Buzz
Bedbugs are no longer just confined to beds. A Canadian family endured bites all over during a nine-hour flight to London. To make matters worse, the mother noticed a bedbug early on in the flight, but the crew claimed there was nothing they could do about it.
Frequent flyers are accustomed to checking for bedbugs in hotels, but what about on airplanes? I consulted with entomologists before embarking on a five-hour flight. (I'm pleased to report, I didn’t encounter any bedbugs.)
The Bad News First
“It's challenging for a passenger to inspect for bedbugs on a plane,” explains urban entomologist Jody Green, who answers questions about all types of bugs at the University of Nebraska extension. Bedbugs hide in tiny crevices, and it's possible to get bitten without even spotting one.
This means the airline’s cleaning crew might miss them too. I've found trash left by previous passengers in the seatback pocket; there’s no chance the crew is eradicating bedbugs in the brief ten-minute interval between unloading one group of passengers and boarding the next.
Your concerns don’t stop once you leave the plane. Bedbugs can hitch a ride into your luggage, including your purse or laptop bag. Green emphasizes: “The main objective is to AVOID bringing them home.”
Alright, Now Take a Deep Breath
It may offer little comfort, but bedbugs don’t spread diseases or cause serious health issues (though you may have an allergic reaction or discomfort, similar to bee stings). Green recommends a few protective measures:
Cover your skin. Bedbugs typically can’t bite through most clothing, though pantyhose may not provide adequate protection. The Canadian mother in the recent case found bites on her neck, hands, and waistline.
Consider bringing your own seat cover. Also, bring a blanket or sleep sack if you're serious about avoiding them.
Wrap your luggage in plastic. The little pests won’t be able to penetrate it.
I stopped Green to explain that I really don’t want to be the odd one on the plane with luggage wrapped in plastic. 'I feel the same way,' she replied, and then she took out all her luggage in the garage, carefully inspecting everything before bringing it into the house.
When inspecting your luggage after a trip, keep an eye out for tiny flat bugs, ranging from the size of a poppy seed to the size of an apple seed. Joe Ballenger, an entomologist who responds to questions at Ask an Entomologist, advises that you shouldn’t jump to conclusions at the sight of any crawling creature; 'most bed bug photos we receive are not bed bugs.'
If you happen to catch a bug, store it in a plastic bag (freezing it can kill it) and send a photo to someone who can help identify it. In addition to Ask an Entomologist, many state universities have an extension service that can offer advice, like this detailed infographic, on how to eliminate a bedbug infestation.
A final note: You can never be entirely sure of where you picked up bedbugs, even if you know when the bites first appeared. They can take up to 48 hours to become itchy or painful, and some people may not react at all. Ballenger recommends notifying both the airline you flew with and any hotels you stayed at. Here’s a disturbing thought: 'If you picked them up at the hotel, you may have unknowingly brought them onto the plane with you. In my view, it’s best to alert both parties.' So, that person who brought bedbugs onto the plane? It could have been you.
