Daily Archives: November 17, 2023

Traveling to new places is fun and exciting. When you go on vacation, you have the opportunity to explore new horizons, meet new people, and take in new sights. Where you lay your head down at the end of each day should be the least of your concerns. However, a hotel room infested with bed bugs will instantly ruin your trip. And once youre home, the problem may continue. Bed bugs can hitch a ride by clinging to your clothing and luggage.

The best way to avoid this is to keep an eye out for bed bugs whenever youre sleeping somewhere unfamiliar. This applies when crashing at a friends house or staying in a dorm at a college university. Its crucial to be aware of the most common places bed bugs like to nest. Heres what you should know so you can avoid a bed bug infestation in your home.

Bed bugs can be found in multiple places in a home.

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Bed bugs, as their name suggests, love nesting in mattresses. Beds are the easiest place for them to nestle in and make themselves comfortable. Terminix notes that any hidden areas surrounding your bed will attract bed bugs. This is because they hate making contact with direct light. If they can hide from direct light in the seams of your mattress or in any of the crevices around your headboard and bed frame, theyll be a lot more inclined to stick around. Its highly unlikely youll notice bed bugs actually crawling around the flat surfaces of your mattress. You most definitely wont notice them during daylight hours with natural sunlight pouring into your windows.

Bed bugs likely wont show their faces when all lights are on. Unfortunately, the box springs of your bed is at risk for bed bugs as well. Since its easy enough to tear through the cover of a box spring, bed bugs make their way inside without facing too much of a challenge. When it comes to laying their eggs, they dont need much. All they require are dark crevices and seams. Bed bugs know their eggs will be visibly protected in dark and hidden areas. If they can get comfortable in the hidden areas around your bed, theyll allow the eggs to start hatching. This type of infestation becomes far more serious once bed bugs start laying and hatching eggs. When they get that far, its possible theyll spread to other pieces of furniture around your home.

Check for bed bugs before they feast on your blood.

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Bed bugs are highly attracted to beds for one simple reason they feast on our blood. Bed bugs are mainly only active during nighttime hours for a couple of obvious reasons. First, its easier for them to move around in the dark without detection. Second, while humans are asleep, bed bugs have quick and easy access to human blood for their consumption. All they have to do is wait for a person to fall asleep in bed.

Bed bugs leave obvious signs of their presence.

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If you think you might be dealing with bed bugs, its time to jump into action. Some signs that indicate a bed bug infestation include strange and musty odors and red-colored smears across your sheets or pajamas. Bed bugs dont smell good and the color smears they leave behind are quite obvious. Dark spots and stains are also a sign of bed bugs. They leave fecal matter wherever they go as well. Bug carcasses in your mattress is another big sign. If you see one or two carcasses, theres a high possibility there are other bed bugs who are still alive and thriving in different hidden areas.

One of the best ways to kill bed bugs instantly is by using steam-cleaning equipment.

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Getting rid of bedbugs is essential if youre faced with an infestation. Start by identifying all impacted areas and prepping for bed bug treatment by clearing away all your valuables. Next, wash your bedding and clothing for 30 minutes in hot water before using a steamer over all the typical places where bed bugs hide. After that, place any infested items into black garbage bags and place into a freezer at 0F. Some of the insecticides to experiment with while handling a bed bug problem include foggers, bug bombs, and plant oil-based products. If none of these remedies work, its time to enlist help from professionals.

The photo featured at the top of this post is Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com

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Where Do Bed Bugs Nest? - AZ Animals