Popular Washington Vacation Destination is Crawling With Bed Bugs

Summer travel season is right around the corner and AAA is already predicting which vacation destinations will be hot picks for Idahoans in 2024. As you make your plans, we just want to give you a heads up that four of those destinations, including one in the Pacific Northwest, appear on a list of America’s “Bed Bug Capitals.”

How Dangerous are Bed Bugs?

The good news is that while these tiny bugs are absolutely repulsive, they’re more annoying than dangerous. According to the CDC, there’s a good chance that if you were a bed bug’s snack overnight you may not know that when you wake up. Bed bugs inject humans with anesthetic and an anticoagulant, so their bites are unlikely to wake you up and or leave behind blood marks. Within a couple of days, those bites may swell or become itchy, like a mosquito bite would. 

READ MORE: If You See Any of These 5 Bugs in Idaho, Kill Them Immediately

That said, bed bug bites can be linked to more serious, non-visible symptoms like insomnia and anxiety.

Why Are Bed Bugs a Travel Concern?

That’s a good question and probably the whole reason you’re reading this article to begin with. When you travel to an area known for high infestations of bed bugs, you risk bringing them home to YOUR house. Bed bugs have skinny flat bodies, so the number of places they can hide and hitch a ride is nearly infinite.

They’ll get into the seams of your luggage, folds of your clothes or inside a pillowcase on the pillow you brought from home. They can survive for a while without feeding, so they’ll just hang out until you unpack. When you least expect it, they’ll emerge, bite you again and start spreading in your bedding, furniture or other areas of your home. 

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This list is important to pay attention to because bed bugs aren’t prejudiced. You may feel like you’ll avoid them by booking a fancy five-star hotel, but the truth is they’re just as likely to infest luxury accommodations as they are homeless shelters or college dorm rooms. 

How Can I Tell If a Bed is Infested With Bed Bugs?

Like we mentioned, these guys are tiny so spotting them with the naked eye isn’t easy. The CDC says that not only are they known to hide in the areas listed above, they can also hide in cracks, crevices, indentations in headboards or behind wallpaper while they wait to feed. The most tell-tale sign that a room has a bed bug problem is rusty colored blood spots on the mattress or furniture. You may also find their molted exoskeletons or smell a sweet, must odor. 

While spotting them with your own eyes can be difficult, some of them can get as large as the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny, so it’s not impossible. 

Seattle and 3 Other Popular Vacation Destinations Rank Among Most Bed Bug Infested Cities

And that brings us to Orkin’s annual bed bug report, which ranks cities based on the number of bed bug treatments they performed between December 1, 2022 and November 30, 2023. 

Four of the cities on AAA’s list of the most popular Memorial Day Destinations for Idahoans overlap with the bed bug list. Denver is the 10th most popular destination and it’s ranks #15 on the bed rug report.

Seattle ranks eighth in popularity and #44 for bed bugs.

Dreams of a Disney vacation make Orlando the fifth most popular destination for Idahoans, but the city ranks #46 for bed bugs.

Finally, what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas…except for bed bugs. Vegas is the #3 destination from Idahoans and just ended up on the bed bug report for the first time, ranking #35. 

Planning a trip elsewhere? Here's a look at Orkin's full list to help you prepare to be on the look out for signs of bed bug infestations when you arrive at your hotel or Airbnb.