subject: Find Out How Bed Bugs Actually Get In [print this page] The presence of bed bugs in your living areas has nothing to do with how well that you keep house. Bedbugs are nesting parasites. They can live in the nests of birds and other animals. They are even prone to settling in with unsuspecting individuals just like you. There are not mindful of whether or not you keep the dusting and mopping up to date, they just want a way in. Your travels are generally how bed bugs get into your home.
Bed bugs feed on warm blood. They have small flat bodies that make them hard to spot in bedding and other areas. They do however, leave tell tale signs of their presence.
If you suspect that the hotel, motel or house that you are visiting has a bed bug infestation, there are a few ways to make sure. Try checking around the stitching of the mattress. Bedbugs love to hang out here. They can also be behind a picture frame that is hanging over the bed, of hiding in the crevices of any nearby furniture. They like to live by where people sleep, because incidentally, that is where they feed.
Another sign that the residence or inn has an infestation is the presence of tiny spots of blood on the mattress or bed clothing. This is called fecal matter and is left behind bed bugs after they have bitten a host. Because it is blood based it will usually be dark brown to black in color.
Exposure to bed bugs can be horrifying for numerous reasons. The possibility of tracking them back home with you is high. The fact that the breed and bite by night makes it extraordinarily difficult to imagine a good night's sleep until the problem has been rectified by elimination. When you return home from an infested spot, there a few steps that you would be wise to take.
Lock your luggage in the car and leave it in the summer sun. With the windows rolled up the temperatures in the car will rise rapidly. This is generally sufficient heat to kill off the passengers that you have brought home if you leave your luggage in the car for several hours. If it is not a warm sunny day on which you are returning and you do not believe that the car will be sufficiently heated try laundering your washable and drying in a high heat dryer until the clothes are almost painfully hot to the touch. Other non-washable items can be vacuumed or brushed out thoroughly with a stiff brush before re-entering the home.
While your luggage cannot be laundered it should be vacuumed out thoroughly. You have to pay careful attention to putting extra effort into clearing out pockets and snapped compartments as these would be ideal hiding spaces. Make certain to change your vacuum bag or empty the canister before bringing the vacuum back into the house.
If you develop a nasty bed bug infestation it is not likely to mean that you keep a nasty house. Your housekeeping skills can prevent them from ever getting in if you are prudent in your precautions each time that you return from an overnight trip in a suspicious environment. Bringing unchecked luggage into your residence is really how bed bugs most often get in.
