you may have a parasitic infection, consult a health care provider.

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Bedbugs are reddish brown, oval and flat, and about the size of an apple seed. During the day, they hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames.

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown blood-sucking, wingless insects. Bedbug bites usually clear up without treatment in a week or two. Bedbugs aren't known to spread disease, but they can cause an allergic reaction or a severe skin reaction in some people.

Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed. They hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards, bed frames and other objects around a bed and come out at night to feed on their preferred host, humans. The risk of running into bedbugs is higher if you spend time in places where nighttime guests come and go often — such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.

If you have bedbugs in your home, professional extermination is recommended.

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• Bedbug bites

It can be difficult to tell bedbug bites from other types of insect bites. However, they are typically itchy, and they may appear clustered or lined up in rough rows.

Symptoms of bedbug bites are similar to symptoms of other insect bites and rashes. Bedbug bites are usually:

• Inflamed spots, often with a darker spot in the middle
• Arranged in a rough line or in a cluster
• Located on the face, neck, arms and hands

Some people have no reaction to bedbug bites, while others experience an allergic reaction that can include severe itching, blisters or hives.

When to see a doctor

If you experience allergic reactions or severe skin reactions to bedbug bites, see your health care provider for professional treatment.

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Bedbug infestations may be linked to:

• More frequent travel
• Changes in pest control practices
• Insecticide resistance

Where do they hide?

Bedbug infestations usually occur around or near where people sleep. They can be found in:

• Box springs
• Objects near beds

They can also be found:

• Under peeling paint and loose wallpaper
• Under carpeting near baseboards
• In upholstered furniture seams
• Under light switch plates or electrical outlets

How do they spread?

Bedbugs can move from one site to another by traveling on items such as clothing, luggage, furniture, boxes and bedding.

Bedbugs can easily travel between floors and rooms in hotels or apartment buildings.

Sign of uncleanliness?

Bedbugs don't care if their environment is clean or dirty. All they need is a warm host and plenty of hiding places.

Risk factors

You're at risk of bites from bedbugs if you're in places where people come and go often, such as apartment buildings, dorm rooms, homeless shelters, hotels, cruise ships, trains, buses and refugee camps.

• Cover up. Bedbugs don't tend to burrow under clothing. So you may be able to avoid bites by wearing pajamas that cover as much skin as possible.
• Inspect secondhand items. Look over used bedding, mattresses and upholstered furniture before bringing them into your home.
• Use hotel precautions. Check mattress seams for bedbug excrement and place your luggage on tables or dressers instead of on the floor.
• Kermott CA, et al., eds. Blisters. In: Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies. 2nd ed. Time; 2017.
• Studdiford JS, et al. Bedbug infestation. American Family Physician. 2012; 86:653.
• Dinulos JGH. Infestations and bites. In: Habif's Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• How to find bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• Top 10 tips to prevent or control bed bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/top-ten-tips-prevent-or-control-bed-bugs. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
• Bed bugs FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2021.
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What Are Bedbugs?

Similar conditions.

• Next in Bedbug Bites Guide Signs and Symptoms of Bedbug Bites

Bedbugs have resurged worldwide and these blood-sucking insects (both the Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus ) are a problem in many homes and hotels. Fortunately, bedbugs aren't known to spread contagious diseases. However, it is difficult to eradicate an infestation and you will want to take steps to prevent bringing bedbugs home. Learn how to identify and treat these pests.

Bedbug Symptoms

Bedbug bites often appear as small, itchy, raised red areas on exposed skin, usually a few days after the actual bite.   However, some children and adults don't develop a reaction to the bites at all, even after repeated exposure.

The bites appear much as other insect bites and can be seen in these patterns:

• A line of bites
• A cluster of bites

You can develop a skin infection if you scratch the bites. Rarely, a more severe allergic reaction to the bites could produce larger welts, blisters, or anaphylaxis. Bedbugs may also trigger  asthma  attacks and getting too many repeated bites could lead to  anemia .   Anxiety, insomnia, and sleep disturbances are common due to the stress of discovering bedbugs.

This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.

Bedbugs are tiny flightless insects that feed only on blood.   They prefer humans but can feed on pets and farm animals. They feed at night and hide from light, especially in seams and crevices around the bed.

There is no direct link between poor sanitation and bedbug infestations. A pristinely clean living space is as vulnerable as a messy one.

Usually, sleeping in a place where multiple people have slept increases your risk.   You might especially suspect bedbugs if you or your child:

• Traveled recently
• Slept on a used mattress or sat on a used piece of furniture
• Lives in an apartment building where bedbugs could have infested another apartment and have moved into yours
• Lives in or recently spent time in a college dorm room
• Are getting new unexplained bites each night
• Actually see bedbugs hiding in the seams or crevices of a mattress or box spring, along the edge of carpeting, behind picture frames, and hiding inside recesses of furniture

Click Play to Learn All About the Signs of Bedbug Bites

This video has been medically reviewed by Leah Ansell, MD .

A diagnosis of bedbugs is made by the appearance of the bites and finding bedbugs in your home environment. The bites are often not distinguishable from other insect bites, so it's important to inspect your bedroom for them closely if you have a skin reaction.

You can identify a bedbug infestation by checking bedding, mattress seams, furniture, and wall fixtures for the bugs or their traces.   Each mature bedbug is about the size of an apple seed, about 1/4 inch long.

You will often see their droppings instead, which are tiny brown or red specks. You may also see small blood stains on sheets or mattresses when a bedbug has been crushed after feeding.

Eggs about the same size as the adults might be seen in seams or cracks and you will also see their molted exoskeletons. There may also be a sweet musty odor from their pheromones .

Bedbug bites can mimic a variety of other insect bites and skin concerns. If you don't find any evidence of bedbugs in your home, you may have been bitten by a different insect or have another skin condition.

Other potential sources of the skin reaction can include:

• Flea , mosquito , tick , chigger , or spider bites : All of these insect bites are hard to distinguish from bedbug bites. If you have pets or the bites are mostly concentrated on the lower body, such as the feet and ankles, you'll want to inspect for fleas. If you've recently spent time outdoors, especially near standing water or in wooded areas or high grass, mosquitos or ticks may be the source.
• Scabies : This infection from a parasitic mite is intensely itchy and is spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person The mites burrow under the skin to lay eggs, often in skin folds, which cause bumpy rash patches when they hatch. The itching may worsen in the evening.
• Allergic rashes or contact dermatitis : These skin reactions can happen after you've come in contact with an irritant, such as perfume or chemicals in soaps, detergents, body sprays, or lotions. It can also be caused by plants, such as poison ivy . The red rashes are concentrated in body areas that came in direct contact with the irritant or allergen. An allergic reaction may also be secondary to the bedbug bites.
• Eczema (atopic dermatitis) : It's often produces red, dry, scaly patches that may get crusty. Eczema can happen anywhere on the body but often concentrates along the backs of the knees or creases of the elbows.
• Staph infection : This infection happens when the bacteria Staphyloccocus  gets inside the body through a break in the skin, such as from a cut or wound. The area may be tender or painful.
• Antibiotic reactions: Hives or patchy rashes may develop in the days after taking an antibiotic.
• Chickenpox : This viral infection causes red blisters anywhere on the body and often happens along with flu-like symptoms.

Treating bedbugs includes caring for the bites and eliminating the infestation. The bites will heal naturally and nothing will speed that up. You can use over-the-counter products to relieve the itching but you may need a prescription if you develop a skin infection from scratching. Common treatments include:  

• Topical anti-itch and anti-inflammatory medications such as calamine lotion, Cortaid (cortisone) cream, and diphenhydramine cream
• Oral antihistamines , such as Benadryl ( diphenhydramine  hydrochloride) or Atarax (hydroxyzine), a prescription strength antihistamine
• Topical antiseptic or antibiotic lotion for bacterial infection or oral antibiotics

Although treating bedbug bites isn't difficult, actually getting rid of the bedbugs is another story. A professional exterminator can help.

You will need to discard infested mattresses, box springs, and pillows. You can heat treat or cold treat items such as clothing by laundering or freezing.   However, the room itself will need to be treated to eliminate bedbugs that can live in cracks in walls, floors, and furniture.

