How Do Bed Bugs Get In Your Home?
Bed bugs are common, oval-shaped brown pests ranging from five to seven millimeters in length – about as tiny as an apple seed! They are most known for their bites that lead to red and itchy bumps on the surface of your skin. In more extreme cases, they can even cause anemia or lead to insomnia.
Contrary to their name, bed bugs do not originate from the bed. They can come from various public spaces and easily latch onto any surface, leading them straight to your homes.
Where Exactly Do Bed Bugs Come From?
Just because you like to keep your home clean and neat does not mean you are guaranteed to be 100% bed bug-free. These pesky creatures can crawl into your homes any day and are not even attracted to dirt or waste. They are most attracted to blood, which is why they find their way to your personal space more often than you want them to.
Some public areas wherein you may catch bed bugs are:
- Offices, such as in your computer chairs
- Daycare centers, especially those that have a nap corner with
- pillows and blankets
- Airports
- Other residential homes
- Nursing home
- Libraries
- Educational institutions
- Police stations
- Fire stations
- Retail shops
- Hotels
Public transportation such as taxis, trains, buses, ships, and more. You can find them just about anywhere. They are excellent at finding nooks and crannies to hide in and won’t stop moving around until they find a food source.
What Attracts Bed Bugs In Your Home?
Simply put, you are what attracts bed bugs into your home. Apart from blood, bed bugs are also highly attracted to the following:
Dark Bed Sheets
Bed bugs are sensitive to colors and prefer red and black colored items since they feel more secure in darker surroundings.
Dirty Laundry
Dirty laundry is a goldmine for bed bugs because they smell like a potential host. Because of this, we highly recommend keeping your clothes off the floor and your laundry straight to the basket.
Warmth
Bed bugs also associate warmth with a potential host. Your body temperature helps heat the area, which draws bed bugs closer to where you are.
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide signals bed bugs that a potential host is nearby and are, therefore, more attracted to spaces filled with it.
How To Lure Bed Bugs Out and Prevent Them From Coming Back
If you are determined to clean out the bed bugs from your home, take a steamer or hair dryer and heat common hiding areas such as a mattress, bed frames, and the like. Once they start to come out, quickly vacuum the areas until none are left.
Some ways to prevent them from coming back are:
- When you suspect having brought bed bugs home, wash your clothes with high heat.
- Keep clutter to a minimum.
- Vacuum regularly, especially in their regular hiding spots.
- Hire a professional pest control company to keep them at bay regularly.
