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Balik Kampung! OH OH OH BALIK KAMPUNG! Hari Raya is just around the corner and for many of our Muslim friends, this means getting ready to head back to their hometown, visit family members and of course have good home cooked food! Being able to see atok and nenek, share a meal with their relatives and even sleeping in their childhood home can be a wonderful and nostalgic experience.
However, waiting under your mattress is a creature waiting for this exact opportunity to feast on our blood and ruin the Hari Raya mood, something I like to call the balik kampung pest. I’m talking about bed bugs! These tiny blood sucking insects are extremely difficult to spot and just one female bed bug could spell disaster for your entire home. No amount of your nenek’s home cooked rendang can distract your from their itchy rashes they leave behind. But how do bed bugs even find you in the first place? Let’s learn a bit more on bed bug hotspots and how they get from place to place.
If you’ve ever seen a bed bug, you know they are really tiny. So you might wonder, how did this tiny bug get in my bed in the first place? Many think that they fly around like many insects to get from place to place, but these pests have their own unique transport system: US! Yes, bed bugs travel by hitching a ride on humans! As we go on with our day to day activities, we come into contact with many public facilities that could be homes to these pests. Even sitting down for five minutes is enough for bed bugs to crawl on you and hitch a ride to their next destination. But where are these bed bugs hiding?
Bed bugs just appear on beds right? Wrong!. These pests are crafty and are able to hide anywhere that’s dark and mattress linings are the perfect place to wait for their next victim. Here’s a list of bed bug hotspots to watch out for this Ramadan season!
With the end of fasting almost in sight, many of us will be gearing up and planning to balik kampung. While many of us have access to cars, quite a number of balik kampung-ers opt to take public transportation such as buses or trains. With the number of people using these modes of transportation, the risk of bed bug infestation is quite high. If you’ll be taking a bus or train for the long journey home, checking the seats for any bed bug infestations will be in your best interest.
If you’re staying with relatives, chances are you will be using their spare bedroom for the week. That means furniture such as drawers, cupboards or bedside tables are rarely used. This is the perfect place for bed bugs! These pests will infest your clothes or simply crawl to you and before you know it, you’ll be covered in itchy and painful rashes. Always check these rarely used furniture for any signs of bed bugs.
Finally, something amazing to look forward to during this festive season is of course all the open house invitations (and free food), which means hanging out with friends, catching up and playing some games. One thing to keep in mind would be where you sit. Carpets and cushions are another hotspot for bed bugs to be lurking. While you’re happily chatting with your friends, these pests can come out of their hiding spots and crawl up to you. A quick check can help you avoid an unwanted itchy situation.
Bed bugs can be a real pain to deal with, requiring a proper bed bug management programme to truly manage your infestation. This Raya season, don’t let bed bugs get the best of you. Itchy, painful rashes should be the last thing you want to get. Let Rentokil help you with your bed bug problems. Call 1300 881 911 or visit our website below for an effective bed bug solution today.