I promise I’m not a germaphobe, or even a “bedbugophobe,” but in looking back at all the posts we’ve written since we started YMMV 6+ years ago, I’ve admittedly written a bunch of posts about bed bugs:
- How to see if your hotel has been reported for bed bugs
- How to ensure you don’t bring bed bugs home
- The U.S. cities with the most bed bugs, as ranked by Orkin (2023) (I also reported on their numbers in 2022, 2021 and 2020)
In my own defense, the critters have been something of the scourge of the earth for centuries. We even hoped/thought they would die out during the pandemic because there so many less people staying in hotels…but you know how that went.
Unfortunately, I just learned of another place bed bugs like to hang out.
Planes.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. A hotel room has bed bugs. They attach themselves to peoples’ luggage, carry-on bags, personal bags or clothes, all of which are loaded onto the plane on your way home.
- The stuff in the belly of the plane is intermixed with, and touching other peoples’ stuff. Even if you didn’t have bed bugs from your hotel, other people might have and those bed bugs could hitch a ride from other peoples’ suitcases to yours.
- The stuff in the overhead is also intermixed with other peoples’ carry-on bags, jackets, etc.
- Personal bags go on the floor, where the creatures can jump into the carpet and climb onto the seats.
- Bed bugs on the seats can latch onto your clothes and/or bite you
- Plane-issued blankets and pillows can also harbor bed bugs
What can you do to prevent getting bed bug hitchhikers on a plane?
There are several ways to decrease your chances of getting bed bugs on a plane:
Take daytime flights
Bed bugs are nocturnal. If you fly during the day, there’s more chance the little (literal) buggers will be sleeping and will leave you alone.
Consider the type of seat you’re sitting on
More airlines are offering seats covered in vinyl or pleather, than cloth. Their goal is making the seats easier to clean (as opposed to these. EW!). But it’s also good because cloth and fabric upholstery are better breeding grounds for bed bugs. The fewer seams, cracks, stitches, etc., the less places there are for bed bugs to hide.
If your airline still uses cloth seat covers, or if you’re still concerned even if they use different material, there are plastic seat covers out there (Amazon carries several – we get no kickback for this and don’t recommend one over another).
Disinfect
Covid may no longer be the threat it once was, but it might not hurt to bring Lysol wipes or spray and disinfect your seat as much as you can.
Double think using pillows and blankets
Obviously, you may not want to use an airline’s pillow or blanket because you don’t know where it’s been, when it’s been cleaned, etc. I would also be hesitant about bringing your own pillow/blanket, unless you’re willing to wrap them in plastic and wash them in hot water when you get home.
Consider the luggage you use
Light colored, hardshell suitcases will be better in letting you see if anything is on your bag. An added bonus is you can wipe hardshell luggage down with an alcohol wipe immediately after exiting the plane or collecting your suitcases at baggage claim.
Consider what you wear
The same as your luggage, if you wear light-colored clothing, you can better see if bed bugs, which are dark colored, are crawling on your clothes.
What if you see a bed bug on your plane?
You won’t know if you brought any home with you from the plane unless you get a welt that proves you were bitten. Probably best to follow the procedures for ensuring you don’t bring bed bugs into your home.
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3 comments
Bed bugs are definitely worrisome. But some facts in this article are wrong. Bed bug larva and bugs that haven’t ate in a looooooong time are clear. They aren’t red. Their red color is (yuck) blood. They are only red if they feed. Also no chemical kills them except for Damascus earth. And heat, really high heat kills eggs and larva and bugs altogether. With pest infestations on the rise, you should get a handheld steamer and use it on everything you have once you are home. Bedbugs can hide in your suitcase, even your hard shelled one unfortunately. There is cloth inside the hard shell. But bleach nor alcohol deter them. It took me 2 years to get rid of them, they lived in my carpet, but I got the Damascus earth and the handheld steamer finally and they disappeared. Now they only show up in my nightmares. Hopefully I will never see them again. Hope this helps someone.
i lived in Motel for over a year! I could not figure out what was biting me, I ad never seen a bed bug, we informed the person who owned the Motel nothing was done! We called the Health Department! They came out inspected and told us they had been there for a long long time and we’re probably in the walls! Luck and prayer let us move the Health Department told us to catch a few which we did but they never came out again!!! NOTHING!!! We paid 400 dollars a week to get the blood sucked out of usa d by trying to do things right shed us that people can be bought with Money! People who are suppose to protect us!!;;
I’ve offened wondered the same thing about lice at school, when items are put in the lost and found and one of those items happens to have a strand of hair on it with a lice bug. Then the lice get in another students item. There for causing that child to take home lice. Spreading it further. There needs to be better solutions to help stop the spread of lice. Its not just caused from someone sharing a brush or a hat.