Bed bugs: What people want to know

A: Professional heat treatments can get rid of bed bugs quickly and effectively. However, the remediation of bed bugs is a process, requiring treatment, monitoring, and ongoing prevention efforts. Note: using over-the-counter DIY treatments may cause bed bugs to flee and spread to new areas. To effectively eliminate bed bug activity, start with the following: 1. Call a certified bed bug technician to inspect the area and identify any harborages, 2. Have bed bug treatments applied to infested areas, 3. Monitor areas for signs of ongoing bed bug activity, 4. Ensure a prevention plan is in place to avoid future infestations, 5. Follow pre- and post-treatment recommendations. 

Working with a professional pest management company like Rentokil can ensure these steps are taken and that you have documented communications about activity or treatments in your facilities.

A: Although bed bugs will hide in dark crevices during the day, if you know where to look you can be successful at finding them. Bed bugs prefer to hide in areas that are close to a host. This may be a bed or chair where someone spends a lot of time. Look around and under any furniture and inspect seams and buttons, the mattress and box spring, furniture feet/legs, under area rugs, behind the headboard, behind electrical plates and hangings on the walls, and around baseboards.

A: Yes, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and bleach will kill a bed bug. However, the product must be applied directly to the insect. This makes it an ineffective DIY solution for bed bug infestations since the vast majority of them are hidden away.

A: Bed bugs do not live on people’s bodies or in their hair. Bed bugs may climb onto a host and feed for 5 to 10 minutes; however, they will retreat to their hiding spot once they have finished.

A: Adult bed bugs and mature nymphs can survive 6 to 12 months without feeding, depending on the temperature and humidity of their environment. Higher temperatures and humidity will shorten their ability to survive. Cooler and drier environments help to extend their survival. Without a blood meal, bed bug nymphs cannot successfully develop and adult female bed bugs can not produce eggs.

A: Yes and no. Bed bugs will feed on a cat or dog when a human host is not available, but they cannot live on their host like fleas.

A: A bed bug will seek a blood meal every few days. Depending on the severity of the infestation, there may be several bed bugs seeking meals at different times of the week, in which case a host is experiencing bites every night.

A: Bed bugs are nocturnal, preferring to come out and feed at night while humans sleep. However, when infestations are extreme, bed bugs will feed during the day to minimize competition from others.

A: Bed bugs do not have wings making them incapable of flying. However, they can move incredibly fast for their size, moving about 4 feet per minute.

A: Early signs of bed bugs are bites. However, not all people react with an itchy welt after being bitten by a bed bug. Therefore, you may have bed bugs for a while and not realize it until you begin to see fecal spots/stains (looks like mildew) on your mattress or box spring, or the shed skins from molting nymphs.

A: Bed bugs can and will travel on clothes and any other item they can latch onto. Known as expert hitchhikers, bed bugs have been found on hats, sneakers, backpacks, luggage, purses, and other personal items. When traveling, be sure to check your belongings for bed bugs before bringing items back into your home.