3 of Idaho’s Favorite Vacation Destinations Are Crawling with Bed Bugs

For many Idahoans, Labor Day Weekend means one last chance to get out and explore before the leaves change and cooler weather sets in. AAA predicts that nearly 17 million Americans will take advantage of the last unofficial days of summer to travel. 

If you’re one of the thousands of Idahoans traveling over the Labor Day holiday, AAA says that if you want to avoid traffic, the best time for you to hit the road is before noon on Thursday, August 29 or Friday, August 30. They expect a lot of congestion those evenings as the regular commute overlaps with travel plans. 

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

Where are Idahoans headed for the long weekend? Anaheim, Seattle, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Orlando, Seattle, Honolulu, the Oregon Coast, Reno, Maui and Anchorage. These cities all bring something very cool to the table as places to see and things to do. HOWEVER, several of these cities have the dishonor of being one of America’s “Bed Bug Capitals.” 

How Dangerous are Bed Bugs?

For some reason, we’ve been having nightmares about these creepy crawlies lately. Maybe it was the older hotel we recently stayed at near Denver. As far as we know, that hotel didn’t have an active infestation but we had the first nightmare about them laying in that bed. 

The good news is that while the tiny bugs are more than repulsive enough to haunt our dreams, 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. 

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. 

3(ish) of Idaho's Favorite Rank Among America's 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. 

Three-ish of the cities on AAA’s list of the most popular Labor Day destinations overlap with the bed bug list. 

While Disney World is usually jam packed with big crowds throughout the summer, Labor Day Weekend seems to be an oddity. Many Disney bloggers say that the part is relatively slow over the holiday weekend. That might be why Orlando is the sixth most popular destination for Idahoans, but the city ranks #46 for bed bugs.

Seattle ranks fifth in popularity and that may have something to do with the fact that the Washington State Fair is happening in nearby Puyallup over Labor Day Weekend. This year Walker Hayes, Wiz Khalifa, TobyMac and Gabriel Iglesias are performing. Or it might because Bumbershoot, a huge music and visual arts festival, is in town. But...it also ranks #44 for bed bugs.

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.

We said "three-ish" cities because Anaheim doesn't technically appear on the list but Los Angels that's just 26 miles way? It ranks #5 for bed bugs!

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.