Don’t let the bedbugs bite. That old good-night blessing has a creepy un-dertone these days, as reports indicate a resurgence of the blood-sucking insects in North American cities. In fact, some experts predict that we may well be on the cusp of a bedbug pandemic, with the reddish-brown, apple seed-sized critters having been spotted everywhere from suburban hospitals to swanky hotels.

Dan Morgan, president of Royal Forest Pest Services Inc., a Toronto-based exterminating company that focuses exclusively on bedbugs, estimates that 30%-40% of the bedbug infestations his company sees are linked directly to travel.

It takes only one pregnant female bedbug to hitchhike in a carry-on bag to start the nightmare, says Owen Lonsdale, an entomologist and collection manager with the Canadian National Collection in Ottawa. “It could skyrocket quite easily,” he says. “You could have enormous infestation.”

Here are some steps you can take when travelling to ensure that the bedbugs don’t bite.

Before you go:

> Research Your Destination. Ask your travel agent to confirm with hotel management that they are on top of the issue, says Bruce Bishins, president of the Association of Retail Travel Agents Canada. While hotels may be reluctant to reveal whether they’ve experienced any bedbug infestations, Bishins says, they should be able to share what steps they take to keep their premises bedbug-free.

> Go Online. A quick scan of a few websites, such as www.TripAdvisor.com and www.bedbugregistry.com, can often reveal whether any other travellers have had issues with the hotel you’re considering. While the validity of information on these sites can’t be guaranteed, a hotel with a lot of recent posts about bedbugs might well be avoided.

> Pack Smart. Plastic bags may well be your new best friend when it comes to keeping bedbugs out of your luggage. Not only is it a good idea to pack interior items in plastic, Bishins suggests wrapping the entire suitcase in plastic before entering a hotel room.
@page_break@At the hotel:

> Leave Belongings Outside. Morgan, a former commercial airline pilot, recommends leaving your suitcase in the hallway (with a friend) while you do a quick check of the room. Inspect walls and ceilings first. If you notice blacks spots or blood smears in these areas, it is a good indication that bedbugs have been in that room, he says. But it doesn’t prove that there are currently bedbugs in the room. That requires a little more detective work.

> Check The Bed. Wearing disposable gloves and using a bright penlight, approach the bed and check its hot spots: behind the headboard (in hotel rooms, headboards tend to be attached to the walls, making them ideal hiding places), under the bed’s skirt and along the seams in the mattress. You are looking for bedbugs or evidence of them: cast-off skins, fecal matter (black, pepper-like dots) or their eggs, which are half the size of a grain of rice.

If you spot anything suspicious, go to the front desk and quietly let them know you need to change rooms. You will have to repeat the process for the next room. Lonsdale says it’s almost impossible to restrict bedbugs to one or two rooms in some hotels as there is so much movement between rooms. If traces of bedbugs are spotted in the second room, find another hotel.

> Don’t Make Yourself Too Comfortable. Leave your clothes in the sealed suitcase and take out only what you need, when you need it. Morgan advises against putting clothing on the bed or throwing them on the floor. Lonsdale recommends hanging everything up in the closet. Keep suitcases as far away from the bed as possible, but still zipped up.

The extra effort is worth it when you consider the hassle a home infestation would mean, he adds. Some travellers choose to put their suitcase in a sealed plastic bag as an added shield while in the hotel room (some luggage manufacturers offer fitted bags, although garbage bags work, too.) Others keep their luggage in the bathtub.

> Use Your Own Covers. Some travellers take their own mattress protectors with them when they travel, Bishins says, to ensure they don’t get nipped while they sleep.

Back home:

> Bag And Wash. Store luggage in a garage or an outside storage area, Morgan suggests, and never bring them into the house. Put all clothing into a plastic bag before carrying it into the house. Then, he says, wash it in hot water and dry at a high heat for an hour, if possible.

> Or Freeze. Shake out the clothing onto a white floor, Lonsdale advises, preferably outside the house (in the garage, for instance). Although the bugs have little hooks on their feet and may hang onto your clothes, this is a good step to see if there are any other unwanted visitors, such as cockroaches, in your bag.

Lonsdale also suggests throwing your belongings into a freezer. And keeping your bag outside for a few days can also work in the winter months, he says: “Freezing is a good way to get rid of anything living that might hitchhike in your bag.” IE