Regarding cities making the list of Top Bed Bug Cities in the United States, Missouri doesn't do too badly, with only one city making the list. Of course, it doesn't really matter where you pick up the dreaded bed bugs, once you have them, they're hard to eradicate. So here's how you can keep yourself and your castle free from the little blood suckers while you explore the world, or even decide to spend the weekend checking out one of Missouri's other cities.

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How To Spot Bed Bugs In Missouri

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, here are things to look for when traveling to avoid staying in a bed bug-infected room. These tips also work if you're trying to figure out if you have a bed bug problem in your home.

• Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattresses from bed bugs being crushed.
• Dark spots about the size of the point in front of this sentence. This is bed bug excrement. It can also bleed on the fabric like a magic marker will.
• Tiny eggs and egg shells, like one millimeter. Also, look for pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.

Tips For Spotting Bed Bugs At Hotels and Vacation Rentals In Missouri

USA Today published an article on the subject recently. They recommend, first and foremost, that you put your luggage in the bathtub of the hotel room or place your staying, or even leave it outside until you've completed your inspection.

USA Today says bed bugs favor places with fabric where humans like to lounge. So you're looking at beds, sofas, soft chairs. That type of stuff. The USA Today article suggests travelers turn off the lights and close the drapes in the room they're inspecting, and use their phone's flashlight.

Shine the flashlight on the beds during the inspection. Pull the sheets back and check under the creases of the mattress. Bed bugs are good at hiding in all the little nooks and crannies inside beds, bed sheets, and the seams of bedspreads.  You're looking for those rusty or reddish stains or the bed bug poo I described above.

Additionally, one of the experts USA Today spoke with is a believer in looking at online travel site reviews. One of their experts suggested going a few months deep on Trip Advisor reviews, and also looking at the reviews on the hotel brand sites because many are written by their loyalty members. Essentially, you're looking to see what the hotel's cleanliness situation is, and if anyone's mentioned bed bugs.

The EPA also says bedbugs, in heavily infested rooms, may also be hiding out in the folds of drapes or curtains, in drawer joints, in electrical receptacles and appliances, and at the junction of where the wall and the ceiling meet.

The Bottom Line 

Bed bugs are gross and they don't discriminate. So you're just as likely to run into them at a five-star resort hotel as you are at the seedy hot sheets joint you'd never be caught dead in. Doing your research and engaging in an inspection of your hotel room, however, is a great step to keeping you and your stuff bed bug-free.

Orkin has also put together their list of top cities with bed bug problems, keep scrolling to see which Missouri city made the list.