the size of an apple seed). They are brown but darken to a blood red colour after feeding. They can live without food for more than one year. Young bedbugs (nymphs) look similar to adults, but are smaller in size and lighter in colour. Bedbug eggs are white, about one millimetre long, and are very hard to see on most surfaces. The female bedbug lays about 200 eggs in her lifetime, at a rate of two to seven eggs per day. The eggs are laid in cracks and crevices, behind woodwork and other hidden locations, and usually hatch in six to sixteen days. Bedbugs normally come out at night to feed, attracted by the carbon dioxide we exhale. Both adults and nymphs feed on the blood of people and animals. Bedbug bites may not be noticed right away because they typically feed at night when people are asleep. Bedbugs do not transmit any known human diseases, although occasionally bites may become infected. Bedbugs prefer locations where they can hide easily and feed regularly, like sleeping areas. Their thin and flat bodies allow the bedbugs to hide in extremely small spaces, such as under wallpaper, behind picture frames, in electrical outlets, inside box springs, and in mattress pads. They struggle climbing metal or polished surfaces and cannot fly or jump. How do you keep from bringing bedbugs home when you travel? Taking the following precautions while travelling helps to ensure a bug-free stay at your hotel and to keep bedbugs from