Bed bugs are an incredible species. They can live almost anywhere, as long as it’s warm and has a food source—generally a blood-filled host.

Contrary to what many people believe, having a messy home or a spotless home doesn’t discourage these pests from invading. They are attracted to areas where they can thrive. Clutter, for example, gives them a better place to hide and, therefore, more able to reproduce and go unnoticed.

Bed bugs don’t just hide, though. They can easily travel from place to place, often hiding very well to do so. How far and how fast do they spread?

If you find bed bugs in your bedroom, does that mean they’ve made it to the living room? How about the basement? Maybe—or maybe not.

Generally, bed bugs are always looking to multiply and can lay up to 12 eggs per day. Over the span of their lifetime, some will have laid as many as 500 eggs. This means that each one of these eggs that survive is looking for a new place to call home. And, to do that, they have to move from one location to the next.

To find new hosts, they are attracted to surfaces that people use, since humans are their ideal source of food. Couches, beds, furniture of other types, clothing, and luggage all carry that desirable connection to humans they need. If they can make their way to these areas, they can move from room to room as you move these items.

Bed bugs also continue to move through the home until they find access to their host. That means if you have three bedrooms, you can count on them being in all of them as they look for new hosts to feed on, especially as the infestation grows. They keep searching until they die or until they find a host.

Bed bugs do not live on humans. They simply visit your skin, usually at night when you are nearby, to consume the blood they need. However, they can move from person to person if they are on your clothing or get caught in hair during the process. For example, if someone in your home wakes up with one or more on them, then moves to the bathroom, they can get caught on clothing or furniture there, moving quickly on to another person. This can also happen in hotel rooms where one guest exposes the location to more.

Can bed bugs move from one home to another? They can, in some cases. The more a person travels between houses where there is an infestation, the more likely these pests can move with them.

Many times, people have no idea they’ve picked up bed bugs from a hotel, an airplane, or even on public transportation. They bring them home, visit the neighbors, and go on with their daily tasks without any real understanding that they could have these hitchhikers with them. This makes the spreading of bed bugs so common.

Bed bugs are small and easy to miss when you are looking at a surface. They tend to stay pretty still during the day too, which also makes them hard to notice. However, they are typically on some surfaces that encourage movement.

• Any item that you take with you can be a concern. This includes luggage, bedding, boxes, furniture, bookbags, and clothing. If you spend the night on a plane, bus, in the hospital, at a hotel, or anywhere else, they could be there, too.
• They can also crawl from place to place. While they do not fly, they can move quickly and get onto surfaces of all types. They can travel as fast as four feet per minute.
• They are hard to kill. Because they can go such a long time in between meals, they can stay dormant for some time. Dealing with bed bugs? Don’t go it alone.

Get in touch to learn more and get a free quote to treat your bed bug infestation, and keep them from coming back.—