Whether you’re checking into a hotel or somebody else’s home, the first thing to do is to check the room you’re staying in for signs of bed bugs. Leave your suitcase in the bathroom or on a luggage rack while you perform a quick visual inspection.
Pull back the bed sheets and inspect mattress seams for live bed bugs, shell casings, blood stains, or tiny black dots (bed bug excrement). Remove the mattress pad if you can and check all four corners of the mattress and boxspring.
With your smartphone flashlight, look behind the headboard (common bed bug hiding spot), around the bed frame, and inside nightstand drawers. Lastly, check the seams and crevices of upholstered furniture (e.g. sofas and chairs).
On the off chance that you missed something, it’s a good idea to keep suitcases off the floor and as far away from the bed as possible.
The ideal place to keep suitcases is in the bathroom or in a dry bathtub, as bed bugs are less likely to be found in these areas. You can also keep them in closets or on the luggage racks provided in most hotel rooms, but make sure to inspect these areas for signs of bed bugs before placing your luggage there.
Placing your clean clothes in drawers or leaving them out in the open is taking an unnecessary risk.
Instead, hang them in the closet where bed bugs can’t get to them. Or for shorter stays, just keep them inside your suitcase.
Studies show that bed bugs are attracted to the odor chemicals in dirty laundry. They will actively climb towards piles worn clothing, even if they’re in your suitcase.
The best way to protect yourself is to keep all dirty clothing in sealed plastic bags, which serves as a physical barrier and prevents the odor from attracting bed bugs.
At the end of your trip, do a quick visual inspection of your bags and suitcases before you bring them into your home. In particular, pay attention to outside pockets, seams, and straps—especially if you’re using fabric bags or suitcases.
Unpack luggage in your bathroom, not in your bedroom. If you have clothes that weren’t sealed in plastic bags, shake them out over the bathtub and see if any unwanted visitors fall out.
If you followed all of the precautions above, the chances of bed bugs getting into your clothes are pretty small, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
If possible, throw all of the clothes from your trip into the washer as soon as you finish unpacking—don’t throw them in the hamper or leave them out. Wash your dirty laundry as well as any clean, unworn clothes that spent time in your suitcase. If you don’t have a washer at home, keep them in sealed plastic bags until you can take them to the laundromat.
When washing clothing, use hot water settings. The water temperature should ideally reach 120 °F, which is the temperature needed to kill bed bugs and bed bug eggs.
As a last precaution, once your suitcase is empty, go through it with a handheld garment steamer or hair dryer to clean the inside.
Even if it doesn’t kill bed bugs directly, it’ll help expose them as they try to run away from the heat.
Keep an eye out for bed bug bites. If you discover insect bites happening at night within weeks after returning from a trip, bed bugs are usually the prime suspect.
Use bed bug monitors or traps to see if you can catch them. We recommend using interceptors, which are small, inexpensive devices that you place under the legs of your bed that capture bed bugs when they’re climbing up or down.
Get a canine bed bug inspection if you suspect you might have brought bed bugs home, or if you find out there were bed bugs at the place you stayed at. Bed bug sniffing dogs have a high degree of accuracy, and are able to detect bed bug infestations very early on.
Bangalore Pest ControlNobody knows exactly how many rats are living in New York City, but in 2014 statisticians estimated their population to be around 2 million.
Since then, rat sightings and complaints to 311 have nearly doubled from 1,397 monthly complaints in July 2014 to 2,676 complaints in July 2021.
Seeing rats in your own neighborhood? Read our article to learn how to get rid of rats outside and what you (and your neighbors) can do to protect your block from an infestation.
Outdoor rats can be a big problem for residents, landlords, and local businesses in New York City’s brownstone neighborhoods.
The most common type of outdoor rat in NYC is the Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus), which is also known colloquially as the Brown Rat, Street Rat, or Sewer Rat.
Adult rats can reach 20 inches long from head to tail and weigh up to 11 ounces. Yet despite their size, they’re able to squeeze their way through openings as small as 1/2 inch across.
These pests are known for chewing through garbage, stealing food, spreading disease, leaving droppings everywhere, damaging property (including parked cars), and even decreasing property values.
These pests are known for chewing through garbage, stealing food, spreading disease, leaving droppings everywhere, damaging property (including parked cars), and even decreasing property values.
Norway rats prefer to live close to the ground, digging holes and burrows near bushes and other vegetation.
Rat burrows usually have multiple entry points and contain around 3 feet of underground tunnels that can sometimes extend under concrete and buildings.
New York City rats can establish burrows anywhere that has soft dirt at ground level or below, especially around bushes and vegetation. Common sites where rats burrow include:
Aside from burrowing, rats can also set up nests anywhere that can shelter them from predators and weather conditions.
Outdoor clutter, alleyways, and overgrown shrubbery are top choices for NYC rodents, and if they can find a way inside of your building, there are even more choices available for them.
Rats are hard to spot due to their careful nature. They don’t like to run around in broad daylight, so you typically won’t see them running around your block unless the infestation has become severe.
But if you pay attention, you can find telltale signs of rats living on your property or in your neighborhood. When the NYC Health Department sends inspectors to monitor rat activity, here are the common signs that they look out for:
The approach to successful outdoor rat control is different than tackling an indoor rodent problem. For one, outdoor areas are boundless; even if you manage to remove the rats around your building, more will come from neighboring blocks to take over the territory.
Effective rat control isn’t achieved by a single resident or landlord—it’s a team effort that requires the cooperation of everyone in your building and on your block to drive rats away for good.