Don’t get the travel bed bug!

The summer travel season is now upon us – make sure you don’t bring any unwanted guests back with you.

“The UK has seen an increase of bed bug infestations in hotels, hostels and homes, which can be attributed to the rise in international travel and the increased resistance bed bugs are developing against pesticides.” Says Sarah Brunskill, Operations Manager, The Bugo.

Bed bugs like to live in cracks and crevices of a room or in beds and mattresses during the day. They are attracted by the body heat and the carbon dioxide you produce when you lay in bed at night. They love to feed on human blood and when they bite, they don’t just do it once. Sometimes you can find a line or a random cluster of bites that can turn into itchy red bumps and rashes that last for days; some people may have allergic reactions or develop secondary skin infections from scratching the bites.

Other symptoms are psychological rather than physical manifestations, such as insomnia or sleeplessness, anxiety or increased nervousness, obsessive behaviour and personal dysfunction. Hotels, landlords and travel companies have been sued for bed bug infestations and there are also websites dedicated to people spotting bed bugs on their travels. 95% of Pest Control Professionals have found bed bugs in apartments, 93% in houses and 75% in hotels*.

“They are great hitchhikers and are well known to travel back in suitcases or clothes.” continues Sarah.

Here are some preventative steps you can take to make sure you don’t bring these pests home with you.

Upon arrival to your accommodation, check the bed for small brown streaks and check in the cracks of your mattress. Bed bugs look like red/yellow/brown lentils that are about 5mm long; you can see them with the naked eye.

Make sure that your bed head or sides are away from the wall even a small gap cannot be crossed by the bed bug as they are crawling insects, and don’t let the bedding trail on the floor.

Use The Bugo to detect and prevent bed bugs climbing into your bed. The Bugo is a safe, cost efficient, easy to use, effective floor application that is virtually invisible and acts as a barrier against bed bugs. Simply stick a Bugo application on the floor around the legs of your bed; there is no need for lifting the bed to use The Bugo.

The Bugo will detect if there are any bed bugs there and let you know if they are coming from the bed or from the room. If there are bed bugs present in the bed, The Bugo will catch the critters as they leave your bed and show up in the inner side of the adhesive circle. If there are bed bugs present in the room, bed bugs will stick to the outer edge of The Bugo, and will stop them from climbing into your bed.

When you get home, use The Bugo again! It will provide early detection and let you know if any bed bugs have followed you home.

The Bugo is designed to be used in any location, so use The Bugo home and away to detect and stop the spread of bed bugs. Don’t get the travel bed bug! Use The Bugo.

Find out where you can buy The Bugo here.

For more facts about Bed Bugs click here.