Common Causes of Bed Bugs & How to Avoid Them - What to Know

Bed bugs can be such a headache for many households. The worse situation for your home is for them to infest your bed. These insects will wait until the middle of the night before they look for a blood meal and move towards a host. When infested, they can negatively impact the entire household and might result in serious health implications. That said, it’s important to know where you can typically get bed bugs. In this article, we’ll go over the common causes of bed bugs infestation along with tips on how to avoid them.

Travel

Travelling is widely recognized as the top cause of bed bug infestation. Without the traveller knowing, chances are that the bed bugs will discreetly cling to people, clothing, luggage, and other personal belongings. It’s easy for them to transport from one property to another. In fact, bed bugs should be a top concern for travellers. That “it will never happen to me” attitude can greatly contribute to the spread of bed bugs. Having a lack of awareness about them can lead to it being spread faster. If travelling to a country that is known for bed bugs, you should take extra precaution when travelling somewhere else - this is the most common form of ‘travel bugs’, which is mainly due to no education on the issue.

Second-hand furniture

Second-hand furniture comes next as the common cause of bed bugs. Homeowners and renters often unintentionally bring bed bugs into their homes by picking up discarded furniture and transporting it into their homes. These bed bugs can infest your home if they were in the second-hand furniture to begin with. Another cause is rented furniture infested with bugs - if it hasn’t been adequately inspected, it can result in an infestation. Upon discovery, isolating an infested piece of furniture will not get rid of bed bugs. This is because bed bugs can survive for many months without a blood meal. The furniture will need to be removed before a pest removal service can inspect the property. Practical tips to avoid them When you’ve determined that travel and second-hand furniture the reasons why you have a bed bug infestation, it’s best to know how to avoid them. Here are some practical tips on how to address bed bug infestation at home. First off, consider the following tips when travelling:

Make sure to inspect your bed when staying at a hotel
Keep your luggage away from the bed
Check your luggage before packing & unpacking
Wash all the clothes used for travel

When purchasing second-hand furniture, make sure to check, inspect & have it cleaned before placing it in your home. Final words These small, wingless insects with flattened bodies can be a major problem if not dealt with quickly. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you take precautionary measures when travelling or investing in second-hand furniture. If you’re looking for a pest control service in Melbourne, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.

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