Do you love it when family comes to stay? Do you look forward to those times when you can catch up? Family time is important; but, when family comes to spend the night, they can accidentally expose themselves, and your home, to bed bugs.

Here in Atlanta, bed bugs have grown into quite a problem; just as they have across the country. These blood eating pests get into homes, multiply and cause misery. One of the ways they do this is by hitching a ride with your family. Here are some examples.

• When your family travels a great distance, they often stay in a hotel or motel along the way. These are prime locations to pick up these bugs. It doesn’t matter how nice or how clean their room is. Bed bugs are not attracted to filthy places. They are drawn to places where they can get a blood meal; and since they are a hitchhiking bug, hotels and motels are at constant risk of having these pests brought in on other guests.
• Let’s say your family decides to take a flight. Does that mean they eliminate the risk of picking up bed bugs? Sadly, no. Bed bugs have been found inside airplanes. It is hard to keep these pests out of planes because bed bugs come in on passengers. Airplanes are also at risk because it can get dark on planes, people sleep on planes, and CO2 levels can increase substantially on planes. These are all conditions that invite bed bugs to infest.
• How about travelling by bus? While buses definitely get more sunlight and your family may be able to travel entirely during the day, bed bugs can be active at all hours. They are able to bite humans even when they are fully awake. And, bed bug larvae can be as small as the tip of a pen. This has caused bed bug infestations to become a problem for bus lines, and it can become your problem if they crawl into your family’s belongings.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter how your family travels to your home, bed bugs have been found in all forms of public transportation. These pests can grow their populations inside many strange places.

Here is the worse news of all: bed bugs can come with your family, even if they take their own vehicle and they don’t stay anywhere. How? Your family could have an infestation at their home and not know it yet.

Whenever you have guests stay at your home, make sure to do a thorough inspection when they leave. If you find signs of bed bugs, call a professional. These clever and resilient bugs are extremely hard to get rid of without experience and knowledge.

If you live in Atlanta, Active Pest Control has the answer you need. Our team uses state-of-the-art equipment and the most advanced pest measures known to the pest industry. When your family time is done, we’ll help you sleep tight and make sure those bed bugs don’t bite.