Are you finding bed bugs in your home?

Most people are under the false impression that a dirty environment attracts bed bugs. But the truth is that bed bugs are not too fussy about the state of their environment as long as they get their quota of fresh human and occasionally animal blood, the environment is rarely the main motivator behind bed bug presence. The clutter, mess and dirt usually just act as good and extra hiding places for these parasites to hide in and they are not the cause of bed bug problems. Bed bug hiding places include crevices, cracks, adjacent furniture, mattresses and box spring, clothing and linens and windows.

Bed bugs can be a real nuisance to you as they can cause a lot of unnecessary stress to you or your family. So let’s have a look at the reality behind what attracts bed bugs in the first place.

What Attracts Bed Bugs

• Bed bugs are usually attracted to darker colors like red and black rather than light colors like white and yellow.
• It is advisable to not put your clothes on the floor. Bed bugs are attracted to dirty laundry. They usually hide and are drawn towards soiled damp clothes that have been worn by a human thereby increasing the chances of bed bug infestation.
• Usually, bed bugs feed on human blood and are attracted to warmth. They are attracted to human beings as they produce carbon dioxide. They prefer sleeping people with exposed body parts like the neck, arms and face.

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs require an adequate blood meal at a certain frequency if they want to thrive, grow and breed. Bed bugs are unlike any flies or ticks which live on their hosts and have evolved with a different survival technique to spread and still get their food source. So how to find bed bugs? They usually hitchhike on different objects like bags, clothes and use these to crawl into places where humans live such as your home. Once they are able to find a host, they try to stay as close as possible to establish their colony in different cracks and crevices.

It’s really easy for bed bugs to spread out as a single pregnant female is enough to start a colony if left alone to grow after which they can easily infest other areas and transmit diseases.

Why Do Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs spread for the following reasons:

• Rapid growth of the colony forces some bed bugs to leave the colony
• Shifting any of your infested property spreads the bed bugs
• If food is scarce and there’s no host nearby, they will travel in search of their next blood meal
• If you disturb them in your efforts to dislodge them from your home

The chances of finding bed bugs on your property are very slim without any valid reason as bed bugs are hardly ever born on your property.

Here are 5 areas that you should be cautious about and avoid any hitchhiking bed bugs:

1. Suitcases and Bags

Suitcases and bags are some of the most common household items which bed bugs can cling to. These two items are so common that you cannot avoid carrying them with you or preventing any visitors from coming to your home with them. Bed bugs are very likely to find a spot to cling on to in certain cases so it is best that you thoroughly examine your belongings to ensure that no bed bugs are hiding in your luggage and planning to hike their way into your bed bug-free home.

2. Workplace or School

Public institutions like workplaces or schools are much more likely to suffer from bed bug infestations as a lot of people frequent these places, some of which have bed bug infested homes already and unknowingly bring these bed bugs into these places. These places are a lot more difficult to protect against bed bugs due to the vast amount of human traffic that passes through them. If you want to find out where you got your bed bugs from then it is best to check your school or workplace to see whether they have the same problem or not. You can also encourage your schools, libraries to hire the services of Take Care Termite bed bug exterminators near you to schedule and administer regular bed bug treatments to avoid any further discomfort.

3. Hostels, Motels, Hotels or Hospitals

Places that are used a lot by the private sector such as hostels, motels, hotels or hospitals are much more likely to come under threat of having bed bugs by people who may carry them in unknowingly. There’s no way to determine how many people are carrying bed bugs so it is best to keep tabs on any signs of bed bugs if you are planning to visit or stay in a hotel or hospital. Take the necessary precautionary measures prior to getting home to avoid bed bugs from hitching a ride with you. You can also wash all your clothing at a local dry cleaner before bringing it home to ensure that any bugs on your body are exterminated.

4. Public Modes of Transport

Most people travel to work via public transport which can include trains, buses or taxis. Bed bugs exist in these places which see very high human activity and public transport is no different. Daily commuters may unknowingly carry bed bugs from their infested homes which can easily hitchhike their way into your home.

5. Other Items

There are many other things that you need to be wary about in terms of possible bed bug infestations. For instance, you should be wary when ordering new furniture or when moving into a new residence and ensure that any furniture brought into your home does not have any bed bugs in it. Bed bug infestations on furniture can be a problem as the bed bugs are likely to spread.

Avoid public vacuum services as their vacuums are likely to already be infested due to the various different places that they have been used in. Buying used electronic appliances is another great way of picking up bed bugs.

Bed bugs can also enter your camping gear when you go camping so make sure that your camping gear is bed bug-free before bringing it into your home.

Unfortunately, most people only become aware of a bed bug infestation after they have infiltrated their homes. It is best to have a bed bug inspection done annually, particularly if you have seen any evidence of having bed bugs in your home. Contact our Take Care Termite bug exterminators, your best residential pest control services in Tracy, CA!

Other resources:

• Here is one interesting study by Porch on Where Do Insects Bug Americans the Most?