Expert warns vacationers not to let the bed bugs bite — “beware a crawling sensation!”
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Expert warns vacationers not to let the bed bugs bite — “beware a crawling sensation!”
For Victorian travellers Justine Martin and Anna McLean, their long-awaited trip to the Gold Coast was a much-needed, post-lockdown holiday.
However, one night when Ms Martin was about to drift off to sleep in a resort bed she expected to be clean, she felt a "crawling sensation" — an experience she will never forget.
Justine Martin and Anna McLean were vacationing at the Gold Coast when they discovered that the beds in the hotel room they were staying in were infested with bed bugs. Credit: Justine Martin.
Justine said that she initially dismissed the "weird" sensation she was feeling as she was preparing herself to doze off after a long day of travelling. However, it wasn't until she grabbed something "rolling" up her neck that she noticed that the mattress she was lying in was completely infested with bed bugs. Ewwwwww!
“You’re on the coast and when you’re hopping into bed, it felt gritty and I thought it was just sand but that’s actually bed bugs. You don’t realise they leave a trail,” she said, pointing out that the particles of the excrement left by the creepy crawlies were all over the mattress.
Ms Martin, who claimed that she managed to pinch and place the bed bug she found on her neck into a wine glass, said that they found more of the little pests under the mattress when they lifted it up.
She said: “They’re terrible little things and they were all different sizes as well. They had been living there for a very, very long time.”
While the pair were transferred into a different room by resort staff, the mattresses in their new room were just as bad, with bed bugs already occupying the sleeping space..
The shocking discovery prompted Ms Martin and Ms McLean to change hotels.
Justine also revealed that she and Anna found at least "a couple of dozen" bed bugs which left her with a dozen bites which she could only describe as a “really bad mozzie bite”.
“It was disgusting. I can‘t tell you how dirty we felt. We were stuffed, it literally ruined our holiday and we hadn’t slept all night,” she said.
“We just wanted to get away for a weekend.”
While they were forced to check into a different and more expensive hotel, the pair said they're lucky they did not unpack their luggage.
The pair transferred into a different, pricier hotel due to the bed bug infestation ruining their initial experience. Credit: Justine Martin.
Darren Nelson, director and founder of Solace Sleep, said that bed bug infestations are most common during the months of December, January, and February.
He said that the warm weather and increased travel contribute to the spread of the bed bugs from holiday homes and campsites back to the bedrooms.
Mr Nelson also added that the humidity from La Nina allows these pests to survive longer in-between blood feeds.
But, for those who are wondering whether they only live on mattresses, the sleep expert has bad news for you.
Mr Nelson revealed that bed bugs can also live in soft furnishing and brick walls.
“The best way to combat bed bugs is to keep your sheets and bedding clean, with bed bugs twice as likely to be found in dirty sheets and clothes compared to clean,” he said.
“Most people wash their sheets every week or two – but forget about their pillow and doona, going months if not years, between washes."
“Pillows and doonas can go through your washing machine on a gentle cycle, they can be soaked in detergent and blasted in the dryer on hot.”
Unclean pillows and doonas can also house dust mites, which cause wheezing, sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, and nasal congestion in people who are asthmatic or allergic.
If you're looking for tips on how to prevent bed bugs from infesting your beds, check out this video tutorial below.
Credit: YouTube/Howdini
However, if it's too late and the bed bugs have already made themselves at home, this next video might be for you.
Credit: YouTube/BedbugSupply
Do you know other tips to keep bed bugs from infesting your home? Share your tips with us in the comments below so other members of the SDC can use them too!
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