“We believe that prevention is better than having to subject a guest room and more importantly a guest bed in which people will be sleeping to chemical sprays, plus constant use of insecticide sprays can contribute to the bugs becoming insecticide resistant, ” says Nadine Barnes of Commercial Supplies

It is important to provide metal luggage racks for suitcases and to encourage your guests to use them. The last thing you want guests to do is to put their bags on the bed because guess who will jump straight off and start making themselves right at home? 

Bed bugs love to hide close to their food supply – you should reduce available hiding places by sealing cracks in bed frames, headboards, walls, floors, door and window frames and fixing loose wallpaper. Frequent vacuuming of these areas will also help.

Check seams and buttons on mattresses. The use of a Mattress and Bed Base Encasement such as Bug Lock is recommended on all new beds to protect them from infestation and aid in early detection (look for tell-tale signs including blood spots on sheets, pillows and linen). If you do encounter a problem and have installed Bug Lock Encasements, you will save time and labour costs associated with addressing the infested bedding plus you will be able to salvage your mattress and base.

Bug Lock Encasements can also be used if you have an existing problem. A Bug Lock encasement will trap any existing bed bugs that you have missed eradicating inside the bedding and will prevent new bugs from entering. Without food the bugs will die!

Bed bugs are real and you need to be vigilant in the fight against these small creatures that have the ability to cost you a lot of money. If you would like to know more about Bug Lock Encasements or to receive a free informative pamphlet about bed bugs produced by NZ Crop & Food Research, please contact Commercial Supplies.