Nothing could give you heebie-jeebies more than the thought that you’re sharing your bed with a bed bug!

But bed bugs aren’t just found in your bed. There can be bed bugs in your closet, bed bugs in your luggage, bed bugs under your carpet…they can virtually be anywhere! See, there’s not one singular source as to where bed bugs come from. They can “hitch a ride” from almost anywhere, from a hotel, someone else’s home, or one’s work environment.

And the dilemma doesn’t stop there. Aside from the fact that they can travel fast on floors, walls, and ceilings, these small, flat and reddish-brown pests reproduce pretty quickly, too.

This is also probably why it seems like bed bugs keep coming back.

Reasons Behind The Re-infestation

There are several reasons behind this. As mentioned, re-infestation may occur simply because you accidentally brought a bed bug home. There is always a chance that a bed bug “hitches” a ride with you from public areas that may be infested, like the subway, or infested furniture, like the chairs in a library. They can also crawl between rooms. So if one room is infested with bed bugs, there’s a big chance that the other rooms would be infested, too.

In fact, the top reason on the re-infestation list is not being able to properly identify where the bed bugs come from prior to treatment. When this happens, there is a possibility that you were not able to treat the entire area where the bed bugs reside. This is usually the case when you try to do bed bug treatment yourself. One spot missed can be the source of a re-infestation because a single female bed bug can birth as many as 200 bed bugs.

Bed bugs also do not just go away. They are elusive insects that are most active at night and rarely spotted during the day. They do not have nests, but they initially hide in places where they can easily access people. Eventually, they may scatter and hide in any safe location, like cracks and corners of a room.

How To Stop bed bugs From Coming Back

We may have talked about this before, but let’s jog your memory. Here are some tips on how to stop bed bugs from residing in your bed and in your home:

Identify the signs to know they’re present. Be alert for the bugs themselves, both dead and alive, as well as their eggshells. Be on the lookout for red or dark brown stains on your mattresses and pillowcases.

Take a look at your skin. Bed bugs usually leave bites on their victims, the way mosquitoes do. These welts are relatively harmless but can be very, very itchy.
Always tidy up. Decluttering can help lessen the spots where bed bugs may hide. Washing your pillowcases, blankets and other linen in hot water regularly may also help. Sealing up any cracks where bed bugs may find refuge is a good idea as well.

Inspect second-hand furniture before bringing them into the house. Make sure that any furniture that you buy is bed bug-free using a magnifying glass and a flashlight. Check every crevice as bed bugs are flat creatures that can fit in virtually any crack. Vacuuming may also help.

Wash clothes in the hottest possible setting, especially after a trip. This ensures that the only souvenir you bring home from a vacation is one that you actually like. It’s good to pay attention to all your clothes, even the clean ones. Vacuum up your bags and luggage as well.

Vacuum your rooms religiously. We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: the vacuum is your best friend when trying to get rid of bed bugs. Make sure you dispose of your trash bag properly afterward.

Get professional help. Investing in a professional to help you get rid of bed bugs once and for all may be the best decision you’ll ever make in your home. There are different solutions that you can choose from, including going for heat treatment (the process of providing a controlled application of heated air into the home not exceeding 135 degrees) or fumigating your home using Vikane (a gas fumigant treatment that penetrates all voids of a home, including deep behind walls and in bedding and upholstered furniture).

Bed bugs can bring about a headache time and again. But with proper treatment, it is possible to rid of this pest problem once and for all.

To learn more about treating bed bugs in the home, or about a general pest prevention system, Call A-1 Able Pest Doctors at (800) 737-8189.