In order to minimize your risk, you can:

• Buy new furniture instead of used furniture
• Seal the cracks and crevices in sleeping areas
• Put your mattresses inside a bug-proof cover

A Word From Verywell

It is stressful and frustrating to deal with bedbugs, however, you are far from alone in managing this problem.   Keep in mind that it is no reflection on how much care you take in cleaning your home or taking precautions when traveling. Be sure to care for yourself due to the stress that can result so you don't lose too much sleep.

Ennis AC, Pearson-Shaver AL. Bedbug bites . In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.

Doggett SL, Dwyer DE, Peñas PF, Russell RC.  Bed bugs: clinical relevance and control options .  Clinical Microbiology Reviews . 2012;25(1):164-192. doi:10.1128/CMR.05015-11

Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.  Bedbug infestation . American Family Physician . 2012 Oct 1;86(7):653-658.

Cimolai N, Cimolai TL. Otitis from the common bedbug .  J Clin Aesthet Dermatol . 2012;5(12):43‐45.

Delaunay P. Human travel and traveling bedbugs .  J Travel Med . 2012;19(6):373‐379. doi:10.1111/j.1708-8305.2012.00653.x

Goddard J, deShazo R.  Bed Bugs ( Cimex lectularius ) and Clinical Consequences of Their Bites .  JAMA . 2009;301(13):1358-1366. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.405

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bed bugs FAQs .

American Academy of Dermatology. Bed bugs: Diagnosis and treatment .

Goddard J, de Shazo R. Psychological effects of bed bug attacks (Cimex lectularius L.) .  Am J Med . 2012;125(1):101‐103. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.08.010

United States Environmental Protection Agency.  Do-it-yourself bed bug control .

University of Minnesota Extension.  Prevention and control of bed bugs in homes .

By Vincent Iannelli, MD  Vincent Iannelli, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Iannelli has cared for children for more than 20 years. 

Need pest help? Save $50 on your first recurring service today with code  GET50

How Do Bed Bugs Travel?

Bags & personal belongings.

Bed bugs are transported by people, most often in personal belongings such as the following:

Luggage & Suitcases

Items kept close to sleep areas

They can hide in your personal belongings, or even on you, and hitchhike a ride back to your home, condo, townhouse or apartment.

A bed bug on jeans

Where do you pick them up?

It’s possible to pick up bed bugs almost any place - they've infested offices, stores, hotels, gyms and countless other places.

Prefer people over pets

The common bed bug prefers to feed on human hosts and does not prefer pets or other furry animals.

Bed bugs are easily transported into previously non-infested dwellings.

Once indoors, they can be extremely difficult to control without the help of an experienced pest specialist.

If you suspect you may have picked up some of these hitchhikers in your travels, call Orkin for a comprehensive bed bug inspection and assessment and implementation of a treatment solution.

Protect Your Home from Bed Bugs

Are bed bugs nocturnal | do bed bugs only bite at night, do bed bugs hide in pillows | signs of bed bugs, do bed bugs feed every night | bed bug life cycle, pest control, bed bug pest control treatment | bed bug exterminator.

Do you use super heating to kill bed bugs?

What Do Bed Bugs and Eggs Look Like on Clothes?

What do I do with the clothes?

Spraying for bed bugs did not work

If the neighboring unit has bed bugs, am I looking at being sprayed every three months?

Bed Bug Bites on Humans | Get Rid of Bed Bugs

What eats bed bugs | bed bug predators, what do bed bugs look like | bed bug identification, connect with us.

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How to Find Bed Bugs

Información relacionada disponible en español

If you have a bed bug infestation, it is best to find it early, before the infestation becomes established or spreads. Treating a minor infestation, while an inconvenience, is far less costly and easier than treating the same infestation after it becomes more widespread.

However, low-level infestations are also much more challenging to find and correctly identify. Other insects, such as carpet beetles, can be easily mistaken for bed bugs. If you misidentify a bed bug infestation, it gives the bugs more time to spread to other areas of the house or hitchhike a ride to someone else's house to start a new infestation. Learn about identifying bed bugs .

Bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation. Bed bug bites can look like bites from other insects (such as mosquitoes or chiggers), rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even hives. Some people do not react to bed bug bites at all.

On this page:

• Looking for signs of bed bugs
• Where bed bugs hide
• Bed bug behavior and habits

Looking for Signs of Bed Bugs

A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for:

• Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
• Dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would.
• Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow  skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
• Live bed bugs.

Where Bed Bugs Hide

When not feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places. Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.

If the room is heavily infested, you may find bed bugs:

• In the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains.
• In drawer joints.
• In electrical receptacles and appliances.
• Under loose wall paper and wall hangings. 
• At the junction where the wall and the ceiling meet.
• Even in the head of a screw.

Bed Bug Behavior and Habit

Understanding the behavior of bed bugs (how they eat, live, and reproduce) will help you to find an infestation before it becomes established and to monitor for the presence of bed bugs after your home has been treated.

• Appear to prefer to feed on humans, but will feed on other mammals and birds as well.
• Will readily travel 5-20 feet from established hiding places (called harborage) to feed on a host.
• Even though they are primarily active at night, if hungry they will seek hosts in full daylight.
• Feeding can take 3-12 minutes.
• The rusty or tarry spots found on bed sheets or in bug hiding places are because 20% of the time adults and large nymphs will void remains of earlier blood meals while still feeding.

Life stages/mating:

• They can feed more than once.
• Each stage also requires the molting of skin.
• To continue to mate and produce eggs, both males and females must feed at least once every 14 days.
• Each female may lay 1 to 3 eggs per day and 200-500 eggs per her lifetime (6-12 months but could be longer).
• Egg-to-egg life cycle may take four to five weeks under favorable conditions.

Living conditions:

• To kill bed bugs with heat, the room must be even hotter to ensure sustained heat reaches the bugs no matter where they are hiding.
• Common bed bugs are found almost anywhere their host can live.
• Tropical bed bugs ( Cimex hemipterus ) require a higher average temperature than the common bed bug and are found in tropical and subtropical areas.
• Bed Bugs Home
• Learn about Bed Bugs
• — Characteristics of Bed Bugs
• — Finding Bed Bugs
• Protecting Your Home
• Protecting Yourself in Public Places
• Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
• — Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control
• — Pesticides to Control Bed Bugs
• Bed Bug Information Clearinghouse
• Bed Bug Product Search Tool
• Finding Help with Bed Bug Problems

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Everything to know about bedbugs and travel: How to spot them, life cycle, what to do

Kayla Clarke , Senior Web Producer

Here’s everything to know about the link between bedbugs and travel.

Bedbugs are small, flat insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. The French government has had to work to calm a nation as people raise concerns about a bedbug crisis as the country prepares to host the Olympic Games in just nine months.

Videos on social media of tiny creatures appearing to burrow in the seat of a fast train and reports of cases of bedbugs on public transport have proven to be unfounded, according to the transport minister.

But bedbugs have been a problem for decades. The bugs are very good at hiding and their slim, flat bodies allow them to fit in tiny spaces and stay there for long periods of time. They can go without feeding for between 20 to 400 days depending on temperature and humidity, according to studies.

Bedbugs are not a sign of a dirty home or poor personal hygiene. Bedbugs travel to new places by hiding in furniture, suitcases or other objects that get moved around. They are not known to spread disease but can be annoying because they can cause itching and loss of sleep.

---> Read more: Bedbugs are making France anxious ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics

The life cycle of a bed bug

Adults and all nymphal stages of bedbugs need to feed on blood from warm-blooded hosts. They prefer humans, but can use other mammals and birds when humans aren’t around.

Females lay about five eggs daily throughout their adult lives in places such as mattress seams, crevices in box springs, spaces under baseboards, and more. The eggs hatch in about 4-12 days into first instar nymphs, which must feed on blood before molting to the next stage.

The bugs will undergo five nymphal stages, each one requiring they feed on blood before they molt to the next stage. After the sixth stage, they molt into an adult.

Nymphs resemble smaller versions of adults. Nymphs and adults take about five to 10 minutes to obtain a full blood meal. The adults may take several blood meals over several weeks.

Mating takes place off the host and involves “traumatic insemination” whereby the male penetrates the female’s abdominal wall with his external genitalia and inseminates into her body cavity. Adults live six to 12 months and can survive for long periods of time without feeding.

How to check for bedbugs

Signs of a bed bug infestation include finding small wingless bugs in cracks and crevices around the bed, seeing small blood spots or bed bug fecal matter on bedding or finding bed bug eggs or cast skins.

Many people who have been bitten by a bed bug will see itchy welts, similar to a mosquito bite. Bite reactions vary from person to person and some people do not react at all. Bed bug bites have not been found to spread any diseases.

The only way to know for sure if you have bedbugs is to find a live bed bug in your home. You cannot tell just by looking at the bites. If you suspect you have bedbugs, you should inspect your bed or sleeping area. You can also contact a pest management professional to do an inspection for you.

The bite marks usually appear on the face, neck, arms, hands or other body parts and people are bitten while sleeping. The bites may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people, so you should look for other clues.

When a bed bug bites, it injects an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that prevents a person from knowing that they have been bitten. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line. Other symptoms include insomnia, anxiety and skin problems. You should avoid scratching the bite area and apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine.

The signs of a bed bug infestation include the bedbugs’ exoskeletons after molting, bedbugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets, rusty–colored blood spots due to their blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress or nearby furniture, and a sweet musty odor.

Not all bugs you find in your bedroom are bedbugs, you should contact a professional to be sure.

Do bedbugs spread disease?

No. Bedbugs are not known to spread disease.

Can you prevent a bed bug infestation?

You can take steps when you’re traveling or purchasing secondhand furniture to help prevent a bed bug infestation.

Officials said you should avoid picking up used mattresses or secondhand upholstered furniture because it’s hard to see if they have bedbugs in them. Other used furniture should be carefully inspected and cleaned before you bring it home.

You should scrub the furniture with soapy water or a household cleaning product to remove any bedbugs or their eggs. Second-hand clothing should be placed in a sealed, plastic bag and emptied directly into the washing machine. Wash the clothes in hot water and dry them on a high heat setting to kill bedbugs and their eggs.

When you’re visiting hotels you should inspect the room for signs of bedbugs before you unpack your luggage.

How to treat a bed bug infestation?

Taking care of a bed bug infestation is not easy.

You need to act quickly, and will likely need to call an experienced pest management professional. The professional will use several methods, either separately or in combination, to kill the bedbugs.

Bug bombs are not effective at killing bedbugs. Many “all-natural” sprays are also not effective at controlling bed beds. Officials do not recommend using rubbing alcohol to treat a home for bedbugs, it’s not very effective but it is very flammable.

More information on how to treat a bed bug infestation is available in the PDF below. (Can’t see it the PDF? Click here .)

More resources from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services:

• Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite (English) (Spanish) (Arabic)
• Michigan Manual for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs
• Getting the Bed Bugs Out: A guide to controlling bed bugs in your home
• Bed Bugs: What Schools Need to Know
• Bed Bugs: What Camps Need to Know
• Bed Bugs & Mattresses fact sheet
• Choosing a Pest Control Company
• How to Move and Leave Bed Bugs Behind
• Bed Bugs Management Decision Flowchart
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5 things to do if you find bedbugs while traveling

• Bedbugs can be found in clean or dirty hotels.
• If you find bedbugs, you'll want to try to seek alternate accommodations. 
• You may want to check your luggage and clothing for signs of infestation. 

Bedbugs can be quite an inconvenience, especially when you're in a new place and are living out of a suitcase for a few days. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, bedbugs are attracted to warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide , meaning they can probably infest even the cleanest luxury hotels.

Once you arrive at your accommodation, check for signs of bedbugs , and if you happen to spot one or wake up with bedbug bites , here's what to do next.

Tell the management of your accommodation as soon as possible.

If you detect bedbugs in your room, tell the accommodation's management immediately. If possible, you can try to get a refund on your room and move to a different hotel or hostel. 

But, if that is not possible or practical in your current situation, asking for a different room is also an option. 

That being said, you'll want to check that room for bedbugs , too. 

Run your clothes, shoes, and other fabric items through a hot wash cycle.

Before you get home or move to a new destination, you'll want to get rid of any bedbugs that may be lurking on your belongings.

According to the University of Minnesota's bedbug resource center, you'll want to seal your clothes in plastic bags until you're ready to wash them. After carefully removing your clothes from the bag and loading them into the washing machine, you'll want to wash and dry them on high heat . 

Read More:  11 myths about bedbugs you need to stop believing

Treating suitcases is tough, but not impossible.

You'll definitely want to check your suitcases before re-packing or switching rooms.

According to Cambridge Public Health, a blow dryer on high heat can  help coax bedbugs out of the crevices of a suitcase . Although it won't get rid of them, it will help you identify if you have any hiding in your luggage.

According to First, the process of potentially removing bedbugs from your suitcase involves vacuuming, spraying bedbug spray, and storing your suitcase in a lot of sunshine (or a freezer) .

If that's not possible, you might be better off tossing your suitcase and purchasing a new one. 

Try not to scratch your bug bites.

If you get bedbug bites , the American Academy of Dermatology says to wash the area with soap and water and apply a topical corticosteroid or antihistamine cream. Avoid itching the area because it can make you vulnerable to infection.

Read More:  Here's how to tell if you’ve been bitten by bedbugs — and what to do next

Check your home once you return from your trip.

No matter how cautious you were during your travels, you'll still want to check if any bedbugs snuck their way into your home . 

Some signs of bedbugs in your home include blood spots on your sheets, a musty smell in your home, or discarded shells beneath your mattress.

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What to Know About Bed Bugs—and How to Avoid Them While Traveling

A recent outbreak in paris served as a crucial reminder that it’s important to know how to spot and prevent these pests from invading your sleep, belongings, and personal health..

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Few places are safe from bed bugs. Here’s what travelers should know to avoid them.

Illustration by Shutterstock

Bed bugs, you could say, are having a moment—or, perhaps, un moment .

Paris was the latest scene of an outbreak that made global headlines as the city that’s hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics scrambled to arrest a resurgence of the insects that are on every traveler’s no-go list.

But Paris is hardly alone when it comes to the pests; bed bugs can be found almost anywhere in the world and at any time.

So, what can travelers do should they encounter the pesky problem on the road? Here’s what to know.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are wingless parasitic insects found across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences describes bed bugs as “blood-feeding parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals,” and adds that they are sometimes referred to as chinches, red coats, or mahogany flats.

“Bed bugs have probably been associated with humans for more than 100,000 years,” says Rob Anderson , an associate professor in the biology department at the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, who teaches a class on blood-feeding pests, which include bed bugs as well as mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and other insects. “They are obligate blood feeders, which means they must have blood to survive and reproduce.”

Considered nest parasites—organisms that reside in the immediate area where the animal host (that would include you) spends most of its time—they live off the blood or skin tissue of the host animal. “Bed bugs are aptly named because they hang out in and around the bedroom where their blood hosts spend lots of time and reliably return. Bed bugs only come onto a host such as a human to blood feed then return to a nearby crevice or hiding place to digest the blood ,” says Anderson.

Adult bed bugs are flat and oval-shaped, grow to about 4 to 5 mm long, and are equipped with “piercing-sucking mouthparts, so they bite and suck blood like a mosquito” according to the University of Florida.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says two species of bed bugs are “usually implicated in human infestations”— Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus , the former of which is considered cosmopolitan (meaning they are “found or present all over the world,” says Anderson) and the latter appear mostly in the tropics and subtropics.

Bed bugs most often feed on people at night while they sleep and tend to bite the exposed upper part of the body. And while they’re undoubtedly a nuisance, bed bugs are not considered to be “effective vectors of disease” according to the CDC, which notes that the primary medical risk is associated with inflammation from their bites.

Where are bed bugs commonly found?

Bed bugs are some of the world’s most ubiquitous travelers.

“They are to be found in street-side hostels, huts in small villages, and first-class hotels,” says Anderson.

“Many hotel chains regularly deal with them, but they seldom admit it because it’s not good for business,” he says, attributing the presence of bed bugs in hotels to the “the nature of their transitory, ever-changing clientele,” he wrote in an email to AFAR.

According to the CDC’s website, bed bug infestations tend to happen near areas where people sleep, which could mean anywhere from hotels and cruise ships to buses and trains.

The bugs tend to feed at night and hide during the day in the seams of mattresses, behind headboards, inside cracks and crevices in a room, in bed frames, furnishings, and box springs, among other locales, according to the CDC.

Once inside a dwelling, says Anderson, bed bugs’ numbers can build up long before humans even notice them—especially if there are pets in the house that they can feed on. That’s because pets might take the brunt of the early blood-feeding attention of the initial few bed bugs introduced, he says, before they’re present in enough numbers to attract the attention of humans.

He adds, “They move around the world every day with travelers (usually hitching rides in luggage) and sometimes to home where they may establish.”

For people who bring bed bugs home with them from their travels, Anderson warns you might not realize you have a stowaway until some time after returning home.

How do you know if you have bed bugs?

The most common sign of having bed bugs or having been exposed to them is the appearance of their bite marks on your upper body, namely on the face, arms, neck, or hands, after sleeping someplace where they live.

“Often the red spots are in groups of two or three because bed bugs often poke their needle-like mouthparts into the skin several times until they lacerate good blood vessels with enough blood to flow and feed on,” says Anderson.

According to the CDC website, most people won’t feel the bed bug bite itself when it happens since the insects inject an anesthetic and anticoagulant when they bite their victim (how thoughtful of the buggers).

“They tend to feed at night when people are sleeping because they’re less likely to be detected, and they only stay on the human skin for as long as it takes to feed,” says Anderson, adding, “after which they return to the nearest hiding place, some kind of crevice.”

You can look for signs of bed bugs—both their physical forms in the crevices of mattresses and folds of sheets as well as signs of rust-colored blood spots on your mattress (it comes from them being crushed and their fecal material, which is filled with blood, according to the CDC). “The adults are easily visible,” Anderson says. “In large infestations, they often leave a line of blackish, stinking blood feces deposited wherever they hide when off the blood host.”

Look for a dark line right where the mattress or box spring sits against the bedroom wall, he says, which is an indicator that bed bugs are present.

If you bring bed bugs into your home from your travels, you may want to contact a reliable pest control company to help quell an outbreak.

What should you do if you do get bed bugs?

If you get bed bug bites, try to avoid scratching them, as that’s likely to cause more problems by opening up your skin to secondary infections, Anderson says.

Thankfully, “They’re not transmitters of worrisome pathogens as far as an astounding amount of evidence goes,” he adds. “But the bites can be annoying, especially for people with allergic sensitivity to the saliva bed bugs inject when they are feeding (as all blood feeding pests do).”

To relieve the itchiness, he suggests applying topical antihistamines such as Benadryl spray. (As with the use of any drug, consult with a doctor beforehand to make sure you’re not allergic or to address any other concerns.)

If you suspect a bed bug invasion where you live, contact a trusted pest control company experienced in treating bed bugs to inquire about fumigation services and other available methods of dealing with them.

What are the best ways to avoid getting bed bugs?

You’re at risk of encountering bed bugs both at home and nearly any place you travel.

According to the CDC, “Anyone who travels frequently and shares living and sleeping quarters where other people have previously slept has a higher risk of being bitten and/or spreading a bed bug infestation.”

Lyndsey Matthews, senior commerce editor at AFAR, and a firm believer of never putting your suitcase on your bed (in part to help prevent the spread of bed begs), has herself experienced bed bugs three times and has some advice.

“They are bigger than you think—an adult is the size of an apple seed,” she says, so look for them in the seams of headboards and mattress and under sheets, where you may find their eggs, feces, or the bugs themselves.

When you get home from a trip, she suggests washing and drying everything on high heat. If your suitcase can’t be washed in a washing machine, it’s a good idea to steam clean it at a high temperature, she says.

There are some things you can do to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you, too.

Anderson says you can reduce the risk of bed bugs invading your bags and suitcases by keeping them inside well-sealed large garbage bags when staying in temporary housing, including hotels. He says he inspects any hotel room or apartment he rents to look for the obvious signs of bed bugs and checks his belongings for signs of them, too, before packing up and returning home.

In 37 years of traveling around the world and doing research on bed bugs, Anderson says he’s encountered them and been bitten by more than his fair share—but he has so far managed to avoid bringing any of the insects back home with him as a souvenir.

“Bed bugs have been an occupational hazard for me because of the travel to the tropics and often staying in remote, very rudimentary digs in field research sites where bed bugs just exist in significant numbers,” he says. “I’m pretty rigorous about inspecting my luggage, or spraying it or sealing it in containers if I suspect there are bed bugs wherever I’m staying at a given time.”

What Do Bedbugs Bites Look Like?

Bedbugs, which are parasites known by the scientific names of Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus , have been on the rise in the United States in the past decade or so. ( 1 )

As the name suggests, bedbugs bite at night when you’re asleep in bed, usually about an hour before dawn. ( 2 ) If you wake up with a bite, though, don’t immediately assume bedbugs are to blame. The bites look very similar to other insect bites. Here’s what to know to confidently identify bedbug bites and how to go about treating them.

Common Questions & Answers

Bedbug bites look like swollen red spots — and they often itch.

Bedbugs prefer to feed on the blood of humans (but they can survive on the blood of mice, rats, or other animals, too). You probably won’t catch the bugs in the act of biting, however, because the bedbug injects an anesthetic and an anticoagulant to numb the area as it bites you. (1)

The bites can appear on any part of the body that’s exposed while you sleep — places like the back of your neck, shoulders, arms, and legs are common, says Steve Durham, president of EnviroCon Termite & Pest  in Tomball, Texas.

For most people, bedbug bites result in itchy bumps where the bite occurred, within a day of being bitten. ( 4 ) The bites usually look like mosquito bites and will appear as a somewhat swollen red spot that might itch. (1)

RELATED: How to Identify 11 Common Bug Bites and Stings

But the bites will look different from person to person, and some people won’t develop any reaction whatsoever. “The same bedbug could bite two different people and one could have no reaction at all and the other can have an extreme reaction with a swollen arm or itchy rash ,” says Eric Braun , a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager for the national pest control company Rentokil . Some people end up developing a rash that looks like eczema . ( 5 )

It’s also possible that you won’t see a reaction the first time a bedbug bites since it sometimes can take the body a while to react. ( 6 ) Some people will have an immediate reaction, while for others it could take two weeks to emerge. Your body will likely become more sensitive to bedbug bites over time, and if you get bitten repeatedly, it could be only a matter of seconds before your body shows a response.

You may notice a single bite, while other times several bites will appear in a line. (1) “In most cases, they occur in clusters or zigzags of flat, itchy bites,” Durham says. “One bedbug will usually take more than one bite, so the severity of your infestation can have a big impact on the severity of your physical reaction to the bites.”

RELATED: 7 Skin Conditions That Look Contagious, But Aren’t

Bedbug bites differ from other bites in a few ways:

• They can appear anywhere on the skin that’s exposed while you’re sleeping. Flea or chigger bites, on the other hand, usually only appear around your ankles, Durham says.
• They sometimes bite in a zigzag pattern. (6)
• Bedbug bites don’t normally have a red dot in the center, while flea bites usually do.

Bedbug bites tend to stick around longer than mosquito bites, though they look very similar.

Most of the Time Bedbug Bites Themselves Don’t Require Medical Attention

Bedbug bites don’t normally require treatment by a doctor, though there are a few precautions you should take at home. ( 8 ) Start by cleaning the area with soap and water to lower your risk of infection and to relieve itchiness. If the bites are itchy, pick up a corticosteroid cream at your local drugstore and apply it to the area. The bites generally will heal within a couple of weeks. ( 9 )

Some people develop allergic reactions to bedbug bites, which can include a fever, difficulty breathing, hives, or a swollen tongue. Others may develop an infection where the bite starts oozing pus. If you experience either of these reactions or you develop blisters where the bites occurred, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dermatologist.

To treat an allergic reaction, the doctor may prescribe an antihistamine, corticosteroid, or epinephrine injection. If the area is infected, he or she might prescribe an antibiotic or recommend an over-the-counter antiseptic. Finally, if it’s severe itchiness that you’re dealing with, applying corticosteroid or taking an antihistamine in pill or liquid form may be able to help.

In most cases, the only way to say for sure whether it was a bedbug that bit you is to search for evidence of bedbugs living in your home. "Once you start to notice the itchy bites, the second giveaway is the presence of small blood spots on your sheets or mattress, usually resembling patches of rust,” Durham says. Those spots are left behind after a bedbug has been smashed.

You’ll likely only see them in their hiding spots or crawling across the floor since, unlike other insects, bedbugs cannot fly or jump. Durham says to check along the edges of your mattress. You may see the exoskeletons that bedbugs have shed as they matured, or you may notice a musty smell, both of which indicate there could be bedbugs in the area. It can also be helpful to check your bed with a flashlight during the middle of the night (since these crawlers tend to be more active at night.)

Bedbugs Are Not Known to Carry Disease

Bedbug bites can itch and knowing you have bedbugs in your home can be distressing, but being bitten won’t negatively impact your health. “Thus far, bedbugs have not been shown to transmit any diseases to humans,” says Jerry Lazarus , president of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination .

That’s a key difference between bedbugs and mosquitoes, which Braun says are sometimes called the “deadliest animal on the planet.” Bedbugs do bite and feed on blood like mosquitoes do, he says. “However, they do not transmit any disease. The risk of getting ill from the bite isn’t there.”

The bigger concern with bedbugs is the effect they can have on one’s mental health, since having bedbugs can be both stressful and embarrassing.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

• Bed Bugs FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . September 16, 2020.
• Bed Bug FAQs. Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .
• Deleted, August 4, 2022.
• Bed Bugs. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment . July 2020.
• How to Find Bed Bugs. Environmental Protection Agency . November 4, 2021.
• Bed Bugs: Signs and Symptoms. American Academy of Dermatology .
• Bedbugs: Diagnosis & Treatment. Mayo Clinic . April 9, 2022.
• Bed Bugs: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology .

Additional Source

• What Do Bedbug Bites Look Like? Orkin.

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Bed Bug Prevention Tips for Before, During, and After Travel

Everything to know from traversing the airport to unpacking when you get home.

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A bed bug outbreak in Paris just nine months before the Olympic Games has tourists wondering how to prevent and treat those pesky critters, so Travel + Leisure spoke with experts about what to look out for and what to do if the insects do pop up. 

First things first: don’t panic. Bed bugs are annoying and difficult to get rid of, but they’re not typically dangerous, Eric Braun, a board certified entomologist and technical services manager for Terminix, told T+L. In fact, bed bugs aren’t known to transmit any diseases.

“It's the ick factor, right? They find them in areas where you're sleeping, where you're at your most vulnerable, where you feel protected and they're invading that space,” Braun said. “It's more of a psychological impact than it is a health-related impact.”

Since they’re not going to hurt you, Braun said his “main concern” isn’t getting bit, but rather “bringing them home and causing an infestation.”

From packing, to traversing the airport, to entering your hotel, and more, these preventative tips will hopefully keep your dream vacation from turning into a bug-infested nightmare.

Pick the right luggage

Bed bugs like dark cracks and crevices where they can hide, Braun said. While it’s possible for them to crawl onto any surface, they typically “like to come out when we're sedentary… so it's not probable that you're going to be walking down the airport and one is going to jump on your suitcase and tag along with you.” 

That said, they can climb onto any surface. That’s why packing in hardside luggage will make it less likely bed bugs will attach to the surface than if the suitcase was made of fabric, according to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene . 

Be strategic at the airport

While comfy plush chairs in lounges and dark nooks may feel like the ideal spot to wait out a layover, Braun said that’s probably not your best bet if you’re trying to avoid picking up any unwelcome friends. Picking a hard, smooth plastic chair may be a better choice over a booth, for example.

“It's less likely [to find bed bugs] in areas that are lit and [where] people aren't sitting for extended periods of time,” he said. “It's more probable that you would contract them in a darker, more private secluded space.”

But while bed bugs prefer darkness, they will still come out when it is light, according to information from the United States Environmental Protection Agency provided to T+L.

Braun recommended travelers inspect the area they are sitting thoroughly and “pick chairs or locations that have as few potential hiding spots for these insects as possible.”

As for when you're actually on the plane, airfarewatchdog.com suggests booking a morning or daytime flight.

"Since bed bugs are nocturnal, the likelihood of them coming out in the daytime is relatively lower," the site noted, (with the caveat that luggage may still be stored in a dark overhead bin).

Unpack smartly

The first thing Braun does when he checks into a hotel room is store his suitcase in the bathroom. He also avoids luggage racks.

“When I travel, I don't unpack my suitcase, I do not put anything in the provided drawers, I do not leave any clothing around the hotel in the bed [or] on the floor,” Braun said. “Everything should be stowed away neatly… my suitcase goes in the bathroom and if they have a tub, it goes in the tub. Those are areas that are less likely for the bed bugs to be.”

Travelers can also hang their clothes in the closet.

“The bed bugs would have to crawl up the wall of the closet, crawl onto the post of the hanger, crawl down the hanger and crawl into your clothing,” Braun said. “They're not really very motivated to do that.”

Per the American Hotel and Lodging Association , travelers should consider placing their suitcase “in a plastic trash bag or protective cover during the duration of your trip to ensure that bed bugs cannot take up residence there prior to departure.”

Go straight from vacation to the dryer

If travelers suspect they’ve been bitten or came into contact with bed bugs , they shouldn’t panic. Instead, they should unpack their clothing directly into the dryer first — not the washer.

“You [can] wash them after you dry them, but the high heat will kill the life stages. The water isn't hot enough to kill them so they could survive a washing,” Braun said. “You're going to remove all the clothing from the suitcase, all the clothing that you're currently wearing, and you're going to place that in the dryer on high for about 30 minutes… if you have some items that can't go in a dryer that need to be dry cleaned, you would bag them up and take them to the dry cleaner.”

Braun added: “You're going to then look at your luggage, inspect your luggage. If you suspect that there's bed bugs in the luggage, you're going to have that professionally treated.”

Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

How to Deal with Bed Bugs when Travelling

Last updated: October 3, 2023 . Written by Laurence Norah - 11 Comments

As a traveller, one thing that is certain is that you are going to be sleeping in many different places. With this comes risk, one of which is to wake up one morning covered in tracks of red bites – the possible mark of bed bug bites!

Of course, your initial thought may be that you’ve been the victim of a highly trained vicious mosquito squadron. But look a little closer – because you may have been the victim of something else entirely, something that is going to get fellow travellers all terribly excitable and probably freak you out too – the fearsomely savage and much feared bed bug.

In today’s post I’m going to share with you some knowledge on bed bugs that I picked up from my time spent working in hospitality, and particularly in a hostel in New Zealand, where a great deal of my time was taken up with activities relating to bed bugs and bed bug management. Which wasn’t on the initial job description.

As a result of that experience I have seen and squished far more bed bugs than any person ought to, and spent tremendous amounts of time peering into tiny cracks looking for the evidence of their presence.

The thing is though, whilst we may associate bed bugs with budget accommodation like hostels, the truth is that bed bugs can be present in all sorts of accommodation. So whether you’re staying in a five-star hotel or a backpackers dormitory, bed bugs are still a possibility.

Today I’m going to tell how to know if you’ve been nibbled on by bed bugs, how to look out for signs of bed bugs, what to do if you’re bitten by bed bugs, how to get rid of bed bug bites and bed bugs, plus what you can do to deal with the bed bug issue.

First though, let’s take a look at some facts about bed bugs.

Bed Bug Facts

Bed bugs are actually pretty amazing little critters! Here are some quick facts for you:

• Bed bugs can survive for up to a year without food, particularly when it is cold. They can survive temperatures ranges down to around –32C and up to 45C. When it is cold, they go into a sort of hibernation, and pop out of it when it warms up.
• In the right conditions it takes one pregnant adult female six months to create an infestation of literally hundreds of thousands of bugs. She is bloody awesome at hiding in the meantime.
• When it gets warmer, bed bugs reproduce faster. This is why bed bug issues are often commonly associated with warmer countries. In higher temperatures, the reproductive cycle goes from 21 days down to as fast as 8 days.
• Bed bug sex is not a fun thing for the bed bug female. It involves carapace piercing in order to get the necessary fluids inside her. If I was a bed bug girl, I’d want to go bite someone, too.
• Bed bugs like other bed bugs. They secrete a pheromone that attracts more bed bugs. Sociable little chaps.
• Bed bugs are bigger than you might think, particularly in their adult stage, which they reach after five junior stages. And I thought one go at puberty was tough. They grow up to 0.5cm long, easily visible by the naked eye, in their adult stage at least.
• They are attracted to their victims by carbon dioxide and warmth, amongst other things.
• Bed bugs love travelling almost as much as you do. They or their eggs will happily hitch a ride in your clothes or on your backpack, and then hop off when they reach somewhere new and exciting with fresh fields of blood filled meat to suck on. This makes eradicating them a bit tricky in a well visited bed!

Which Countries Have Bed Bugs?

The reality is that pretty much every temperate to warm country will have bed bugs. So you’ll find bed bugs in Thailand, bed bugs in Australia, bed bugs in the USA, bed bugs across Europe – the list goes on. Basically, every continent except Antarctica has bed bugs!

It’s also a worsening problem it seems as we are travelling more and more, and our climate seems to be providing warmer days.

These two factors combine to produce the ideal conditions for bed bugs to spread, and for bed bugs to breed!

How to know if you’ve been bitten by bed bugs

People react to bed bug bites, like any other bites, in different ways. You may have been munched upon countless times, and have absolutely nothing to show for it, or you may come up in horrific pustules, blisters, or bumps that look just like mosquito bites. Diagnosis can be tricky! Additionally, for some reason, elderly people barely react at all.

The easiest way to tell though is the classic line pattern that the bed bug leaves behind. This will be a nice straight line of red bumps, that looks like something has methodically chewed you up. And that would be because something has methodically chewed you up!

Often this will be a line of three bumps, sometimes more, depending on a variety of factors, including whether or not the bug was disturbed during the meal, or if the bug didn’t quite find what it was looking for on the first, second, third.. or.. well, you get the idea.

Bed bug bites can also take a while to appear after you’ve been bitten, sometimes up to a couple of weeks. Which makes working out what bit you and when fairly difficult. Very often, you will discount the bites as nothing more than mozzie bites, and move on with your life.

Bed bugs also tend to bite in areas that aren’t covered, however in tropical areas you’re not likely to be sleeping in much anyway. They also don’t usually target armpits or the back of your knees.

How to spot bed bugs in your hotel room or bed – the warning signs!

There is a bit of a misconception that for a place to have bed bugs, it needs to be dirty, or unkempt, or messy. This isn’t the case – the hostel I worked in for example was absolutely fanatic about cleanliness and bed bug management, and we still had the odd bug.

Of course, if your chosen accommodation doesn’t care too much about basic things like cleanliness or tidiness, then you can be pretty damn sure that they aren’t that bothered about bed bugs either. So the two can be linked, even if one doesn’t cause the other.

So how to tell if you might not be sleeping alone? Here are some ways to spot bed bugs:

• Bed bugs are fairly shy and retiring creatures. They mostly come out at night. In the daytime they like to hide, not too far away from their evening meal. Obvious places to look therefore include in your bed frame, and anywhere near the bed that harbours cracks that they can squeeze into. Curtain rails, skirting boards, door frames – even the heads of screws. You get the idea.
• Bed bugs secrete a black gooey substance. You might find this on the bed sheets after you have been bitten. You can also look for it on the bed frame. Lots of black goo around a hole or crack indicates the likely presence of our friends. If it is recent, you will be able to easily smear it with your fingers.
• Bed bugs have a distinctive aroma, which is how they attract other bed bugs. It’s a bit like the smell of a stink bug.
• Bed bugs have six different sizes, from the super tiny to the fairly large. So there are a variety of body shapes and sizes to look out for.
• Bed bugs are not excited by heat or excess amounts of carbon dioxide. If you think there are bed bugs in a hole, you could try breathing into it, or blowing a hair dryer into it on a low setting. This may force them out of hiding, or boil them in their shells. Whichever works for you. It may also distribute bed bug eggs all over the room.
• You may find blood stains on the bed after you’ve been bitten. However, you can get these with any bite, so it’s not a guarantee of bed bugs.

What to do if you think you’ve been bitten by bed bugs

If you think you have been bitten by bed bugs in a hotel or other accommodation, the first thing is not to panic. Whilst the bites can be itchy and annoying, bed bugs are not currently known to carry any actual diseases.

So in that sense, you are better off having been bitten by a bed bug than a mosquito.

You should, of course, mention to your host that you think you have been bitten. There are two main reasons to do this:

• If the problem is with the place you are currently at, then they need to know so that they can do something about it
• If you were bitten somewhere else, there is a possibility that you have brought the eggs or bugs with you. They therefore need to keep an eye out for future problems. Be aware that they are unlikely to thank you for this.

When you inform your host, a variety of things will happen. It is very likely that, even if the accommodation believes itself to have bed bugs, it will deny this. Admitting to having bed bugs is akin to admitting you have the plague, due to the bad reputation these critters carry.

So, unless you have the dead body to prove your case, don’t expect too much in the way of liability being admitted.

Additionally, as the bites can take so long to come up, the accommodation provider may actually have a point, in that you could have brought a problem into their previously clean environment. This is a great way to make you feel guilty and thus shut you up. After all, who is going to tell their friends that they may be a carrier of bed bugs?

What you should see, if they are at all bothered / professional / caring are some efforts by the accommodation provider to find any problems.

Where I worked, if someone seemed to have an issue, we would take their room apart, literally. Bed frames would be disassembled, and any bugs we found would be squished. We also used a heat gun to sterilise cracks in wood or metal. However, if we found bugs or eggs, this was never disclosed to guests.

How to Treat Bed Bug Bites

Treating bed bug bites is much the same as treating any other bites. The application of topical anti-histamine creams or ingestion of anti histamine is about the best you can do. A bite is a sign of an allergic reaction, and anti-histamine can help.

Try not to scratch the bites – your nails are dirty and this will lead to infection.

If you have reacted particularly badly, then get yourself down to the doctors where they may be able to help out with more powerful creams or pills.

Ultimately though, it’s going to be a waiting game where you’ll just have to wait for the bites to subside.

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

If you are travelling, as previously mentioned, it can be hard to prevent bed bugs as you are not in control of the situation.

However, you can stop yourself from taking bed bugs home, and take preventative measures in your home.

The first thing you’ll want to do when travelling is to get used to inspecting the accommodation you are staying in for bed bugs. If there are signs of bed bugs, you should ask for another room, or consider another property. If the room has bed bugs, it is very likely that some of these bugs might get into your luggage, and that you will take them home with you.

If you are staying in a room where you can keep your luggage off the floor, such as on a luggage stand, then it’s a good idea to use this as it can keep any bugs out of your luggage.

You also can take some preventative measures like spraying your luggage with one of the bed bug sprays mentioned further on in the post. You might also want to invest in a heating device which will heat your luggage up above a temperature which kills bed bugs, thus sanitizing your belongings.

For your home, we would suggest investing in mattress covers for your beds . This stops bed bugs getting into the mattress, which is one of the most common places for them to hide. It also means you don’t need to discard of your mattress if you do get bed bugs, which can be costly if you have a nice mattress. See here for another well reviewed mattress protector .

The main thing to consider is how bed bugs might get into your property. The most common ways are for you to bring them back from a trip in your luggage, or for guests to bring them when they visit. Mattress covers can help in guest rooms, and careful inspection of your guests room after they leave is also a wise idea.

Another common vector for bed bugs is through furniture. We would advise against buying second hand furniture for this reason, as it can be very hard to tell if it is home to bed bugs.

There are a range of other products to help you deal with bed bugs in the home. These include electronic ultrasonic repelling devices , bed bug traps for your bed legs, and diatomaceous earth , which is a non-toxic substance that kills insects.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

The bad news about bed bugs is that in a well visited environment like a hostel or hotel, it is pretty much impossible to eradicate bed bugs.

This is because even if you were able to find and kill every last egg, nymph and adult from the premises, all it takes is one new arrival with a pregnant adult female to turn up, and the problem starts all over again. In a warm climate where the bugs can breed quickly, the problem is only going to be worse.

In such an environment, the best that can be done is to try to manage and stay on top of the problem. Regular inspections of sleeping areas, blocking up inviting cracks and the occasional use of some sort of anti-bed bug chemicals are the best that can be done so that the issue stays small – akin to a few mosquitoes flying in through a window at night, rather than spiralling out of control into a serious infestation.

Speaking of chemicals, another problem arises. The most effective chemicals for properly killing off the whole bed bug lifecycle are also not exactly human friendly.

Fumigating a room is actually therefore more hazardous to human health than a few bites is ever going to be – and in fact more people have probably died from reactions to the anti bed bug chemicals than from actual bed bug bites. However, there are some non-toxic options, one of which I have listed below.

Products to help you deal with Bed Bugs

There are some products you can get to help stop that most nightmare of all situations – taking the bed bugs from your travels to your home, as well as other sprays for killing bugs generally.

• EcoRaider is one of the better natural options for killing bed bugs. This is available from the manufacturer , and also on eBay here . In a study by the US Entomological Society of America, this was the only natural bed-bug killing product that effectively killed both bed bug nymphs and bed bug eggs
• The other recommended product from the above study is this Bed Bug Spray by Bed Bug Patrol, available on Amazon. This was also successful against bed bugs.  It’s also highly rated by commentators, as well as being both organic and non-toxic.
• This is another well rated natural product available on Amazon
• Electronic repellers like this work by emitting ultrasonic sounds to deter a range of insects, including bed bugs
• There are a wealth of other options  also available from both Amazon.com and UK .
• This Travel Sized Luggage Spray by Bed Bug Patrol on Amazon.com is designed to help protect you from bringing the bed bugs back from your travels – possibly the worst outcome of any bed bug encounter!

And that is that for bed bugs! If you’ve got any comments, questions or experiences to share from your travels, including horrific photos, don’t be afraid to share them below! Otherwise happy travels, and remember, sleep tight.. don’t let the bed bugs bite!

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There are 11 comments on this post

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2nd February 2023 at 4:08 pm

Hi, thanks so much for this article! I will be taking a trip to Spain and Morocco and will be staying in multiple hotels. We now will be checking the mattress and sheets but since these bugs are great at hiding, I am afraid we may miss them. Would it be productive to spray the mattress and/or sheets with the sprays you have suggested as a preventative or just in case we didn’t actually see them? I was so excited about this trip but am now getting very anxious about it because of these uninvited guests!! I appreciate any info you can give me!!

Laurence Norah says

3rd February 2023 at 2:41 pm

So first of all I wouldn’t really worry about it. We never check mattresses or sheets when we travel and we’ve not had any problems in hundreds of stays around the world. I’m not sure if spraying with the products would help, I’m not sure the chemicals used are that human friendly and personally I’d not want to lie in them! But it’s up to you.

Safe travels, enjoy Spain and Morocco 🙂

18th October 2019 at 4:49 pm

Does regular bug spray kill them? I’ve gotten bit in Sarajevo and no clue where to find bed bug spray for my luggage.

18th October 2019 at 7:15 pm

As far as I know, no it doesn’t. They are tough critters to kill!

Nicole says

6th May 2019 at 7:59 am

I have read all sorts of post about bedbugs and none of them say anything about bedbugs being in your vehicle so my question is if you Go to someone’s house for a couple hours that has bedbugs and then get in your vehicle are you and your vehicle contaminated

7th May 2019 at 5:30 pm

It’s hard to answer this. Bedbugs are more likely to be transported on luggage rather than people, so if you don’t take anything into the house, it is unlikely they will jump on you and then into your car and then on into your house. And as there isn’t a source of food in the car, it’s not an attractive place to live for them either. So I would say that the chances are low, but not impossible of course.

srikant says

9th March 2019 at 11:08 am

Thank you for telling a blog about dealing with bed bug as traveler. It is very much a serious issue. The information provided is very relevant.

9th March 2019 at 11:23 am

Thank you 🙂

12th January 2019 at 10:59 pm

Great tips on how to clean a room with suspected bugs – would love some recommendations for those who have been bitten in hotels and are now fearful of bringing them home! I am covered in bed bug bites after backpacking through South America and now am terrified I will introduce them to my own bed and have no idea what to do!

13th January 2019 at 12:02 am

So the only thing that really works is heat – bugs can’t handle temperatures higher than 117F – 122F. So your best option is to wash everything you can (clothes, bag etc..) at a high heat. If you have items you can’t heat to that temperature, the safest option is to throw them out 🙁

Sorry I can’t be of much more help!

Millie Cox says

9th July 2016 at 3:45 am

So i am one of those people that thought you could only get bed bugs from people who are freaking nasty and never clean thier houses! Turns out i was wrong. WAY wrong. i got it from a trip to what should have been Paradise!!! i have been scouring the internet for ways to kill them and i have tried almost everything! i just read http://toomanyadapters.com/ces-2014-best-rest/ so i am hoping a bed bug heater will work. anyone try one before? suggestions? thanks so much

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• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Avoid Bed Bugs when Traveling

Last Updated: May 25, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Kevin Carrillo . Kevin Carrillo is a Pest Control Specialist and the Senior Project Manager for MMPC, a pest control service and certified Minority-owned Business Enterprise (MBE) based in the New York City area. MMPC is certified by the industry’s leading codes and practices, including the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), QualityPro, GreenPro, and The New York Pest Management Association (NYPMA). MMPC's work has been featured in CNN, NPR, and ABC News. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 56,240 times.

Imagine finally finding time to take a much needed vacation. Then, when you return home relaxed and feeling rejuvenated, you discover you now have a bed bug problem! It is no surprise that traveling is one of the easiest ways to bring the unwelcome pests into your home. While traveling, there are several precautions you should take to keep this nightmare from happening.

Booking Your Trip

• Keep in mind that negative comments may simply be an unhappy guest who just wants to ruin the hotel’s reputation. However, if you see several comments around the same topic like bed bugs, consider it a legitimate concern.

• Enjoy the outdoors Head to the nearest camp ground and sleep under the stars or in a cozy tent. Many camps are extremely clean, and offer hot showers for very reasonable rates.

During Your Hotel Stay

• Bugs are brown with a long, oval shaped body. Most are tiny, about the size of an apple seed but they can be larger, about the size of a nickel. You should also look for black fecal matter and a musty smell. [1] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source

• Place the luggage rack away from any furniture. If the closet is large enough, keep it in there.

• Before wearing any garment, shake it out as an extra precaution.

• If you forget, ask the hotel to supply something like an extra trash bag.

• Do not move to an adjacent room. Request a move to another floor.

Returning Home

• If your luggage is a dark color it may be difficult to see. Use a lint roller, covering the entire bag, seams and zippers. [4] X Research source

• Don’t hang dry your clothes either. Tossing items into a scorching hot dryer will kill the bugs.
• Even items that weren’t worn should be washed. Bugs could have crawled throughout the bag. Better to be safe than sorry.
• Shoes can be wiped down with a cloth and some hot water. Leave them outside in the sunlight if possible for a couple of hours too.

• Never store suitcases under your bed.

• Contact a professional to discuss the extermination options available to you. They may recommend chemical or steam treatments. [9] X Research source
• Research pesticides but be clear on their use. While some are great for indoors, others can only be used outside. [10] X Trustworthy Source United States Environmental Protection Agency Independent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practices Go to source

Expert Q&A

• If you happen to notice that white powder is present within drawers, the closet, or around floorboards, it is likely that the room has already been treated for bed bugs. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't avoid travel for the fear of bed bugs. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
• Bed bugs can reproduce quickly so don't procrastinate with treating a problem. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 4

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs
• ↑ Kevin Carrillo. Pest Control Specialist. Expert Interview. 22 October 2019.
• ↑ https://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/travelers/inspecting-your-hotel-room-bed-bugs
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XWKhsaBaic
• ↑ http://www.orkin.com/other/bed-bugs/bedbug-bites/
• ↑ http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/bb-heat1.pdf
• ↑ https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/pesticides-control-bed-bugs

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How to tell if you have bed bugs in hotels, rentals and what to do if you take them home

When it comes to insects, few are as insidious as the bed bug .

They can live for more than a year without food. Their bodies are slim and flat, allowing them to squeeze into tiny spaces and hide. When they bite, many humans don’t have a visible reaction, so they can freely multiply and spread until the problem is more out of control.

In short, bed bugs are survivors and the last thing you want to bring home from vacation.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

USA TODAY spoke to experts on the subject to help travelers avoid them on the road and to figure out what to do in the worst-case scenario: they infest the home.

Here’s what you should do to avoid bed bugs:

Preventing bed bugs ahead of time

One myth many people have about bed bugs is that they’re only a problem at cheap motels and rentals with low ratings.

That’s simply not true, said Michael Bentley, director of training and education at the  National Pest Management Association .

