Some air travelers may bring home more than just souvenirs after taking a trip.
One woman traveling on a Turkish Airlines flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul said she witnessed a bed bug crawling on her seat while in the air, The New York Times reported this month.
She claimed the flight attendant dismissed her concerns and later posted her experience on a Facebook travel group where others said they too had seen bed bugs on flights.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Turkish Airlines for comment.
Traveling is a common way for bed bugs to “hitchhike” on your personal belongings and follow you home, one expert says. (iStock)
A Turkish Airlines spokesperson told travel news source SimpleFlying.com: “Regarding the recent bed bug news, we would like to emphasize that Turkish Airlines remains steadfast in its commitment to the highest standards of safety and comfort.”
“Cases of bed bugs are a general problem that is occasionally encountered in public spaces, including aircraft. In this regard, we take all feedback seriously and thoroughly investigate each report. In such cases, affected aircraft immediately undergo all necessary inspections and treatments,” the spokesperson said is, adding that airline planes are “regularly cleaned” and “thoroughly disinfected before each flight”.
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Benjamin Hottel, an Orca entomologist based in Georgia, told Fox News Digital that travel is a common way for bed bugs to become a problem.
He said that bed bugs are blood feeders that look for humans or animals as a food source.
“They detect people by the carbon dioxide we exhale and by our body heat. When they’re not looking for people or animals to feed, bed bugs like to hide in dark cracks and crevices,” Hottel said.
He added: “They are not usually seen hiding in the open.”
“Bed bugs often hitchhike on luggage and personal belongings, they can end up unknowingly on airplanes“, said Hottel.
He added: “They are also incredibly adept at hitchhiking, traveling with personal items such as luggage, clothing, purses and gym bags. Travelers can unwittingly transport them from one place to another.”
Benjamin Hottel, a Georgia-based Orca entomologist, says bed bugs can latch onto personal items such as luggage, clothing, purses and gym bags. (iStock)
In November, Eric Braun, a certified entomologist and seasoned technical services manager at Terminix, told Fox News Digital that he only unpacks the essentials while traveling.
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“Personally, I put my toiletries on the bathroom counter, hang the clothes that need to be hung in the closet, and then leave everything else in the trunk and put the trunk in the bathroom,” he said.
To avoid bringing bed bugs home from travel, travelers should look for small, flat, oval and brown-red bed bugs in their luggage, Hottel says. (address)
Like Hottel, Braun also said bed bugs are good at “hitchhiking.”
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“If clothing is left in a suitcase and placed on the floor, near the bed, or within a radius of potential bed bug hiding places, then the suitcase and its contents can be at risk for hitchhiking bed bugs,” Braun said.
To avoid bringing bed bugs home from traveltravelers should look for small, flat, oval and brown-red insects in their luggage, as well as their shed skin or droppings, according to Hotell.
He said it would “look like ink stains near the seams of fabric or furniture.”
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“If you suspect that you have been exposed to bedbugs, put your travel clothes in the dryer for 30-45 minutes at the highest temperature. Vacuum your luggage and put [the] the contents of the vacuum in a sealed garbage bag,” Hottel said.
