This time of the year affords people the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends.  Visiting, conversing, laughing, and sharing with our loved ones are all things that bring great joy to our lives. While SHARING can be joyous there are some things that we just don't want, and that need to be Returned!  

Many of us will travel to be with our loved ones during this season, perhaps in staying in hotels, motels, BNBs, or homes.  But studies have consistently shown that travel is one of the primary ways that we pick up unwanted "gifts," that is...BED BUGS!  Case in point; I recently received an email from a client who stayed in a hotel in Austin and was bitten by bed bugs.  We are in the process of inspecting his home to see if he brought them back with him and, if so, servicing his home to eliminate the issue.  But even if there are no bed bugs in his home the damage, both physically and psychologically, has already occurred.  He has been bitten and for a long time to come, every time he has an itch, he'll think of the possibility that it may be a bed bug.

Most of us don't think of bed bugs when we are planning a trip, but it is a common occurrence. So what can you do to reduce the chances that you will receive these unwanted gifts?  Here are a few tips for your trip:

• Inspect the bed in your room.  Pull back the sheets and examine the seams of the mattress and the grooves in the headboard.  These are common hiding places for bed bugs.
• Don't place your clothing in drawers.  Bed bugs are likely to travel on clothing and, if there are bed bugs in the dresser, they may transfer to your clothing.
• Wash your clothing as soon as you get home.  The drying process should kill all stages of the bed bug including eggs.
• If you suspect that you brought bed bugs into your home don't try to do-it-yourself.  Bed Bugs bombs and misused sprays often make the situation worse.  Call a professional to inspect your home and offer a treatment plan.

Visiting, caring, and sharing are things that bring us the greatest happiness.  However, if sharing brought some unexpected gifts (bed bugs) into your home, you can always Return them by contacting a professional pest management company.