We were recently asked this question, “How do Bed Bugs spread?”… so I thought this would make a great blog post!
Bed bugs spend the majority of their lives in hiding. This makes finding and controlling bed bugs difficult. Bed bugs move to new locations by hiding in clothing, luggage, furniture, toys and household goods. Bed bugs hide close to where people and pets rest and sleep. Once they have fed, bed bugs will return to hiding, in any tight, dark, undisturbed location. Examples of where bed bugs can be found include; in beds, bed frames, bed sheets and upholstered furniture; Behind peeling wall paper, picture frames, clocks and in curtains, cracks in hard wood floors, under carpeting and behind electrical outlets or switch plates. Most bed bugs may be found within 8 feet of a person’s resting place. As the infestation grows, bed bugs will spread further. Bed bugs tend to live in groups, but depending on a number of factors they will move to other areas.
Bed bugs are known to be excellent hitchhikers. Bed bugs are transported by people, most often in personal belongings, such as: Luggage/Suitcases, purses, gym bags and any item that is close to sleep areas. They can hide in your personal belongings, or even on you in your clothes and hitchhike a ride back to your home. They are not typically spread from direct person-to-person contact, they spread by crawling and may contaminate multiple rooms in a home or even multiple dwellings in an apartment building.
It is possible to pick up bed bugs almost any place-they’ve infested offices, stores, hotels, gyms and countless other places
