These small, red-brown insects that are as small as an apple seed can suck your blood, feed on your pets’ blood, and infest your furniture but how do bed bugs get in your house? Well, bed bugs are natural hitchhikers and can travel with you from place to place eventually making a home in your home. We’re going to dive into where they come from and the steps to take if you have a bed bug infestation.
How Bed Bugs Spread
Bed bugs can come from another house, a hotel, dorm room, hostel, or apartment and get from one place to another by attaching themselves to clothing, bags, luggage, shoes, and other personal items. So, how do bed bugs get in your house? They can:
- Infest secondhand furniture, mattresses, textiles, suitcases, upholstery, box springs, and other items.
- Enter houses through gaps in the floor, cracks in the wall, fissures in windows, and baseboards.
- Attach themselves to your clothes, shoes, and other personal belongings and make their way into your house.
- Be transported into your home via products from warehouses and storage facilities.
- Spread through common areas like hallways and elevators.
- Pass through walls, floors, and ceilings.
If your home has a higher internal temperature which means that it’s warm, bed bugs may be more attracted to this environment and find a way into your home. However, bed bugs can endure a wide variety of environments, can survive a temperature of over 100°F (37°C), and survive fasting or not feeding for long periods of time which is why they’re such a big issue in the United States.
Common Hiding Spot
Bed bugs are pests that can be hard to locate because they hide in different spots well. The most common hiding spots where you can find bed bugs include:
- Mattresses
- Box springs
- Bed frames
- Headboards
- Baseboards
- Wall hangings
- Electrical outlets
- Textile or fabric seams
- Furniture
- Bedding
- Drapes
- Bags
Figuring out the exact location of where these bugs can help you learn how to get rid of them most effectively and understand how do bed bugs get in your house better.
Signs of an Infestation
Although bed bugs are pretty hard to find because they’re some of the many possible tiny bugs in a house, you can look out for telltale signs of an infestation. Look for the following:
- Red or brown bugs on your mattresses, furniture, clothes, or other items around the house
- Tiny white eggs on box springs, shoes, or upholstery
- Small blood spots on your bedsheets, pillow cases, or the couch
- Fecal stains on personal items
- Tiny, irritating, or itchy bites on your skin
- Reddish-brown dust and a musty, sweet odor
Checking on your body and different rooms in your house for these signs can help you determine whether or not you’ve got a bed bug infestation.
Bed Bug Infestation Prevention
The best way to avoid a bed bug issue is by protecting your home and taking the necessary preventive measures that include:
- Thoroughly inspecting any secondhand items bought and brought into your home (e.g., furniture, mattresses, and clothing)
- Check rooms in hotels, dorms, hostels, condominiums, and apartments for bed bugs before settling in
- Wash all of your personal items as soon as you get home
- Learn how to caulk like a professional and seal any gaps in the windows, doors, or other potential entryways
- Check your home for an infestation routinely
- Consult a professional pest control service to do a regular inspection or cleaning
- When not used, pack clothing and other belongings in airtight or plastic bags when you travel
- Learn how to use a vacuum cleaner, steamer, or hair dryer and use these appliances to get rid of any bed bugs present on your personal items before going into the house
How do bed bugs get in your house? By not taking the prevention steps above.
Control and Extermination
If you know that you have a bed bug infestation, there are different ways to exterminate and control these pests. Now that you know the answer to “how do bed bugs get in your house,” you can use chemical products or non-chemical methods that include vacuuming or steaming:
- Pesticides: follow an expert pest control provider’s instructions or purchase a pesticide and use this product as outlined in the instructions.
- Steaming or applying heat: dry clothes and bedding at the highest heat setting possible in the dryer, use a steamer, or hair dryer to effectively kill bed bugs.
- Pack items: when coming home from traveling, keep all items in sealed plastic bags until they can be washed or sanitized.
- Vacuuming: use different vacuum cleaner attachments to physically remove bed bugs from difficult-to-reach places around your home.
After learning about how do beg bugs get in your house, you can deal with them accordingly by using one or a mix of the methods above. If all else fails, consult a professional exterminator to eradicate these insects.
How to Choose a Reputable Pest Control Company
Even though you know how do bed bugs get in your house and you’ve exhausted all of your options, they might still be out and about. here’s how to choose the best pest control company for the job:
- Ask for references when you’re looking for a trustworthy pest control business.
- Make sure that an exterminator is licensed and insured.
- Research the pest control services they offer, what techniques or products they use, and clients they’ve worked with before.
- Inquire about follow-ups or post-treatment procedures to stop future infestations.
After you’ve contacted a pest control professional, here’s how to prepare your home for extermination:
- Clean your house: get rid of as much junk and clutter as possible! This will make it harder for bed bugs to hide and easier for the exterminators to find them.
- Wash your clothes and bedding: wash and dry all of your clothes and bedding on the highest heat possible. Otherwise, keep all of these items sealed in plastic bags until they can be washed.
After successfully exterminating the bed bugs in your home, follow the advice and recommendations given by expert exterminators to prevent re-infestation. Also, follow up with the pest control professionals for any post-eradication treatments.
Bottom Line: How Do Bed Bugs Get in Your House
How do bed bugs get in your house? These insects could have found their way into your home by attaching themselves to clothing, luggage, second-hand upholstery, shoes, and other personal belongings. It’s important to look for the telltale signs of a bed bugs infestation like blood stains, fecal spots, or live bed bugs, and get rid of them yourself or with the help of a professional pest control service.
FAQs on How Do Bed Bugs Get in Your House
What exactly are bedbugs?
Bed bugs are small, red-brown insects that feed on human and animal blood. These pests are usually found in sleeping areas and cause skin irritation or redness after taking blood. How do bed bugs get in your house? People usually carry them into homes or these pests find their way inside via entryways.
How can bed bugs get around?
Bed bugs can make their way through floors, walls, and ceilings which is why they spread so quickly in hotels, apartments, condominiums, hostels, and dorms. These pests usually infest furniture, clothing, and personal items.
What signs do bed bug bites cause?
Even though you know the answer to how do bed bugs get in your house, you may still not be sure if they’re in your home. Well, when you’re bitten, you’ll feel see redness, be itchy, or have irritated skin. Not all people have this reaction but these signs can show up days after being bitten and in a line or cluster.
How can I stop bed bugs from getting into my house?
Now that you know the answer to “how do bed bugs get in your house,” you can stop them by:
- Inspecting personal belongings that are brought back into your home
- Checking secondhand furniture, clothing, or other products for bed bugs
- Learning how to remove old caulk and properly seal windows, doors, and other potential entryways
- Pack clothes, textiles, and other fabrics away in plastic bags when not in use
- Regularly inspecting your house for bed bugs
- Consulting a professional pest control business to inspect your area and home
What are the financial effects of bed bugs on people and businesses?
Bed bugs can cause people to lose sleep, emotional discomfort, and lead to absences from school or work. Bed bug treatments and extermination can also be an investment and be quite expensive.
How can caulking and sealing keep bed bugs out of my house?
By caulking and sealing holes and crevices in baseboards, walls, and floors, you can keep bed bugs out of your house because there’s no way in.
Why is working with a qualified pest control specialist important?
A professional pest control specialist has the skills, training, technologies, and products that can effectively get rid of bed bugs and prevent re-infestation. Even though you’ve learned from this article, how do bed bugs get in your house, consulting experts are highly recommended!
The post How do Bed Bugs Get in Your House? Common Causes of Bed Bugs Infestation appeared first on Kitchen Infinity.
kitcheninfinity.com
