Bed bugs can be a nightmare. You spend nearly half of your life in your bed, so it makes sense to be worried about these blood-sucking pests. Unfortunately, once bed bugs infest your living space, they rapidly take over.
How fast do bed bugs spread? What can you do to prevent this problem? Learn more about how bed bugs do their dirty work while you’re asleep.
Myths About Bed Bugs
There are many misconceptions surrounding bed bugs. People often think of bed bugs as pests that could never invade their own clean spaces. This isn’t always true, and it’s important to separate fact from fiction so you can prevent the spread of bed bugs in your home.
Bed Bugs Only Infest Dirty Homes
This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, many bed bug infestations go unnoticed for a long time because they’re present in otherwise spotless homes. Bed bugs do not have a preference for unclean environments; they go where people go.
Washing Everything Gets Rid of Bed Bugs
You can’t get rid of these pesky creatures simply by steaming, washing, or otherwise cleaning your spaces. Bed bug infestations require intense heat treatments to ensure that the bugs never come back. Otherwise, you’re likely not getting rid of the infestation at all.
Bed Bugs Stay in One Place
Unfortunately, many people believe that bed bugs remain in their original place of infestation forever. This simply isn’t true. Bed bugs move very quickly and can spread to other homes, offices, and buildings in no time. You should never assume that the bugs can’t or won’t travel with your belongings.
How Fast Do Bed Bugs Spread? What You Need to Know About Infestations
Bed bugs spread faster than almost any other type of pest. These creatures may be small, but they crawl at high speeds to get to food sources (humans). As a result, infestations can occur within just a few minutes.
Bed bugs can move from person to person or from home to home in a matter of minutes or hours. They crawl very quickly and don’t take long to cover an entire living space — even if you can’t see them.
Bed Bugs Travel With Your Belongings
Bed bugs usually travel inside suitcases, purses, bags of clothing, and other personal belongings. If you visit someone’s home and they have an active infestation, bed bugs can then go home with you. You won’t necessarily see the bed bugs in your belongings since they are so tiny.
Infestations Grow Quickly
Bed bugs lay eggs in various places as they take over your home. One bed bug can lay up to 12 eggs in just one day — this demonstrates how quickly an infestation becomes out of control. Within one bed bug’s lifespan, it can lay up to 500 eggs in your home and continue the cycle of infestation.
It’s best not to delay bed bug treatment once you know you have an infestation. Bed bugs lay new eggs during each day that passes, making the infestation more widespread.
Bed Bugs Move From Room to Room
Bed bugs quickly adapt and adjust to new environments. They seek out human blood, which means they will quickly move from room to room, looking for new food sources.
For example, if you carry a bed bug home in a suitcase and place the suitcase in your living room, by the next day, the bed bug could have traveled several rooms over. Your home isn’t safe or clear until the entire infestation has been taken care of.
Bed Bug Prevention
Once you have a bed bug infestation, all hope is not lost. There are professional treatments that kill all of the bed bugs and eggs in your home. However, these treatments can be expensive and time-consuming. Here’s what you need to know about the prevention of bed bug infestations.
If you know someone who has an active bed bug infestation, don’t visit their home. It’s best to avoid sharing belongings or coming into close contact with this person, too — bed bugs can travel from person to person. Wait until the person’s home has been treated professionally before paying them a visit.
You should also inspect any new items you buy second-hand before bringing them into your home. Taking these steps will help keep your home free of these nasty pests.
Know the Facts About Bed Bugs
Knowledge is power when it comes to preventing and treating bed bugs. By following steps for prevention and using bed bug resistant beds, you can keep your home from becoming infested.
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