Can You Catch Bed Bugs in Ambulances, Trains and Planes?

As the name suggests, bed bugs are most commonly found in beds. This is because they’re drawn to warmth, moisture and a release of carbon dioxide. But just because they’re most commonly found in bed doesn’t mean you can only find them in a bed. 

Can you pick up bed bugs on public transport?

Potentially, yes. Bed bugs don’t stick well to our skin and tend to travel on our clothes. That means that if someone with bed bugs has sat in your seat before you, in a hotel bed before you, or any similar area, they could transfer onto your clothes.

Have bed bugs ever been found on a plane, train, or ambulance?

Yes, unfortunately. Bed bugs spread easily – all you need is one person with an infestation to stay or sit somewhere new and leave a few bed bugs behind, and you have another infestation. Here are a few notable cases of bed bugs on public transport:

In 2017, a mother and daughter on a British Airways flight discovered bed bugs but couldn’t switch seats as the flight was full. At the end of the 9-hour flight, they were both covered in bed bugs.

It wasn’t the first time British Airways had trouble with the critters, either. They had to fumigate two planes back in 2011.

In 2019 an FDNY ambulance was sealed off due to an infestation. They said they didn’t know where they had come from, but we’d take a good guess it was one of their patients!

The year before that (2018) an Ottawa ambulance suffered the same fate – unfortunately, in this case, the hospital had to deal with the problem too.

What should I do if I discover bed bugs that came from public transport?  

Signs of a bed bug infestation include itchy, red bites on any skin that was exposed during the night, specks of black on your mattress (unfortunately, this is bed bug poop), tiny spots of blood and white eggs in the crevices of your mattress and any upholstered furniture. If this all sounds distressing to you, you’re not alone. 

While we can do plenty of things to avoid bed bugs in the first place (keeping our luggage away from our beds, keeping our clothes clean, and our laundry baskets relatively empty,) sometimes an infestation occurs, even in clean homes. 

If you discover an infestation in your home, it’s always best to call a professional. At Convectex, we’re proud to be North America’s top professional bed bug heat equipment distributor. We’re so confident in our knowledge of bed bug eradication that we set up the North American Bed Bug Training Center, training hundreds of pest control companies across the country. We know that most home remedies aren’t as effective as heat treatment, and we’re here to help you get rid of your bed bugs. So whether you’re a homeowner or are looking to treat a hotel room or apartment complex, Convectex can help you out.  

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