Bed bug bites on planes! How to protect yourself?

With the recent bed bug scares on-board planes, more passengers are more concern and fury of being a similar victim of bed bug invasion. The last thing you would expect on a would-be comfortable flight is to have your personal spaces intruded by these biting pests.

Bed bug bites are red and itchy

While bed bug bites can be itchy, red, swelling and painful, what you need to know is that bed bug bites are harmless and it spreads no diseases. Some people may develop an allergy to the bites (in this case, the itchiness and redness) while some other people do not develop any symptoms at all when bitten.

Now why do planes carry bed bugs and what would happen next for these flight passengers affected?

Bed bugs infestation spread quickly

Typically, bed bugs infestation spread wide and easily through different mode of transportations. Airplane is definitely one of these easy transportations for bed bugs. This is because bed bugs are excellent ‘hitchhikers’ and they take a ride on items such as your luggage, people’s clothing and bags. Infestation from one place to another occurs easily with today’s modern development in travelling, transportation and accommodation.

3 bed bug protection quick tips

So what happens next is when you find out you or your family gets bitten by bed bugs, or have just returned from an overseas holiday, first of all you need to do- is to stay calm and do not panic. Follow these 3 simple steps to make it right:

• Be alert and also learn to identify your bites correctly. If you feel that something is not right, raise an alert promptly to the flight crew. If you discover back at home or after your trip, do consult a medical doctor for advice.
• Find out the essential "dos and don'ts" after a trip here. After-landing care tips are important to prevent you from accidentally bringing bed bugs home. Because when you bring one or two home, it is possible to experience an infestation in just 10 weeks.
• Be sure to check your bedroom for any potential signs and evidence of bed bug invasion. This is usually the 1st point of location attack among this blood sucking pests.

Learn more about these globetrotters today in this useful infographic.

Seek bed bug elimination remedy

Bed bug control programme typically covers a thorough home inspection, adequate bed bug spray treatments at regular intervals, a heat treatment to eliminate the lavae and scheduled monitoring to ensure bed bugs are adeqautely removed.

Professional help is the best way to help you get rid of bed bugs and stop these bed bug bites effectively. Rentokil welcomes you to drop in a bed bug enquiry at (65) 6347 8138