Traveling and Bedbugs – Thoughts for Trainers and Consultants

Ah, remember the good old days when being a road warrior was seen by others as, “Isn’t it great to travel?” and actually has some positive aspects? This is, of course, before the days of hub and spoke, the days of TSA control of hair shampoo and the amount of toothpaste you can take with you, of an FAA that cannot seem to control it’s traffic control system, wild weather, and airlines that have put in more seats in the same space or who have gone to smaller aircraft (and cannot seem to find space for your bag in the luggage area).

Traveling sure isn’t what it used to be.

Now, one more thing: A growing commonality of Bed Bugs.

Yes, our mothers and grandmothers warned us about not letting the bed bugs bite and many of you thought that was just a joke. Well, think again and recognized that times have changed!

Cimex lectularius (family: Cimicidae) are increasingly inhabiting our road warrior habitats. Once well controlled with DDT, they are more and more common on cruise ships as well as fancy hotel rooms and bed and breakfasts, especially in major cities with lots of international travelers. Once thought of as safe habitats for us, those temporary residences we rent on the road, it is now much less safe and comfy. Infestation experts think that these blood-sucking little creatures have increased 500% in population here in the US in the last couple of years.

They are not so bad, actually, since they are generally much more annoying than dangerous. (Picture from wikimedia.org) Some people are also allergic or develop an allergy to the saliva over time.

Bedbugs can also move about, with reports of them traveling as much as 100 feet in order to feed. Thus, the problem is that they can readily hitch a ride in our luggage or other carryon and then ride right into our homes.

Bed bug babies are the size of poppy seeds and adults with eggs are about ¼ inch long. The main problem is that they are nocturnal – they come out an hour or so before dawn, invade your sleeping area because they are drawn body heat and to carbon dioxide in your breathing and then suck a bit of blood (sometimes expanding to three times their normal size – neat, huh?). They also inject saliva that functions as an anti-coagulant to keep your blood flowing but that often gives you that tell-tale itch. Then, as dawn approaches, they go back to their hiding places so you won’t find them. If that hiding place is near your suitcase, well you might have a little surprise down the road in a few days back at the ranch.

If you’ve had such an experience, call a pesticide control company and do not try to eliminate them yourself. They are hard to kill and can live over a year without feeding. And you should check out sites like http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedbug and http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11916682/ for more information.

So, if you find yourself on the road and itching from bites that morning of your departure, you just might want to take a couple of extra minutes to shake out those clothes you stored in the dresser or hung in the closet, take a close look at the seams of your suitcase and other carry-on bags, and be a bit careful when unpacking.

For me, I generally wash all the clothes I take with me immediately on my arrival at the house and leave my suitcases in the garage. That won’t change. And if I feel like I’ve been feeding any of these little critters, I am going to look very closely at hinges and seams and other places because once they are in your place, they are really hard to get rid of.

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(I had a bad experience years ago with fleas in a flea bag motel off the Blue Ridge Parkway in rural Virginia and had some friends experience the little buggers mentioned in the article. NO THANKS!!!

Scott Simmerman