Bed bugs are one of the worst infestations you can have. Who likes the idea of creepy crawlies drinking their blood in their sleep? Nobody, that’s who. But if you live down south, certainly in the Sunshine State, then bed bugs are likely a problem you’ll run up against at some point. So to help prevent that from being such a certainty, today we’ll talk about how you get bed bugs, and what you can do to avoid them. But no matter what you take from this article, realize that bed bugs cannot be treated by a layman. Contact a pro the second you find an infestation!
How You Get Bed Bugs: Overview
Bed bugs are an easy pest to ignore. Most people don’t even give a second thought to the fact that these guys exist. That is, however, until you run into an infestation of your home. And getting these guys into your Florida home is one thing, but getting them out is another. That’s because these pests infest any home or building they want. You can fastidiously clean your home from top to bottom daily, or sleep on an old mattress in a van down by the river. Either way, getting bed bugs are a possibility.
And once you get them, it won’t take long for these insects to start driving you crazy. Bed bug infestations are frustrating, painful, and itchy. One thing most people don’t talk about though is the simple fact that they leave you feeling less secure in your home. Be it someone walking in while you sleep, or waking up with arms and legs covered with bites; most people don’t like to have things done to them while they’re unconscious. If nothing else it feels a bit…violating. Before we get into how you get bed bugs, however, let’s talk about the basics first.
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are small, oval-shaped insects. They’re brownish in coloration and, you guessed it, parasitic to humans and other animals. The adults have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed and live off of the blood of any living thing in your home. After getting a good belly full of blood, however, they tend to swell up and turn more reddish in color.
These bugs aren’t fliers, but they can scuttle across a wooden floor, bed frame, or couch with surprising speed. They’re more agile than you’d think too, as they can climb walls and ceilings without issue. The females of this species can lay hundreds of eggs, each smaller than a speck of dust, over her lifetime. Their nymphs, immature bed bugs, shed their skin five times before reaching adulthood. During this period they require a meal before each shedding. And under conditions where blood and shelter are easily available, they can develop fully in as little as a month. Because of this, they can produce up to three more generations of pests per year.
And even though they’re not known to spread diseases, a handful of these bugs getting into your home can turn into a full-scale infestation in a matter of months.
When and how do they feed?
They feed at night. And they take the blood from your body with a bite while you sleep. Their elongated beaks pierce human skin with ease, where they remain to feed for three to ten minutes. Once engorged, they do their best to seek shelter unnoticed. Their bites are painless at first but turn into itchy welts. However, people may not even realize it’s a bed bug infestation at all. Instead of wondering how you get bed bugs, they may think the bites came from mosquitoes.
And though the bites are similar, bed bugs prefer to feed anywhere on the human body. If they bite multiple times, you’ll usually see that they do it in a straight line. However, to know for sure which pest is infesting your home, you may need to see the bug itself.
How You Get Bed Bugs: The Causes
Okay, so we know what bed bugs are now. Great. Let’s get into the meat of the matter, how and specifically WHERE you’re most likely to pick up bed bugs. Remember, as I said above, it’s not really about hygiene with these pests. Instead, travel will be your main culprit.
Both international and domestic travel is the number one cause of a bed bug infestation in hotels, homes, or businesses. Places with high numbers of travelers going in and out every day like hotels, motels, and Airbnbs are going to be the biggest hotbeds for infestation.
And not only could these bugs get picked up in your clothes from sleeping in an infested bed, but they can cling to luggage left on infested furniture as well.
Used Furniture
Number two on this list is going to be any type of used furniture. Sure, getting a discount off of a full-priced item is nice. But you need to be careful when picking up any kind of used furniture and bringing it back to your home. Especially at places like yard sales or where the furniture sits outdoors for a period of time.
Even if the furniture itself doesn’t have live bed bugs in it, it can easily be carrying eggs. Like I said above, bed bug eggs are about the size of a mote of dust. So instead of regretting that cheap couch you just picked up, save yourself the trouble. Get it new, or else you’ll be here reading my article on how you gtt bed bugs!
School dorms
And finally, schools and colleges are another source of bed bug infestation. It goes all the way from grade school to higher education. Be it bed bugs moving from your young child’s backpack into your home or your college student who rooms with a prolific traveler. Anywhere you have large groups of people with furniture, bags, suitcases, or anything similar involved could be a potential hotbed for infestation. So next time your kid comes home from college on break, make sure to give his belongings a good once over!