Bed Bugs on the Bus – Is It Possible to Get a Bed Bug Infestation at Home after a Bus Ride?
Given that bed bugs are now popping up in a lot of public places, using public transportation can actually result in a bed bug infestation at home. Maybe you’ve heard or read about the recent issues regarding a passenger finding and filming bed bugs on the bus. It has even led to a certain number of buses being pulled out for the fear of finding bed bugs and preventing these pests from spreading.
Aside from buses, other means of transportation can also be a temporary home of bed bugs and allow these insects to find new hosts or hitch a ride to reach a new destination. With the high risk of getting bed bugs from taking public transportation, you should practice how you can avoid bringing these pests home or to your workplace.
Though the risks are high, you shouldn’t focus on being paranoid. Instead, spread awareness in the family, your group of friends, and even your colleagues at work. This will help you prevent being in an unfortunate situation of dealing with bed bugs simply because you contracted them from a single bus ride. Awareness and early detection are important steps in controlling the situation and preventing a full-blown infestation.
Things You Can Do to Prevent Contracting Bed Bugs on Public Buses and Other Transportation
If you are 100% sure that your home is free from bed bugs, then it is ideal that you know how you can avoid bringing home these pests in case you ride the public bus regularly. The following are some things you can do:
1. Avoid bed bugs on the bus seat by standing or not putting your belongings on potentially infested spots.
Bed bugs love hiding and breeding on soft coverings such as fabric-lined seats or upholstered seats and other surfaces. With this in mind, it is necessary to at least stand up in case you see potentially infested seats. Do not put your belongings on any upholstered surfaces
Remember that bed bugs can easily latch onto any of your belongings. Keeping your luggage near you will prevent these pests from getting a ride home with you. You can also wraps seats with plastic just to avoid contracting these pests.
2. If you’re taking a taxi, try not to put your luggage in the trunk.
With the countless number of travellers who have placed their belongings in the taxi trunk, you will never know if it is infested or not. So, it’s better to put your belongings inside the taxi with you. Keep in mind that the trunk is an excellent breeding and hiding spot for bed bugs as they can crawl down and climb up to new luggage every time a passenger uses it for their belongings.
Instead of sitting in the back seat, it is recommended that you sit in the front and put your belongings on your lap. Putting your belongings on your lap is also applicable in case you’re only option is to take the back seat.
3. Learn what you should do with your belongings in case you can’t avoid using the trunk
There are inevitable instances when you can’t put all your belongings inside the taxi or keep them close to you when riding a bus. However, you can still prevent bed bugs from entering your home by doing a thorough inspection and knowing what to do to your potentially infested items.
Before entering your home, enter the garage and keep all your belongings there. Inspect them carefully. If possible, put your used clothing directly in the washer and dryer on the highest heat setting. If you tend to regularly take public transportation, it is recommended that you get heat treatment equipment like the ZappBug Oven 2 to heat treat all of your belongings all at once.
Given that bed bugs are very small, it is necessary that you thoroughly check your bags and other items before going inside your home. However, it is inevitable that despite all your efforts, these bugs can still escape your sight and enter your home.
How to Protect Your Home from Bed Bugs on The Bus
There are many ways that you can protect your home from bed bugs that you brought from the bus. Some of them include:
- Using bed bug interceptors to prevent these bugs from climbing your bed or furniture
- Wrap your beds with mattress covers to prevent pests from escaping and crawling back in
- Bed Bug traps to monitor and lessen the number of bed bugs roaming around your home
These are just some of the things that you can do to protect your home from bed bugs. None of these will break your budget and can work for a few days up to a few weeks.
