How would bed bugs get from one apartment to another?
Hitch a ride on clothes to and from apartments or they just go through outlets to the other side of the wall.
They’d walk. If you can stick a playing card in a crack an adult bed bug can crawl through it. If you can stick a piece of notepaper in a crack a baby bed bug can crawl through it. Or, they can go from host to host. I’ve got bugs. I go into someone else’s apartment. Bingo - they’ve got bugs.
I talked to my friend last night. When you go to a hotel room, take a flashlight. Leave your bags, etc. in the hallway. Go to the bed and kneel down next to the headboard. Look at the crack where it attaches to the wall. Look in the crack for bedbugs (they’ll hide there during the day). They’ll be dark reddish-brown, about 2 mm x 1 mm. Look for eggs - they’re waxy-white, about 1 mm and ovoid. They may be single or in clusters. Look for fecal deposits. They’ll be about 1 mm in diameter. Use a wet tissue and wipe them. If they don’t come up, it’s the antiquing effect that is used sometimes on furniture. If they do wipe up, it’s bed bug feces. Leave the room immediately, check your clothing, go down to the desk and ask for another room.
If you suspect after you’ve been in the room that you’ve been bitten, put all your clothes in a bag. Put that in your suitcase and put the case in a bag. Check yourself and the clothing you’re wearing carefully and go home. Take the clothing bag out of your suitcase outside (and out of your car). Close the suitcase bag back up. Dump the clothes directly in the washing machine. Don’t worry about the water temperature. That’s not what kills the bugs. After you wash them, put them directly in the dryer and dry them on high heat for an hour. THAT’S what kills the bugs. Leave your suitcase in the bag. If you’re going to use it before a year is up (these guys can live a long time between meals) then you’ll need to treat it with either insecticide or heat - I didn’t ask for details on that.
They’d walk. If you can stick a playing card in a crack an adult bed bug can crawl through it. If you can stick a piece of notepaper in a crack a baby bed bug can crawl through it. Or, they can go from host to host. I’ve got bugs. I go into someone else’s apartment. Bingo - they’ve got bugs.
I talked to my friend last night. When you go to a hotel room, take a flashlight. Leave your bags, etc. in the hallway. Go to the bed and kneel down next to the headboard. Look at the crack where it attaches to the wall. Look in the crack for bedbugs (they’ll hide there during the day). They’ll be dark reddish-brown, about 2 mm x 1 mm. Look for eggs - they’re waxy-white, about 1 mm and ovoid. They may be single or in clusters. Look for fecal deposits. They’ll be about 1 mm in diameter. Use a wet tissue and wipe them. If they don’t come up, it’s the antiquing effect that is used sometimes on furniture. If they do wipe up, it’s bed bug feces. Leave the room immediately, check your clothing, go down to the desk and ask for another room.
If you suspect after you’ve been in the room that you’ve been bitten, put all your clothes in a bag. Put that in your suitcase and put the case in a bag. Check yourself and the clothing you’re wearing carefully and go home. Take the clothing bag out of your suitcase outside (and out of your car). Close the suitcase bag back up. Dump the clothes directly in the washing machine. Don’t worry about the water temperature. That’s not what kills the bugs. After you wash them, put them directly in the dryer and dry them on high heat for an hour. THAT’S what kills the bugs. Leave your suitcase in the bag. If you’re going to use it before a year is up (these guys can live a long time between meals) then you’ll need to treat it with either insecticide or heat - I didn’t ask for details on that.