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How do you get bed bugs?
Updated
They live in your bed frame. They feed on your blood. But how did they get here? Here’s what to know so bed bugs never become your problem. (And if it’s too late, how to fix it.)
Bed bug infestation: How bugs travel and multiply.
Step 1: You pick up bugs in infested areas.
It all starts with a female bed bug in an overinfested area. If she wants to eat and reproduce, she has to hitch a ride somewhere. A bed bug will attach to a person in a public place — a hotel room, a movie theater, even a bus bench. When you come home and sit on your couch or lay on your bed, the bed bug will make itself at home, too.
“When female bed bugs travel, they’re already fertile,” says Mark Winter, a Thumbtack Top Pro and pest control professional in Cincinnati, Ohio. “They lay up to five eggs per day. That’s where your infestation starts.”
Step 2: Bugs infest in your furniture and house.
Mark says you can usually find bed bugs in the “80% zone.” These are the usual suspects: box springs, used furniture and mattress covers. You’re the bed bug’s food source (gross), so it lives in the furniture where you spend a lot of time.
Bed bugs like pressure on both sides of their body, so they’ll harbor under the felt on box springs or between boards in the headboard.
Step 3: You start to notice common signs.
By the time you see signs of a bed bug infestation, you’ve probably had bed bugs for three to four weeks, says Mark. You’ll see bed bug bites on your skin or notice reddish-brown bed bug skins on your sheets (like hollow apple seeds).
After they feed on human blood, bed bugs will shed their skin and grow a bit more. And the female will lay more eggs, which look like tiny grains of rice.
>>Notice signs of bed bugs? Contact the best bed bug exterminators near you.
Most common bed bug control mistakes.
Mistake #1: Using over-the-counter bed bug killers.
Mark says hardware stores should label these products “scattering agents,” because they don’t work and they lead to bugs harboring in places you would usually never find them.
“I go to houses where people spent $500 on this stuff — gallons and gallons — and it doesn’t work,” says Mark. And when you try to do it yourself, you might accidentally cause insecticide resistance.
“That means instead of a bug dying in a couple minutes, it might be hours,” Mark adds. That’s time (and extra product) that you’ll pay more for down the line.
Mistake #2: Hiding the evidence.
We know you’re freaked out. But if you manage to track down the bed bug infestation and kill every bug you find, you’ll make it impossible for a pro to help you. They might come out and say you don’t have bed bugs. And then there’s less evidence to help them treat the problem with long-lasting residuals.
Mistake #3: Waiting too long.
Bed bugs reproduce fast. Your problem can get really, really bad pretty quickly.
Contact a pro near you immediately when you notice a bed bug. After all, can you really live another day with the insomnia and anxiety?
Mistake #4: Ignoring long-term bed bug control.
If you got them once, you can get them again. Mark says good pest management means being extra careful about what you’re tracking in. Take your shoes off in your garage, if you have one. Never wear your street clothes in bed or on the couch.
When traveling, bring extra plastic bags with you, and pack all your clothes in the bags on your return trip. Drop them in the laundry immediately — don’t even bring them into your bedroom. A cycle through the washer and clothes dryer should kill any unwanted stowaways.
For more tips on bed bug control, see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.
>>Get free estimates. Here are the best bed bug exterminators in your area.
How much does bed bug extermination cost?
Most pest management professionals charge a set rate per room and treatment of a standard amount of furniture. But if you wait too long and there are more bed bugs, you may pay more for more product and longer hours spent treating the problem.
You could also pay more if you want “peace of mind” treatment in a room or furniture that isn’t showing signs of infestation. Get started by contacting bed bug exterminators near you for a free cost estimate on Thumbtack.
For more on costs, see “How much does bed bug extermination cost?”
Who to hire to help with bed bug extermination.
Kill the bedbugs. Get rid of the stuff they were living in (or get it cleaned really, really well). Then keep them from coming back, with help from pros on Thumbtack: