Family gatherings bring loved ones together and often include travellers returning home and overnight guests. While these moments are wonderful, they also increase the risk of introducing unwanted pests like bed bugs into your home.
If you found a bed bug or you are uncertain, Poulin’s professional bed bug inspections and services are safe solutions.
We explain how bed bugs spread, why travel and luggage are high-risk factors, and some steps you can take to protect your home.
How Bed Bugs Spread: The Hidden Risks of Travel and Family Visits
Bed bugs are exceptional hitchhikers without the ability to jump or fly. During the holidays when families gather, the chances of spreading bed bugs rise significantly.
People who pick up bed bugs may not know they have them, how or where to look for them, and not everyone reacts to their bites, making it possible to unintentionally spread bed bugs
Common Ways Bed Bugs Spread into Homes
- Bags, luggage, and suitcases
Visitors may unknowingly carry bed bugs from their own home or recent stay at a hotel.
- Clothing, blankets, pillows, and personal items
Bed bugs travel with people, and the more people sitting or resting in the same place, the higher the chances of bed bugs crawling onto people and hiding in clothing and personal items.
Even the cleanest homes can end up with bed bugs after a simple family gathering.
Bed Bug Signs to Look For
It is easier to get rid of bed bugs when their numbers are low. What to look for:
- Bed bugs themselves, hiding in cracks and crevices of beds, couches, chairs, and nearby areas
- Small reddish or rust-coloured stains on bedding and furniture
- Tiny black droppings or eggs in cracks and crevices of beds, couches, chairs, baseboards, and nearby areas
- Shed skins in the shape of bed bugs in furniture
- Itchy bites
- An odour some people describe as similar to almonds, rotten raspberries, or coriander
If any of these signs appear, schedule a professional bed bug inspection or treatment immediately to avoid rapid spread.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs After Family Gatherings
Protect your home with a few simple, high-impact steps.
For Those Hosting Guests
- Offer secure storage bins or bags for guests to place belongings
- Vacuum chairs, couches, beds, and guest rooms thoroughly, focusing on cracks and crevices such as mattress edges and baseboards
- Heat all bedding and fabric items in a dryer at a high temperature after use
- Inspect furniture and storage bins where guests placed belongings
- Use bedding encasements for mattresses and box springs, and set up traps to catch bed bugs
For Guests Returning Home
- Unpack travel bags in a garage or outside of your home, if possible
- Contain clothing and fabric items in plastic bags, dump the contents into a dryer, and put the plastic bag in the garbage, outside
- Carefully inspect items that should not go into a dryer and destroy any bed bugs found
- Heat all clothing and fabric items on high temperature heat in a dryer to kill any bed bugs
- Vacuum and contain or seal luggage thoroughly before storing
When to Call a Professional About Bed Bugs
Once bed bugs get into a home, they reproduce quickly, hide in difficult places to reach, and often spread unnoticed for weeks or months. Contact Poulin’s for our professional services:
- Certified inspection for bed bug activity
- Safe, effective, targeted bed bug control
- Follow-up monitoring
- Guidance on preventing future spread
Protect Your Home With Poulin’s Pest Control
Whether you’re hosting a family gathering or returning from a trip, Poulin’s Pest Control helps ensure your home stays safe and bed bug-free. If you spot suspicious signs or want preventative peace of mind, we are ready to help.
Call Poulin’s today to book a bed bug inspection and safeguard your home.