I’m happy to say that whether I’m staying at an inexpensive hostel or a fancy five-star resort, I’m rarely worrying about bedbugs. But that’s partly because I know exactly what to look for. Keep reading if you want to learn the signs that will let you go elsewhere in less than a minute. Really, it takes only that long to make sure. And in the interests of full disclosure, I didn’t want to put an actual photo here because sometimes people get creeped out by bugs. This image is AI-generated and I think it’s kind of lame, but might also keep people reading who might otherwise scroll to the next blog post.
First, let’s talk about these little vampires. What are they? Growing up I thought it was only a children’s rhyme: “Good night, Sleep tight, Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
But no, turns out there are indeed little insects called bed bugs and yes, they’re a risk travelers do face from time to time.
My first experience was in college, when my girlfriend and I both started developing an odd, poison-ivy-like rash. It was strange because we were both sure that we hadn’t exposed ourselves to any poison ivy, but these little bumps kept appearing, especially around the wrists and ankles. Then one day, I turned over a pillow and saw what I can only describe as an “armored ladybug.” It looked exactly like that: Kind of ladybug shaped, but with black plates around it. It scuttled to one side of the bed but I caught it and brought it to my university’s entomologist to confirm my suspicions.
“That’s a bedbug!” he said, shocked that I’d had it in my apartment.
The next time I dealt with these nasty critters was on a tall ship, where I’d signed on as crew for two weeks. The entire experience was incredible, something I’d dreamed about doing since childhood, but the down side was that every night the bugs would come out of the woodwork and feast. I wrapped my wrists and ankles with socks, tried to keep a light on around my head, but eventually ended up bringing my Yucatecan hammock up to the deck and stringing it between the masts.
From bitter experience I know what to look for. It’s quick, easy, and effective if you know what the signs are.
1. Unusually Dirty Walls
This sounds generic but what you’re looking for isn’t just dirt. Look for distinctive pencil-like streaks, as if someone took a pencil and was lightly drawing shooting stars, or smudges. These are caused by people brushing up against the tiny nymphs and squishing them, often without knowing it. The blood inside their guts dries and darkens, looking a lot like pencil smears over time. There’s often a sour smell that’s distinctive, too, though this is sometimes indistinguishable from the insecticides being used to keep the infestation at bay.
2. Grayish “Sand” around the seams of the bed or the frame or walls.
If you see “sand,” small granules of gray that’s collected at the edges of joints, along mattress seams, or any small cracks or crevices where the bugs could hide, that’s a good indication of an infestation you’ll want to avoid. The “sand” isn’t sand at all, it’s bedbug poo. They apparently don’t like to fill their own bed with their dung, so they deposit it outside the proverbial doorstep before tucking themselves in for the night.
3. Actual bedbugs.
Turn on a bright light and quickly flip over a pillow or pull back the bedsheets. Look for small bugs the color of sand that are no bigger than a sugar ant. These are the nymphs, and the’re much more likely to be visible than a big, ladybug-sized adult. (Which you might also find, potentially!) These small nymphs are easy to miss and require good eyes.
That’s it, that’s all you need to do to figure out if your hotel has bedbugs. Now, you’ve determined that it does….so what’s next?
Well, you’ve got a choice to make. Bedbugs, as of this writing, are not known to carry any diseases so in some ways you’re better off with bedbugs than with that mosquito you failed to swat that’s still buzzing around. You could just stay there anyway, and plan on writing a bad review in social media. (Though with ratings so gimmicked and people so often using “bedbugs” as a malicious tool it’s hard to know if that’s really valuable anymore.)
If you stay, understand that bedbugs are truly a horrible pest to take home with you. Be sure to keep your suitcases far away from the bed (consider leaving them in the car, to be safe), and wash any clothes immediately in the “Sanitize” mode, as hot as possible. Dry on high as well, to ensure that whatever bugs or eggs brought back are cooked. The biggest way that bedbugs spread is through suitcases, so it’s a good habit to get into to never open your suitcase on your bed, especially after you get home from a trip.
Leave a Reply