Daily Archives: January 18, 2014

Before a person can prevent an infestation, it is important to know what they are, how they live and what they look like. Once you know what they look like, hopefully, before you bring them home, you can avoid staying in hotels that have them.

Simply, they are small parasites that live in mattresses and other types of soft furniture. They are nocturnal and are hard to spot during the day. They are oval-shaped, and once they have fed on blood are reddish brown in color. If you ever see an insect in your home or hotel room that is flattish, oval-shaped and reddish brown, you should catch it and try to identify it.

These parasites feed on blood, primarily human blood. This is a major creep factor is associated with them beyond simply having a home pest. They come out at night, crawl on your sleeping body and make a meal of you. Some people may find the vampire myth sexy but nobody, except maybe an entomologist, can say the same about these insects.

For most people the idea of having them is completely repulsive. They are sneaky, gross and hated around the world. They attack people when they are at their most vulnerable and leave few signs behind.

New York City is #1 in many things, but it was not prepared to become the American city with the heaviest infestation. There is a simple reason for this resurgence. International travel gives these bugs new homes quickly. New York City is certainly a major travel hub. Vacationers head to NYC but the main culprit of the outbreak is people who travel for business.

Vacationers simply go from their home to a hotel and back. They are much less likely to drop these parasites in enough hotels to cause a major problem; although vacationers are often a victim, and bring them home unknowingly. People in business spend weeks or months hotel hopping. As our society has become global these bugs have staged a comeback.

The U.S. almost got rid of them early in the last century. Then international travel became more common and people were staying in hotels in countries that were still dealing with them. People would go to different countries and bring home a little something extra in their luggage and clothing. The U.S. now has a new booming industry eradication of these pests.

New York City may have them but how does one avoid staying in a hotel that has an active infestation. The insidious thing about these pests is that they do not always live in the flea-bag motels. It would be easy to stay in a slightly more expensive hotel but that is no guarantee of an infestation-free accommodation. Actually, the more expensive hotels are just as likely to have infestations.

With the Internet age in full force there is a website that is devoted to the places with reported infestations. The Bed Bug Registry is a website where people can report their sightings and experiences. People can use this free resource to avoid bringing home an unwanted souvenir.

Read the rest here:
NYC Bed Bugs: New York Hotels With Reported Bed Bug ...