If you're suddenly experiencing signs of a bed bug
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.
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.
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.
Answer: “Hitchhiking” from an infested location or item to a previously non-infested location or item are the main causes of bed bugs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bedbug infestations rarely go away on their own; they need special care and treatment for them to be appropriately eradicated. Left unchecked, bedbugs live a long life within their favourable environment, having a high survival rate by reproducing and quickly moving on to neighbouring homes or apartments.
These sneaky creatures will feast on exposed areas of your skin, but they can't bite through fabric. Lower your risk of getting bedbug bites by wearing long-sleeved pajamas with pants while sleeping. But be mindful that bedbugs can find their way to your skin under loose clothing.
Essential oils. While essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and peppermint are popularly recommended for DIY bed bug treatments due to their strong scents and supposed insect-repellent properties, there is not much scientific evidence to support their effectiveness in eradicating bed bug infestations.
So, what is the main cause of bed bugs? Travel is widely recognized as the most common source of bed bug infestations.
Don't sleep on another bed or the sofa. Bed bugs may follow making it much more difficult to get rid of them. Don't try to kill bed bugs by using agricultural or garden pesticides or other unregistered products. Using pesticide products to kill bed bugs that are labeled for outdoor use can make humans very sick.
Lysol and similar disinfectants that have isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or ethyl alcohol as an active ingredient can be very effective at killing bed bugs instantly.
While some people believe that the strong smell of VapoRub might repel bed bugs, there is no reliable data to support this claim.
Heat is non-toxic, and can kill all bed bug life stages including bed bug eggs.
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.
The first clue suggesting that you may have a bed bug infestation is often the presence of itching bites. However, bites reactions are quite variable and may not be due to bed bugs at all. Be aware of the other signs that bed bugs leave behind: fecal spots, molted skins, and aggregations.