Can I Spread Bed Bugs to My Neighbors or Friends?

Having bed bugs is a mortifying experience. They are disgusting, so it is an understandable gut reaction. However, bed bugs do not mean that your home is dirty. Bed bugs feed solely on blood, so anywhere they can find a meal is somewhere they feel at home. Your housekeeping has nothing to do with their presence. 

Bed bugs are not typically dangerous, but they are annoying. They might not carry diseases, but they can produce an unpleasant smell and itchy bites. You definitely do not want them to spread to your friends or neighbors. Unfortunately, spreading is something at which bed bugs excel. 

How Bed Bugs Spread

For an insect that lacks wings, bed bugs are surprisingly mobile. They can crawl, but not for long distances or quickly. In most cases, people inadvertently help them travel. 

If you live in an apartment building, it is difficult to stop the spread of bed bugs. They are small, meaning any gap or hole is a chance to escape the confines of one unit and spread to another. If you live in a house, your odds of spreading bed bugs to your neighbors are much lower. 

When helped by humans, bed bugs hitch rides on fabric-covered surfaces. That can include clothes, luggage or secondhand furniture. Something as simple as setting your suitcase on the floor of a hotel room could cause an infestation in your home. Any time you have friends over is a chance for bed bugs to spread to them.

What You Can Do To Stop Them

The best way to stop a bed bug infestation is to avoid one in the first place. There are a few ways to decrease your odds of spreading bed bugs, including:

• Avoiding secondhand furniture.
• Vacuuming regularly.
• Using the bag stand provided by most hotels.
• Cutting down on any clutter that could hide the bed bugs.
• Exposing items you suspect of bed bug contamination to below-freezing temperatures before bringing them into your home. 

Once an infestation is established, however, the best thing to do is stop having people over until you have a professional pest control service take care of the issue. That way, the bed bugs will not spread, and the odds of a resurgence are minimal. 

If you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, contact ABC Exterminating Inc. before the problem spreads. We can help you keep your home pest-free.