“Bed bugs don’t see dollar signs,” he said. “It could be the top-of-the-line, five star hotel. It can be the one-star, in-and-out hotel that you're stopping at for a quick overnight while you're making a cross-country trip. Bed bugs don’t care.”

Bentley and other experts recommend scouring through recent reviews of any potential lodging.

“I usually go two or three months deep and see what the cleanliness situation’s been looking like,” said Halee Whiting, owner of a hotel sales support  company  and a popular TikToker who created a viral  video  about how to check your lodging for bed bugs.

Whiting prefers the reviews on TripAdvisor and recommends looking at brand websites for reviews because those are written by loyalty members.

Bed bugs: Potentially record summer travel + low housekeeping staff = bed bug nightmares

How to look for bed bugs

Anytime a traveler walks into a new hotel or a rental like Airbnb or VRBO, either leave the luggage outside or put it in the bathroom, ideally the bathtub, according to experts.

Bed bugs gravitate toward places with fabric where humans like to lounge, like beds and sofas.

“There's likely no place where bedbugs are infesting the bathtub,” Bentley said. “If they're in the bathtub, we've got a bigger problem and we're not we're not making it any further into the bedroom.”

Keep the luggage away from the rest of the property until after it is thoroughly inspected it for bed bugs.

How to find bed bugs in hotels

To find out if a hotel or Airbnb has bed bugs, it’s going to take more than a cursory inspection.

Don’t just pull back the bed’s fitted sheet and eyeball it.

First, turn off all the lights and close the shades and turn on the flashlight on your phone, Whiting recommends.

Shine the flashlight on the beds during inspection. Pull the sheets back and check under the creases of the mattress.

“They’re pretty cryptic insects,” Bentley said. “Their body is flattened, kind of like business cards, so they can tuck themselves into these tiny nooks and crannies inside of beds and bed sheets and a little seams along the bedspread.”

You’re not only looking for bugs but also, “tiny brownish, blackish red spots,” he said.

“As bedbugs feed, they pass a lot of that undigested blood that they're feeding on straight through its feces,” he said. “So they defecate a lot while they're feeding. So if you happen to see little black spots, that could clearly be an indication that bedbugs are there or have been there and have been feeding.”

Bed bugs can also create a sweet, musty odor akin to sweaty gym socks, said Ron Harrison, an entomologist and global director of technical services for Orkin .

"If you have one or two you won't smell it," Harrison said. "But if you have a bad infestation you can smell it when you walk in the room."

What to do if you find bed bugs in a hotel

If you find bed bugs or any sign of them, like their feces, document what you’ve found in photos and video and contact your hotel or rental host immediately.

Most good hotels will refund the stay and put the room you found them in and every room around it out of order until the bed bugs can be exterminated, Whiting said.

One property, however, only put the room in question out of order, which allowed the bugs to spread and eventually forced the closure of 24 rooms until the problem could be solved, Whiting said.

Airbnb's policy is to refund guests if they come across bed bugs but it doesn't always mean there won't be extra costs.

Andrew Forcier of Columbus, Montana, said Airbnb refunded him when he found bed bugs in his apartment rental in Montreal earlier this year, but only covered 30 percent of the more expensive hotel he had to book at the last minute instead. That cost him $500.

What kills bed bugs

Even if travelers don't believe they have been exposed to bed bugs, experts provided best practices to avoid spreading an infestation.

Experts recommend washing the clothes you packed in hot water and putting them in the dryer upon returning home because heat kills bed bugs. They also recommend storing luggage in the attic where it's warmer, or at least away from bedrooms if possible.

If the worst-case scenario happens and bed bugs infest a house, experts agree that it's not the time for home remedies.

"There really are no over-the-counter, do-it-yourself solutions, because these are such incredibly effective, cryptic insects," Bentley said. "When it comes to hide and seek, there is no better player in the game out there than bedbugs."

Using less-effective home methods could allow a population to thrive and spread, he said.

"The safest solution is to go with a pest management professional."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to tell if you have bed bugs in hotels, rentals and what to do if you take them home

Watch CBS News

What do ticks look like? How to spot and get rid of them, according to experts

By Sara Moniuszko

Edited By Paula Cohen

April 23, 2024 / 8:25 AM EDT / CBS News

Tick bites can cause a range of different illnesses — and as the weather warms up, ticks can be particularly prevalent.

In some areas, ticks have emerged even earlier due to milder winters. Minnesota's Metropolitan Mosquito Control District said they found their first deer tick of the year in February, for example, when typically they aren't seen until March or April.

"One thing that's of concern about this past winter is that we didn't have a lot of those super cold days and those usually kill off some ticks," Alex Carlson with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District told CBS Minnesota .

Without more cold days, Carlson suspects spring may bring a more severe tick season.

"Tick-borne diseases are on the rise throughout the country and here in Minnesota. We're seeing an increase in Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases out there, so it's very important that people are aware, tick aware," he said.

Here's what else to know: 

What do ticks look like?

Ticks are typically small, flat and oval with no wings, according to Terminix , with colors ranging from grayish-white, brown, black, reddish-brown and yellowish.

"Nymphs and adults will have eight legs, but tick larvae only have six," the pest control company's website reads. "Ticks are capable of biting at all three of their active life stages: larval, nymph and adult."

Depending on their life stage, most ticks can range from the size of a grain of sand to a sesame seed to an apple seed or pencil eraser, Terminix describes. 

After feeding from their host, however, ticks become engorged and larger in appearance.  

"When fully-engorged, hard ticks typically increase in size to become close to twice the size of an unfed tick adult,"  Orkin describes .

Ticks also consists of two parts: a head and abdomen. 

"The tick's head is very small compared to its abdomen, so much so that oftentimes they are described as looking like a body with six or eight curved legs," Orkins' website notes. 

Still not sure if what you're seeing is a tick? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a tick identification page with photos of commonly found species in the U.S. The page also includes a size chart for a few ticks that commonly bite humans: the blacklegged tick, lone star tick and American dog tick.

How to get rid of ticks

If you find a tick on you, you'll want to remove it quickly and correctly.

"Don't wait to have it removed," Bryon Backenson, an assistant professor at the University of Albany School of Public Health, previously told CBS News . "With a fine-point pair of tweezers, get as close to the skin as you possibly can and gently and firmly pull straight up and that tick will pop right out."

If you're worried about bringing ticks inside on your clothes, putting your outdoor clothes in a hot dryer for about 10 minutes is "enough to kill a tick," Backenson says.

You should also never crush a tick with your fingers. Instead, the CDC says to dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, putting it in a sealed bag, wrapping it tightly in tape or flushing it down the toilet.

After removing a tick from your skin,  clean the bite area  and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water, the CDC recommends.

When should you worry about a tick bite?

After a tick removal or suspected tick bite, keep an eye on the area. If symptoms occur, experts advise seeing a doctor. 

A tick bite may look like a "tiny, itchy bump on your skin" similar to a mosquito bite, according to the  Mayo Clinic.  But some people may not even notice they've had a tick bite.

Being bitten doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a tick-borne disease. However, if the tick was carrying borrelia bacteria (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease ), early symptoms usually happen within 3 to 30 days after a bite.

A bull's-eye-shaped rash is a common sign.

"It's a rash that doesn't always look just like a bull's-eye, but it's a red patch. It's relatively large, usually at least 2 inches or so across," Backenson explains. "Oftentimes it doesn't hurt or itch, it's just there." 

Ticks that can carry borrelia bacteria live throughout most of the United States, though Lyme disease is most common in the upper Midwest and the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states.

Certain tick bites can also cause alpha-gal syndrome , a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to eating red meat. Evidence suggests the reaction is triggered by lone star ticks, which can be found in the southeastern and eastern United States, but "other kinds of ticks have not been ruled out," the CDC says. 

Powassan virus , a rare, difficult to diagnose tick-borne infection found mostly in the Northeast, can cause meningoencephalitis, or inflammation and infections of the brain.

"Patients who have had this viral encepahlitis can have significant neurological problems, if they recover," Dr. Jeannina Smith, an infectious disease specialist at UW Health, previously told CBS News .

Powassan virus, like Lyme disease, presents with flu-like symptoms and can progress to confusion and difficulty speaking. Both infections require medical attention as soon as possible. Alpha-gal syndrome can cause skin and gastrointestinal issues among other symptoms.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Lyme Disease

Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.

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