Despite being in the pest control industry and knowing all that I know about bed bugs; I have never actually encountered bed bugs in any of my traveling endeavors.  I must admit though, that I am extremely cautious and somewhat paranoid about bringing these blood sucking parasites home with me.  To continue on with my bed bug vacation adventure in the great city of Philadelphia…

Upon checking into my 5 star hotel room, I asked the reservation staff member point blank “Do you have bed bugs at this hotel?”  She looked me square in the eye and stated a resounding “No, we do not!”  Concierge was soon called to pick up my luggage and we headed up to what would be my new home for the next week.  Upon arriving in the room, the concierge began to take my luggage off his cart and place it on the luggage rack.  I quickly asked him to put it in the bathtub instead.  He of course thought I was completely nuts!

Here’s a travel tip for you…bed bugs have a difficult time walking on slick surfaces, so it is highly unlikely that they will be found in the bathtub.  When you arrive in your hotel room, put your luggage in the bathtub while you inspect the entire room for bed bugs!

After the concierge man left, I began my task of tearing apart the room looking for bed bugs.  I first removed all of the dresser drawers and looked carefully at the undersides and in the cracks for bed bugs, their skins, blood stains, or any excrement.  All clear!  I used my flashlight to check the entire perimeter of the room’s baseboards and wallpaper looking for the same tale-tell evidence.  All clear!  I banged on the phone, clock/Ipod docking station several times to see if bed bugs would drop out.  All clear!  I checked the curtains, luggage rack, and closet.  All clear!

Please check back on Wednesday.