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Usually when I'm booking a hotel I go with the motto, you get what you pay for.

Unfortunately, I learned that's not actually the case.

Make a mental note to follow this safety hack every time you first enter a hotel room and you might save yourself a massive headache at some point.

An entire list with pictures of Alabama bed bugs can be found below.

The Threat of Bed Bugs is Real

Exterminators Tackle Growing U.S. Bed Bug Problem
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When you are traveling, experts say bed bugs can be an issue in any hotel room, no matter how expensive the rooms may be. And it doesn’t matter where you travel, either.

You would think that you have a much higher chance of encountering bed bugs in some roadside hotel or motel, but, the truth is, you can find them in any hotel.

@TripAdvisor.com
@TripAdvisor.com
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Do you stand a better chance in a cheap motel? Perhaps, says Jeff White, from pest control manufacturer SenSci.

“Roadside hotels and motels where you have a higher incidence of extended-stay residents anecdotally can have a higher incidence of issues compared to some of your higher-end hotels, but honestly, it can all vary dramatically from property to property.”

 

What is the Hotel Room Bed Bug Safety Hack?

Hand luggage at the airport in front of an airplane
Ralf Geithe
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Put all your luggage in the bathroom, immediately. The bathroom tub is the safest place. Bathrooms don't offer the kind of hiding places bed bugs prefer and they are cleaned in between guests, according to Reader's Digest. It is a good practice to never put your luggage on the hotel beds.

 

Check the Bed First

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fizkes
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Using a flashlight and a plastic card or credit card, do a bed check, pulling out the corners and sides of the sheets, blankets, comforters, pillows, and the box spring.

What Are You Looking For?

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wildpixel
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I know it sounds gross, but you should be looking for anything resembling clusters of white rice. Check for small stains, spots, or droppings.

Where Else Should You Look?

Check the entire room, including closets, drawers, headboards, couches, and chairs. The better the inspection you do, the better peace of mind you will have while staying in the room.

Do You Have AL Bed Bugs? How to Tell What They Are

Gallery Credit: Eddie Davis

Bed Bug Preparing to Eat

Bed Bug Preparing to Eat

YouTube/screenshot

Bed Bug Preparing to Eat

Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, wingless, and about the size of an apple seed.

A Bed Bug After Eating

A Bed Bug After Eating

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A Bed Bug After Eating

Bed bugs may appear tannish if they haven't eaten lately. They are football-shaped and they plump when they eat.

Bed Bed Welts

Bed Bed Welts

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Bed Bed Welts

Bed Bugs With Their Nymphs

Bed Bugs With Their Nymphs

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Bed Bugs With Their Nymphs

Bed bugs usually come into your home on boxes, luggage, or shoes.

Splotches Of Digested Blood Left Behind By Bed Bugs

Splotches Of Digested Blood Left Behind By Bed Bugs

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Splotches Of Digested Blood Left Behind By Bed Bugs

Seeing splotch stains of digested blood is a giveaway that you have bed bugs.

A Cockroach Nymph ( Baby Cockroach)

A Cockroach Nymph ( Baby Cockroach)

YouTube/screenshot

A Cockroach Nymph ( Baby Cockroach)

Cockroach nymphs have longer bodies than bed bugs

Cockroach Mymph Closeup

Cockroach Mymph Closeup

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Cockroach Mymph Closeup

 Cockroach nymphs have large antennae in the front and two spear-like cerci coming off the back end.

Carpet Beetle

Carpet Beetle

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Carpet Beetle

Carpet beetles do not bite, but they can give you bumps from an allergic rash. They have an oval, spotted shell, six spindly legs, and two antennae.

Carpet Beetle Damage

Carpet Beetle Damage

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Carpet Beetle Damage

Carpet beetles can damage bedding, clothes, carpets, and upholstered furniture.

Spider Beetle

Spider Beetle

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Spider Beetle

Spider beetles could bite you, but they do not suck your blood.

Spider Beetle Closeup

Spider Beetle Closeup

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Spider Beetle Closeup

Spider Beetles have a small, rounded body that is shiny and a dark blood-red color, the reason they are confused for beg bugs.

Adult Flea

Adult Flea

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Adult Flea

A fully grown flea is around 3 mm long, much smaller than a bed bug.

Flea Closeup

Flea Closeup

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Flea Closeup

Fleas do bite humans and could trigger allergic reactions.

Tick

Tick

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Tick

Both ticks and bedbugs are small, brown, and wingless with flat, oval-shaped bodies that balloon after a blood meal.

Engorged tick

Engorged tick

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Engorged tick

Ticks have 8 legs, bed bugs have 6. Tick bites could infect you with diseases like Lyme disease or spotted fever.

 

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