Understanding Bed Bugs and How They Infest Your Home
Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They are reddish-brown in color, wingless, and measure 1 to 7 mm in length. Bed bugs typically feed at night when people are sleeping, using their needle-like mouthparts to pierce the skin and draw blood.
Bed bugs are able to quickly reproduce and lay hundreds of eggs over their lifetime. The eggs are white and about 1 mm in size. After hatching, bed bug nymphs look similar to adults, but are much smaller and must molt several times before reaching maturity.
Bed bugs are very good at hiding in small cracks and crevices such as mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dressers, upholstered furniture, behind baseboards, and in clutter. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into the smallest spaces out of sight.
Bed bugs are sneaky hitchhikers as well. They can travel between apartments through voids and cracks in walls, electrical conduits, plumbing fixtures and ductwork. They can also be transported in luggage, clothing, furniture, boxes and other items when people change residences or travel.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
Some key signs that you may have bed bugs include:
- Itchy skin welts or clusters of red bite marks on your body
- Blood stains on your sheets from crushed bed bugs
- Dark fecal spots on mattresses, box springs or bed frames
- An offensive, sweet, musty odor in heavily infested areas
- Seeing live bed bugs crawling on your bed, furniture or walls
- White eggs or empty eggshells in crevices and cracks
- Molted bed bug skins after nymphs have shed
How Bed Bugs Spread from Place to Place
Bed bugs move from place to place in a few key ways:
- Hitchhiking in luggage, purses, backpacks, furniture or bedding
- Crawling between adjoining apartments through voids and cracks
- Being carried in used furniture or items bought secondhand
- Moving between rooms within a home or apartment
- Traveling on peoples clothing or hiding in cars and buses
Understanding how bed bugs spread can help you be more vigilant about checking for them when staying in hotels, visiting friends or family, or buying used items.
Tips to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs Home When Traveling
Bed bugs in hotels and motels are a big concern for travelers. But there are some steps you can take to inspect for bed bugs and avoid bringing them home after your trip:
Inspect the Hotel Room Thoroughly
- As soon as you enter the room, pull back the sheets and inspect the seams and pleats of the mattress and box spring for any signs of bed bugs.
- Check behind the headboard for streaks of fecal matter or blood spots.
- Examine cracks and crevices of bed frames and furniture for any crawling bed bugs.
- Look along baseboards and wall edges for brownish stains and live bugs.
- Inspect luggage racks and furniture near the bed for infestations.
Use Flashlight and Magnifying Glass
Use a flashlight and magnifying glass to inspect every crack, seam and crevice where bed bugs could hide. The sooner you spot an infestation, the sooner you can request another room.
Elevate Luggage Off the Floor
After inspecting the room, do not place any belongings on the floor. Keep luggage elevated on a luggage rack or table to prevent bed bugs from crawling inside.
Store Clothes in Plastic Bags
Keep items you arent wearing like shoes, coats and dresses tightly sealed in plastic bags while in the hotel room. This deprives bed bugs of a chance to hide inside your belongings.
Vacuum Suitcases Thoroughly
When returning from your trip, immediately empty suitcases and vacuum thoroughly inside and out using a brush attachment. This will remove any bed bugs or eggs that may have hitched a ride.
Wash All Clothes at High Heat
Wash all clothing, undergarments and accessories at the highest heat setting allowable for the fabric. High heat kills bed bugs and eggs in all stages of development.
Dry At High Heat For At Least 30 Minutes
After washing clothes, dry them at the highest heat setting for at least 30 minutes to eliminate any remaining bed bugs.
Preventative Measures When At Home
You dont have to be a frequent traveler to worry about bed bugs. There are several steps you can take right inside your own home to make it less inviting to the pests:
Install Door Sweeps or Seals
Seal any cracks around baseboards, windows and doorways with caulk. Install door sweeps or weatherstripping under doors to block access for bed bugs.
Remove Access to Couches and Beds
Keep fabric couches and beds pulled a few inches away from touching walls or baseboards. Tuck bedspreads under mattresses to remove any dangling access points.
Cover Electrical Outlets
Buy plastic outlet covers, switch plate covers, and duct tape to seal off outlets, switches and vents where bed bugs could sneak in.
