How Bed Bugs Spread, And How To Prevent It?

Have you ever woken with itchy red bumps all over your body or found bloodstain and dark spots over your mattress and pillowcase? If yes, then this might be an indication that bed bugs exist in the house.

A bed bug is a very commonly faced issue among people. Every one out of five Americans faces the issue of a bed bug.

However, suddenly witnessing bed bugs in your house might bring a lot of questions to everyone’s mind, especially regarding how these bed bugs entered your home and how they spread.

Well, no worries now. In this article, I will discuss how bed bugs spread along with significant places that can cause bed bugs to enter your house and things you can do to prevent them.

 

How are Bed Bugs Spread (800)?

Firstly, it is essential to know that bed bugs don’t spread due to lack of cleanliness; even the cleanest house can come across the issue of bed bugs. Also, Bed bugs don’t have any wings, so they don’t spread by flying from one place to another.

Instead, they crawl in order to move around. Since bed bugs are small, they can easily crawl from place to place without getting caught. They can even reach the tiniest areas of your house, such as ceiling openings, walls, pipes, box springs, mattresses, and more.

To spread from one place to another, they often crawl onto people’s stuff, such as their luggage, clothes, furniture, and more. When you move, these bed bugs move along with you even knowing.

This process is way quicker and more common than bed bugs infesting a new area by themselves.

Fun Fact: “Bed bugs are very picky; they don’t consume cold or spilled blood and only prefer the blood of a live host.”

 

Places That Contain Bed Bugs

Now that we understand how bed bugs spread from one place to another. It is vital to know those places that contain the highest risk of finding bed bugs. This way, you can prevent or reduce the risks of bringing bed bugs into your home.

Hotels

Traveling is considered the primary cause of getting a bed bug, and hotels or motels can be equally responsible for spreading bed bugs. According to PestWorld, hotels are the third most responsible for causing bed bugs, with around 68%.

Since many people visit hotels from traveling to various places, it is very likely for bed bugs to spread in the rooms and crawl onto your clothes and stuff.

 

Transportation

Bed bugs are small, due to which they easily hide in bags, furniture, and clothes. So when people use these public transport services like bus, train or taxis they unknowingly end up spreading bed bugs as they crawl from one place to another. Since the number of people using transport is large, you might end up with bed bugs in your bag or clothes.

 

Furniture

Second-hand furniture like bed, furniture and more often have some defaults like cracks. These cracks or small holes found in furniture are some of the most common places where bed bugs can hide.

 

How To Prevent Bed Bugs From Spreading

One of the best methods to reduce the risk of bed bugs spreading is by conducting a proper inspection in your house regularly for infestation signs. This way, you will treat bed bugs at an early stage and make sure they don’t get spread massively.

• Avoid purchasing used or second-hand furniture such as beds, mattresses, furniture, and more. Even if you purchase it, make sure you have checked it thoroughly to ensure the furniture doesn’t have cracks and in terms of mattresses, consider buying a clean, durable mattress.
• Use a good quality protective cover over your box spring and mattress.
• Regularly vacuum your house regularly. Also, clean your closet and clothes thoroughly as you might find bed bugs hiding in your clothes, so double-check it.
• If you are staying in a hotel, hostel, hospital, or anywhere else while traveling, check the sleeping areas around you.
• In hotels, try to keep your bag in a bag stand instead of just laying it down on the floor or bed.
• If you are traveling, try to inspect your clothes and luggage before you leave for home.
• If there are any crevices or cracks in your walls, consider sealing them as it is one of the most typical places where bed bugs hide.

 

FAQs

1. How fast does a bed bug crawl? 

A bed bug can crawl about four feet in one minute. They have the ability to cover around 150 feet within an hour.

 

2. What does bed bugs often get mistaken for? 

Bed bugs often get mistaken for Booklice, bat bugs, Fleas, spider beetles, and more. All these insects contain a similar color tone with bed bugs, due to which they are often mistaken.

 

You May Also Like To Read:

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

How To Find Bed Bugs During The Day?

What Kills Bed Bugs Instantly?

 

Conclusion

Regardless of how common bed bugs are, no one wants them, which makes it essential to know how bed bugs spread to prevent them.

Here we have mentioned all the ways through which a bed bug can spread or enter your house. We hope through the points mentioned above you can prevent bed bugs from entering your home.

If you have any doubts concerning bed bugs, then let us know in the comments.