Bedbugs have marched into shops, movie theaters, offices, and even opera houses, but their favorite breeding ground remains their namesake. As soon as you enter your hotel room (don't sprawl out on that plush bed just yet) inspect the sheets, mattress, and box spring, especially around the seams. You're looking for old skins (bedbugs shed papery layers that look like popcorn-kernel shells), black spots (bedbug poop), or the live insects themselves. If possible, stick your head under the bed and shine a flashlight on the bottom of the box spring.
Bedbugs love to hide in upholstered furniture. Wood chairs may be safer, but be wary of those with visible cracks. The critters can fit into any space that a credit card can be slipped into, says Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, Ph.D., an entomologist at Cornell University. Pay particular attention to the seams as you carefully look between and beneath all cushions for bugs, empty skins, or feces.
When it comes to art, these parasites don't discriminate�they've been found around elegant oil paintings in expensive hotels and cheesy prints in seedy motels. If any art is hanging in your room, examine the frame closely and peer behind it for telltale signs.
Body heat is a bedbug magnet, and the pests have two hooklike claws on each of their six legs that allow them to hitch a ride on your clothes, says entomologist Jeffrey White. Never set your luggage on a hotel bed or floor; instead, give the suitcase rack a onceover before setting your bag on it as far from the bed as possible (it's best not to put it against a wall either). But don't unzip anything until you've checked out the rest of the room.
~source : womenshealthmag~
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