HOW DO YOU GET BED BUGS?
Travel… Hotels and motels rank among the top 3 places pest professionals report finding bed bugs.Not too surprising considering temporary lodgings are an ideal breeding place for bed bugs – lots of people plus high turnover equals ongoing opportunities for the introduction of these parasites. All it takes is one sexually mature female bed bug to get in her foot in the door and she’ll be laying up to 5 eggs daily – ’til the place is overrun with bed bugs. Once bed bugs have entered the property, they can spread rapidly – to other rooms through pipes and in vacuum cleaners as well as to your house by hiding themselves as stowaways in clothing, purses, and luggage. Unwittingly picking up hitchhikers while traveling is one of the most common causes of bed bugs so if you’re planning a trip soon – you’ll want to know how to avoid getting bed bugs at hotels.
Furniture… Tempted by that gorgeous ottoman lying unprotected and unclaimed on the street corner by your house? Resist the urge – bringing discarded furniture into the house is a very common cause of bed bugs.People don’t always clearly mark bed bug-ridden furniture and especially if you live in a city with a bed bug infestation – you really don’t want to take that risk, no matter how tempting that suede sofa looks.But although used furniture poses a higher risk – even new furniture like mattresses and sofas can be exposed to bed bugs during storage or in delivery vehicles. For example, if the company you buy your mattress from also hauls out old, used mattresses from homes – their truck can be harboring bed bug fugitives who are just waiting for a brand new mattress to call home.
Other People… Bed bugs can’t fly or jump very far – they have to crawl to get anywhere. But thanks to their tiny size and the fact that they can survive months without a blood meal, bed bugs have no problem traveling from place to place. They simply hide themselves in clothes, bags, and purses and off they go – from one infested home to another.
Neighbors… You could be doing everything right to prevent bed bugs, but if a neighbor has them, you are at risk. Bed bug migration, especially in shared housing situations like condos, apartment and dormitories, is pretty common since these buggers can crawl over 100 feet in a night and go through tiny cracks in the walls, through connected vents, or even in the seams of floor boards! Of course, they can also travel the old-fashioned way: simply crawling out a front door, down the hall and into another apartment.
Used/Borrowed clothes… Used clothes you get at a thrift store, or borrowing from a friend can be a cause of bed bugs. You can still shop at thrift stores but don’t bring any used clothing into your home without washing it first. And they should be washed with seriously hot water – bed bugs can’t survive temperatures above 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course – this doesn’t just apply to clothes. Used stuffed animals, bedsheets, etc – all must be washed in very hot water before being allowed into your home.
Note: Even new clothes can be a cause of bed bugs – a few retails stores (including Hollister and the flagship Nike store) in Manhattan had to temporarily shut down due to a bed bug infestation.
Everything else… Think that book you got from the street-side vendor for a dollar is safe? Not necessarily…although books aren’t a common way to get bed bugs – it can happen, especially if the books have been hanging out in a box in a home or area infested with bed bugs.Bed bugs have also been known to fester in alarm clocks, coffee makers, and other appliances – especially those that have dark crevices that are great for bed bugs to hide in.Check and double check anything you bring into your home.
Bed bugs can live anywhere people live, work, stay and rest – this means offices, schools, and even movie theaters can be infested with infested with bed bugs. If you live in an area that’s dealing with a bed bug infestation, it could be as simple as your child placing his backpack next to another child’s backpack that has bed bugs.
Bed Bugs Arizona offers a free, in-home bed bug inspection and a one-year warranty on all bed bug services. No obligation. We specialize in apartment communities. Our fast, certified technicians provide the Pro-Treat Plus method of bed bug removal to Phoenix and surrounding cities in a 100-mile plus radius including Flagstaff, Globe, and Casa Grande. Veteran and senior discounts. Call now at (602) 962-8806.
