How Fast Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Given that bed bugs or cimex lectularius are tiny, soundless insects that only measure around ¼ of an inch, finding them during an infestation is difficult.
There is no accurate speed at which these pests travel from one place to another. Every infestation is different, which makes it difficult to pinpoint how fast they can infest a home once they get inside. These pests travel fast, just like ants when crawling through pipes or walls. They start infesting other rooms after a certain timeframe of hiding in several places.
Bed bugs can move from one room to another in the house by simply hiding in the cracks and crevices in the walls. They will slowly find their way to the adjacent room that is connected by every wall. Another way for them to move around the house is through the pipe system. However, a more common way is by hiding in any items found around the house and latching on that until it is carried to another part of the house where they will settle.
Aside from bed frame, mattresses and box springs, bed bugs also hide in chairs, couches, hampers, and backpacks. There are times when they hide in televisions, lamps and laptops. Whenever these items are brought to another room, these tiny pests will come out and start another infestation without noticing any signs.
Different Ways Bed Bugs Can Spread
Aside from the aforementioned ways, the following are other manners bed bugs spread in your house or other places:
- Through breeding
Aside from hitchhiking, bed bugs are fast multipliers. One female bed bug can lay up to 120 eggs in her lifetime. This can result in more bed bug problems and larger infestations especially when the furniture or any item where these female bugs are laying eggs are moved to another place.
- The constant movement of people
Coming home from an infested friend’s or neighbour’s home is another way to spread bed bugs. You can also spread them to your home if the hotel you booked for a night or two was infested and you have brought your luggage inside your home carelessly. They can also come from schools where they can hitch a ride on your child’s backpack or other items. Unfortunately, wherever you go these pests are prevalent.
- Resistance and resilience
Over the years, bed bugs have developed a strong resistance to pesticides, which this makes it even more difficult even for pest control companies to get rid of them completely. Also, their resilience of going for days and even months without feeding is another thing that keeps them spreading and looking for hosts.
- Adaptation and survival
The fact that they stay hidden in dark places makes them difficult to locate and reach during treatment. They have the ability to hide in the most secluded and protected area of furniture, hardly reached by pesticides. Once the effects of the pesticides are gone, they will go back to their usual routine and continue breeding. Being clever creatures, they can sense when there is danger whenever their hosts move. It is very unusual to see a live bed bug crawling in your house, which makes it more difficult to detect that your home is already infested.
Aside from the rapid reproduction rate of bed bugs, they can easily spread from one home to another with you neglecting to act fast. They can become resistant to treatment, which can make the situation worse. With these, it is necessary that you know how to detect an infestation while it is still in the early stages. There are tools and equipment that don’t require the help of professional pest control. If you suspect an infestation in your home, act immediately to prevent bed bugs from spreading.
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