Where do bed bugs come from and how to get rid of them?

If you are now unlucky enough to have been recently infested with the blight of Bed bugs it can seem they appeared out of thin air. Its a shock to the system to discover itchy red bites on your skin – if this is you then you are actually one of the lucky ones, you KNOW you have been infested and are being actively bitten at night by these hidden pests. Up to 50% of people don’t not react to bed bug bites whatsoever so never actually realize they have unwelcome visitors crawling all over them at night in their beds. So with that being said lets discover how they enter your home in the first place….

Where do Bed Bugs come from?

Bed Bugs do not magically appear out of thin air as we stated earlier. They need to gain access to your home and they can do this a number of ways, one of the most common ways to get bed bugs is from public transport. The number one transportation method is other people. Bed bugs have an ability to hide in clothing and stay still without the wearer knowing.

1. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION It should go without saying that public transport is not a clean environment. Whenever there is a large grouping of people there is a potential for transfer of bacteria, viruses and parasites. Bed bugs are clearly in the parasite category and one of the hardiest pests to eradicate once even just a few bugs reach your home. As we said earlier the bed bug can attach itself very easily to clothing and remain almost invisble on seating on buses, trains, subways etc. Major cities are busy places and we all just want to get from A to B as fast as we can. Taking our time to examine seating before we sit down is undesirable and often impractical in overcrowded big cities.

• PRIVATE CARS Yes thats right bed bugs can infest your home through your car. Again the principle is the same. They enter your car from either other people or baggage and will drop off or remain on the occupant. Its actually better the bed bug drops off in the car as it will be easy to identify if they bite you there. It is quite unlikely you will be bitten in the car though, unless you take long drives in the dead of the night or perhaps use your car as a side-hustle with Uber and other services in the Gig economy.
• OLD FURNITURE This is properly the most likely way bed bugs will enter your home. Bed bugs are notorious for infesting furniture (especially old pieces of wooden furniture). This can be a real nightmare if the bedbugs are in a wooden framed bed and headboard as this is the ideal place your bed bugs want to be. You are the food source to the through your blood and a headboard in particular is one of the first place you should look if you have been bitten during the night. For more information on how to remove bedbugs from wooden furniture.
• ALREADY IN YOUR HOME This will be very uncomfortable to think about because moving home is already quite a stressful situation. Discovering bed bugs are there waiting for you can come as quite a shock especially if this is your first time dealing with these hardy pests. The upside is you can merely psotpone your move and phone an exterminator who can help you get rid of the problem within a couple of days if you act quickly enough. Otherwise sealed sleeping bags in the kithchen or bathroom bay be necessary. (An infestation is usually in Bedroom because they live where they feed).

So how can we get rid of them?

Once you identify you have a bed bug problem in your home then the next step is to realize you can either handle this yourself or hire a professional. We believe going the professional exterminator route as the first choice, the exception being the owners inability to pay (see getting rid of bedbugs on a tight budget). You will also probably want to know exactly how much does bedbug treatment cost in the United States. Once you have decided the best option you will need to act fast as bedbugs can breed extremely quickly. Females lay eggs at an unbelievable rate. A handful of thee nasty bugs can become thousands with days.

So do steamers kill Bed Bugs? Yes! This is the most tried and trusted method of using steam to exterminate their them eggs and all. This is a highly effective way and the best steamers to kill bedbugs are available on Amazon.

There  are also more unconventional ways to kill bedbugs some are more effective than others and some methods of getting rid of them are highly dubious and not recommended.

Squishing Bed bugs can certainly be a satisfying way to get rid of the problem but ultimately its not very effective. Even if you do catch the odd Bed bug in the open on the floor or wall (which is rare) mainly because they are nocturnal creatures and only move and show themselves during the night (when you are sleeping).

There is also the possibility of introducing natural predators that prey on bed bugs to your home to help reduce the Bed Bug population. This has some serious downside to it as can be seen in the linked article above.

There are also ways that don’t involve using toxic chemicals and these have varying degrees of effectiveness, such as using vinegar to kill bedbugs.

The most effective way to kill them is of course to hire a professional who will deliver a potent chemical to kill bed bugs in your home which will take a few hours to work and will require you to vacate your property while the procedure is taking place. When would you be able to return to your home after a bed bug treatment we discuss in the linked text.

A hard Bug to Beat….. But there’s hope!

So in conclusion a bed bug infestation can be dealt with effectively wherever they have come from; either from public transport or from your car or were actually already in your home before you moved in. Once you have decided to act on the problem (which is the most important factor as bedbugs reproduce very quickly) then it is down to your finances to how effectively you treat the problem and get rid of them once and for all.