How to Avoid Bed Bugs After Riding the MCTS
Riding the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is a great way to get around the city. Whether you are heading to work, school, or a Brewers game, the bus is easy and helpful. But did you know you might be sharing your ride with tiny, unwanted passengers?
Bed bugs do not just live in beds. They are excellent hitchhikers, and public transit is one of the easiest ways for them to travel from one place to another. Here at MKE Bug Pros, we want to help you keep these pests out of your home.
Here is everything you need to know about how to avoid bed bugs on the bus.
Meet the Hitchhikers
Bed bugs are tiny, flat insects. They are about the size and color of an apple seed. They do not fly, and they do not jump. Instead, they crawl. Because thousands of people ride the MCTS every day, it is easy for a bed bug to crawl off one person's coat or backpack and hide in the cracks of a bus seat. When the next person sits down, the bug simply crawls onto their clothing or bag and goes home with them.
3 Ways to Avoid Bed Bugs on the Bus
You do not need to stop riding the bus! You just need to be a little more careful. Follow these three simple steps during your next ride:
Look Before You Sit Before you sit down, take two seconds to look at the seat. Bed bugs love to hide in the seams and folds of fabric or the edges of plastic seats. If you see tiny dark spots (which look like black pepper) or actual bugs, do not sit there. Move to a different seat.
Keep Your Bags Close Do not put your backpack, purse, or grocery bags on the floor or on the empty seat next to you. The safest place for your bags is right on your lap. This makes it much harder for bugs to crawl inside.
Stand Up When It's Crowded If the bus is completely full, standing up is actually the safest choice for avoiding bugs. When you stand, your clothes have less contact with the seats, giving bugs fewer chances to climb aboard.
What to Do When You Get Home
If you think you sat near a bed bug, do not panic! You can stop them before they spread into your bedroom.
As soon as you walk through your front door, take off your outer clothes and empty your bags. Put your clothes straight into the washing machine. Wash them in hot water, and then dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Bed bugs cannot survive high temperatures, so the dryer will eliminate any bugs hiding in the fabric.
Call the Milwaukee Experts
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a bed bug makes it through. If you start waking up with itchy, red bites, or if you spot tiny dark bugs near your mattress, you need to act fast. Bed bugs multiply quickly, and they are very hard to get rid of on your own.
That is where we come in! At MKE Bug Pros, we have the tools and experience to clear bed bugs out of your Milwaukee home for good. If you think you brought a pest home from your commute, give us a call today at 414-877-5811 or contact us here. We are always here to help!
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