Bed bugs move from place to place by hitchhiking either on people or their personal belongings. These pests do not wings and do not fly, but they are excellent at crawling and can quickly make their way into a person's pant cuff, shoe, bag, coat, or other personal belonging that has been placed on the floor.
You may want to use disposable shoe covers to minimize the chance of picking up and transporting bed bugs and their eggs on your shoes. Remember to discard the shoe covers as you leave.
The only surfaces that bed bugs can't climb are extremely smooth glass, metal, and plastic. We'll look into which surfaces bed bugs can and can't traverse. We'll take a peek into their physiology that allows them to navigate their environment, and how to get bed bugs to come out of their hiding spots.
Reduce clutter in your home to reduce hiding places for bed bugs. Vacuum frequently to remove any successful hitchhikers. Be vigilant when using shared laundry facilities. Transport items to be washed in plastic bags (if you have an active infestation, use a new bag for the journey home).
They may be housing bed bugs. In shoes, bed bugs can hide under soles, between fabrics and in crevices. This includes boots, heels, sneakers and sandals. Before inspecting the shoe, make sure you wear protective gloves as you will need to be hands-on.
Avoid bringing worn items into bedrooms or placing items on furniture. Showering using soap and water is sufficient to remove bed bugs from your person.
Reality: Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt and grime; they are attracted to warmth, blood and carbon dioxide. However, clutter offers more hiding spots. Myth: Bed bugs transmit diseases. Reality: There have been no cases or studies that indicate bed bugs transmit diseases between humans.
Try sealing the shoes in a sealed bag or bin with some pest control spray or strips. Nuvan (dichlorvos) strips are perfect for this. Keeping your shoes in a sealed bag with these will prevent bed bugs from coming near them, and the chemicals that stick to the surface will repel them for weeks.
You don't have to worry about bed bugs infesting the clothes you're wearing, your skin, or your hair. However, you can find these parasites living in clothes that are folded and stored away. These parasites can also hitch a ride with you by latching onto a suitcase, coat, purse, or backpack.
It's unlikely that a bed bug would live in the clothes that you're actually wearing due to the fact that you move a lot and they tend to prefer a stationary habitat. However, it's possible that bed bugs could set up camp in an unpacked suitcase, backpack or something along those lines.
Don't ignore the bed bugs. Acting right away will increase success in eliminating bed bugs. Don't sleep on another bed or the sofa. Bed bugs may follow making it much more difficult to get rid of them.
A bed bug treatment using heat kills bed bugs immediately, but there is no residual. A chemical bed bug treatment can take a few weeks, but it leaves a residual which provides continued protection from bed bug re-infestation.
Bed bugs are not known to spread pathogens through their bites. Bed bug bites can be itchy and stressful. Do not squish a bed bug as it will release the blood and any pathogens it may be carrying.
Extreme temperatures are the best way to kill bed bugs. Washing your clothing and bedding in a high heat wash should effectively kill off any bugs, as well as any eggs they've possibly laid. It's important to exercise caution in moving infested linens during the process to avoid spreading the bed bugs to other rooms!
No. They don't live on people and can't be directly transmitted from one person to another. However, as quick as they are to catch a ride on clothing, bedding and furniture, they are easy to transport.
Researchers have found a link between dirty laundry and bed bug activity. In a study, bed bugs were presented with a bag of clean laundry and a dirty one. These tiny pests were twice as likely to choose the dirty laundry, body odour, and all.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests. Pyrethrins are botanical insecticides derived from chrysanthemum flowers.
It's best to keep the infestation localized to as few rooms as possible. This will also make remediation easier. Do continue to sleep in your bedroom after identifying a bed bug infestation. If you move rooms or start sleeping on the couch you run the risk of contaminating these other areas of your home.
While not overly effective, the most useful essential oils for deterring bed bugs appear to be blood orange oil, paraffin oil, silicone oil, and spearmint oil.
While they may not be truly nocturnal, they have adapted to a nighttime feeding schedule. The good news is that bed bugs cannot tell time, and they do not know much about your sleeping habits.
FACT: Bed bug infestations have nothing to do with the cleanliness of the home or the people living there. While cleaning up excessive clutter and frequent vacuuming can prevent largescale infestations, the truth is that bed bugs don't discriminate.
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt, decay, or decomposing materials. They are only attracted to blood, and will search it out, regardless of the cleanliness of the environment. Bed bugs detect carbon dioxide emitted from humans and respond to warmth and moisture as they approach the potential host.