After reading a review on another web site about a trip I was embarking on and hotel I picked at $150/night, I freaked when I read several complaints from previous travelers about bed bugs in the hotel. Oftentimes I sleep on the floor if the bed is too soft, and the thought of being easy prey is worrisome. I made it through the trip without a bite, but I’ve been bitten many times in many hotels–mostly from spiders and fleas prominent in pet-friendly hotels.
Thirty years after bed bugs were believed to be exterminated nationwide, the bloodsuckers-which feast on sleeping humans-are making a comeback of epidemic proportions. My friend who owned a beach hostel had problems with them constantly. In fact, they don’t just pick on the youth traveler, but appear in even the poshest resorts. 700 mid-priced hotels were surveyed and 25% had bed bug problems. Like other insect bites, you may sleep through the night and discover the problems come morning, or wake up to itchy welts and irritated skin, during your slumber.
Rest Easy, a natural spray that keeps bed bugs at bay, is made from essential oils–cinnamon, lemongrass, clove, and mint–and it’s people-safe, earth-friendly, and smells minty.
Bed bugs were formerly wiped out in the U.S. by the now-banned pesticide DDT. And they’re back! Found wherever people come and go-like hotel rooms, airports, and dorms-the 1/4″ inch long nocturnal pests hide in furniture seams, box springs, and even tiny floor cracks, patiently awaiting a host. They can live without eating for up to a year.
Rest Easy 2-ounce spray bottle kills some of the bugs, but mostly keeps them at bay, the manufacturers claim. If I spray it and am never bothered, then I really won’t know for sure if it works. It’s not cheap, either. 4 oz. of the product costs $14 approx. resteasykillsbedbugs.com