Fix Cracked Plaster
Repair cracked plaster on walls and ceilings to eliminate voids where bed bugs can hide. Use caulk around utilities that cut through walls, flooring and ceilings.
Declutter Your Home
Get rid of any unnecessary clutter like stacks of newspapers, magazines, boxes and bags on floors and around beds. Clutter provides more places for bed bugs to breed and thrive.
Encase Mattresses and Box Springs
Covering mattresses and box springs with bed bug proof encasements traps bugs inside and prevents future infestations. The vinyl encasements stop bugs from biting through the fabric.
Use Plastic Storage Containers
Store clothing, bedding, shoes and accessories in sealable plastic bins or storage containers. This restricts bed bugs from gaining access to personal items.
What To Do If You Bring Bed Bugs Home
Despite your best preventative efforts, sometimes bed bugs make it past all of our defenses. If you end up with an infestation at home, here are the next best steps:
Dont Panic
Try to remain calm and avoid too much anxiety. Bed bugs often take some patience and diligence to fully get rid of, but there are effective ways to eliminate them from your home.
Wash and Heat Treat Infested Items
Wash infested clothing, linens and other items at the hottest temperature allowable, then run them through the dryer at high heat for 30 minutes. This kills bed bugs and eggs.
Vacuum Thoroughly and Remove Debris
Use a vacuum with a crevice tool and brush attachments to remove any live bugs or eggs. Be sure to immediately dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed bag after each use.
Encase Mattresses and Furniture
Covering your mattress and any upholstered furniture with bed bug proof encasements is key to trapping the bugs and cutting off their food supply.
Use Chemical Sprays or Treatments
There are many effective sprays, powders and dusts available that safely kill bed bugs on contact. Apply these insecticides in cracks, crevices, seams and folds where bed bugs are spotted or tend to hide out.
Be Patient
Getting rid of a bed bug infestation takes diligence and multiple chemical treatments over weeks or months. Be patient and keep up with the recommended steps until the bugs are fully gone.
Help From Professional Exterminators
Severe bed bug infestations or limited success getting rid of the pests may require help from professional pest control experts. They have powerful tools and knowledge to fully eliminate bed bugs where theyre hiding.
Canine Inspections
Pest control companies may use trained dogs to sniff out hard-to-find bed bugs in cracks, voids and furniture joints that show no outward signs of infestation.
Powerful Insecticides
Exterminators have access to regulated commercial-grade pesticides lethal to bed bugs that arent available to consumers. But rest assured they use these chemicals in the safest, most effective ways possible.
Whole Home Heat Treatments
Heating an entire home or apartment to over 115F kills all bed bugs and eggs hiding throughout the space. Professional trucks are used to safely raise temperatures and kill the pests.
Secondary Chemical Treatments
After heat treatments, exterminators follow up with sprays, dusts and powders into cracks and crevices to kill any survivors and prevent re-infestation.
Stay Vigilant Against Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are challenging pests that require expertise and diligence to prevent and eliminate. But staying vigilant when traveling, inspecting your home and taking preventative measures will help protect you and avoid the nuisance of dealing with an infestation.
FAQs
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
Signs of bed bugs include red itchy bite marks on your skin, blood spots on sheets, a sweet musty odor in rooms, seeing live bugs crawling on beds or furniture, and finding white eggs or brown fecal stains in cracks and crevices.
Can bed bugs come back after treatment?
Yes, bed bugs can reappear after treatment if any eggs survived or new bugs find their way into your home. Be patient and keep using sprays and powders in infested areas until all signs of bugs are gone.
Do bed bugs spread disease?
No, bed bugs do not transmit disease. The bites can become irritated and infected from scratching, but the bugs themselves pose no major health risks.
How do you get rid of bed bugs permanently?
Fully eliminating bed bugs requires diligence to find all hiding spots, patiently applying treatments over weeks/months, washing and heating all fabrics, sealing cracks bed bugs use, encasing mattresses, decluttering rooms, and hiring exterminators if needed.
Can bed bugs live in your car?
Yes, bed bugs can infest cars if they crawl inside to hitchhike or get transported in purses, bags or clothing. Vacuum and inspect inside vehicles carefully and keep belongings sealed in bags while traveling.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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