The bed bugs that are infesting homes today are the descendents of cave dwelling bugs that originally fed on the blood of bats. When humans began living in the caves, the bugs began feeding on humans.
Answer: “Hitchhiking” from an infested location or item to a previously non-infested location or item are the main causes of bed bugs. Some items that enable bed bugs to hitchhike are used furniture, luggage from an infested hotel/motel or in backpacks that children bring home from school.
How can bed bugs get into my home? They can come from other infested areas or from used furniture. They can hitch a ride in luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items placed on soft or upholstered surfaces. They can travel between rooms in multi-unit buildings, such as apartment complexes and hotels.
Infestation starts when someone brings them in the building. The most common ways this happens are when someone stays at a hotel, thrifts clothing or buys used furniture without being careful, or moving from a place that had bedbugs and taking them with.
Their scientific name is Cimex lectularius and they're closely related to bat bugs and pirate bugs. They are thought to have originated in Europe, the Middle East or in India, but moved across the world as humans did, the Center for Invasive Species Research says.
Bed bugs are attracted to a home primarily by the presence of humans, since they feed on human blood. They are often brought in via luggage, furniture, or clothing after being in an infested area.
Bed bugs are not a result of poor hygiene or cleanliness; rather, they are seasoned hitchhikers that can easily travel from place to place on clothing, luggage, or furniture. Their resurgence in recent years can be attributed to increased global travel and resistance to common pesticides.
Bed bugs are nature's hitchhikers. They travel from other infested areas by attaching themselves to your clothing, bags and luggage or any surface that's soft or upholstered.
Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them.
Bed bugs are sensitive to strong smells and certain scents can help keep them away. Essential oils like lavender, tea tree and peppermint are popular choices. These oils not only smell good but also act as natural repellents.
To lure bed bugs out of their hiding spots, you can use a steamer or a hairdryer to heat areas such as mattresses. Neither of these is hot enough to kill the bed bugs, but it can trick them into thinking a human host is near. You can also keep an eye out at night to locate their nests when they are most active.
Blood Orange Oil
This essential oil is proven to be one of the most effective solutions when bed bugs are the matter as it can kill the pest successfully.
The blood-sucking insects now show up in two varieties and are resistant to many pesticides. New eradication strategies include fungal spores and nasty human odors. The stories have become horribly familiar. Houses so overrun by bed bugs that the bloodsucking insects pile an inch deep on the floor.
"If you think you're ever going to get rid of them the answer is no," says Booth. "Unfortunately, bed bugs are with us until we disappear from this planet."
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: These are among the most common insecticides used against bed bugs. Pyrethrins, derived from chrysanthemum flowers, kill bed bugs on contact, while synthetic pyrethroids provide longer-lasting effects.
Inspect the bed in detail including the headboard, frame, and box springs. If you have a metal bed frame using a flashlight to illuminate the interior of the metal tubing. Closely inspect the grooves in hardwood flooring, especially beneath or around the bed. Look along the bottom and top of the baseboards.
If you're suddenly experiencing signs of a bed bug infestation in your home for the first time, they likely snuck their way in as a stowaway on a purse, luggage, or clothing. Secondhand furniture, particularly mattresses, box springs, couches, and chairs, may be harboring hungry bed bugs.
Repellents Containing DEET.
DEET treated fabric is repellent to bed bugs (Wang et al. 2013). Commercial insect repellents containing DEET for repelling ticks and biting insects are also helpful for preventing bed bugs when applied to outer surface of clothing (Figure 8).
Bed bugs do not spread disease. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers on belongings and can hide behind outlet covers, picture frames, and in furniture. Some people are more sensitive to bites than others.
Bed bugs are attracted to the scent of human sweat and body odors. Piles of dirty laundry, especially in bedrooms, can serve as attractive hiding spots and potential breeding grounds for bed bugs. Regularly washing and drying bedding, curtains, and clothing can help eliminate odors that may attract these pests.
How do bed bugs start an infestation in your home? They can travel on clothes, on linens, in luggage, and more. If bed bugs are passed onto something like bed sheets and are not immediately taken care of, they will continue to spread.