Did you know that 51% of pest professionals said summer was the busiest season for pesky bed bugs? With summer right around the corner, it is a good idea to prepare for bed bugs by learning the causes of bed bugs.
Thankfully what causes bed bugs is not a mystery, below we will teach you how to prevent a bed bug infestation from taking over your home.
Second Hand Furniture
This is a common way for bed bugs to enter a home. One of the myths is that bed bugs only live in beds, but this is far from the truth. Learning about these common myths will help you avoid dealing with an infestation. Used furniture on the side of the road or in a vintage shop might have bed bugs hiding in them.
If you buy a furniture piece that is infested with bed bugs and it is brought into your home or business it can spiral out of control and invade your home. Bed bugs have the ability to survive for many months without eating a blood meal, so if someone has furniture stored in a garage or a storage unit this alone will not kill off any bed bugs that are present.
Guests
If you have guests staying in your home, they might accidentally bring you these extra unwanted guests. They might have no idea that they have bed bugs in their own homes and have a few hitchhikers on their luggage.
They might also pick them up during their travels and have no idea. They can transfer from luggage to luggage during an airplane ride, train ride, bus ride, etc. Once your guests leave, wash all of the sheets in hot water and dry everything in high heat as a precaution, in case any bed bugs did come along for the ride.
Kids
If your kids visit different friend’s homes, they might bring back bed bugs with them. When they come back home check everything they bring back with them especially around any seams of book bags and clothing. If they have toys check those too.
It is best practice to wash anything they were wearing and dry it in high heat, to be safe rather than sorry. If they slept over and had any of their own blankets, pillows, and sheets do not forget to wash all of those too.
Travel
If you travel for fun or for business, you can accidentally bring bed bugs home if you are not careful or aware. When you first arrive at your hotel make sure to take the time to inspect the bed in your room. Pull back the sheets and examine the seams on the box spring and the sheets.
Look for both dead bed bugs and living ones. Usually, they are the size of an apple seed so look closely because they can be missed. You can also look for any fecal matter they leave behind which looks like a permanent marker stain.
Be careful to not put your luggage near the bed when you arrive in your room. If there are any bed bugs they can hitchhike on to your luggage and come back home with you. Keeping luggage as far away from the bed as possible is best because usually, they hang out on beds.
When you arrive back home double-check your luggage for any bed bugs and wash your clothes immediately. Although bed bugs can survive the washing machine they can’t survive high heat. Placing your clothes in the dryer for a minimum of 20 minutes will kill bed bugs no matter what stage of life they are in.
How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Bedbugs are able to crawl about as fast as a ladybug, which makes it easy for them to move from room to room without much effort. Because they are so tiny it is hard to notice them moving around.
As was mentioned earlier they can spread to a new home either through furniture or if they hitchhike on luggage or clothing during travel.
Crowded places with a higher turnover occupancy make bed bugs more common and easier to spread around. Cruise ships, trains, buses, schools, nursing homes, libraries, dorm rooms, hotels, apartment complexes are all lodgings that bed bugs are more commonly found. If you travel to any of these make sure to inspect everything you have with you when you go back to your home.
Bed bugs have flat bodies that make it easy for them to not get smashed. Bed bugs are also very careful when they are moving around. They tend to wait until everything is quiet and move to feed on a new host when everyone is sleeping. When they feed they first inject their victim with a mild anesthetic during the initial bite to prevent the host from feeling anything.
Now You Know the Causes of Bed Bugs
As you can see there are a few different causes of bed bugs and knowing about them will help you avoid spreading them in your home. Knowing the ins and outs of bed bugs will also help you catch them early on if you end up with bed bugs in your home. The earlier you catch them the easier it will be to get them under control.
Contacting a professional is the best way to get bed bug relief in your home. They have the equipment to kill off bed bugs in different stages of life.
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