How do bed bugs travel
How do bed bugs travel?
Personal belongings and bags
Bed bugs are elite hitchhikers. When it comes to moving from place to place, they often move with the aid of people. They attach themselves to people and their personal belongings such as;
- Purses
- Shoes
- Luggage and suitcases
- Gym bags
- Personal items kept close to sleeping areas and so on.
Bed bugs are stealth and quiet. That means they latch on to your or your items unbeknownst to you and quietly hitch a ride to your dwelling place.
People often ask if bed bugs can jump? They can’t, and most importantly they don’t travel that way.
Where do people pick bed bugs from?
Because of their nature and given the fact that bed bugs can be anywhere, people can pick them up just about any place you can think of. Hotels, motels, classrooms, gym lockers, cruise ships, buses, Rental cars, and so on. The list is inexhaustible.
Prefer humans over pets
Bed bugs often prefer humans over pets because they are easily accessible. They also feed on furry animals, but they feed on humans more.
A bed bug can stay dormant for how long?
Bed bugs have a unique sleeping condition called diapason that allows them to go dormant for a considerable period. These behavioral characteristics are often similar to hibernation found carried out by bears.
Diapason purpose:
- Reduce the rate of the bug’s metabolism
- Saves up energy for the bugs which allow them to continue their normal behavioral activities when conditions are conducive
Bed bugs find it hard to go dormant because:
- The living conditions found in homes and offices is very conducive for the bed bugs
- Adequate place to hide, breed and feed
- Favorable humidity
- Warm temperatures with the absent of extreme changes
- A continuous source of blood to feed on
One study carried out, showed several bed bugs being dormant for 500 days. This is a rare occurrence as bed bugs usually will attempt to feed regularly rather than enter dormancy
A more recent study showed bed bugs living in colder conditions (temperatures below 60oF) for a long time, quickly became dormant.
Bed bugs and Cold Temperatures
- Bed bugs don’t like cold temperatures and find it difficult to survive in it
- Even in dormancy, cold temperatures can become too severe for bed bugs to live in
- Recent studies have shown that at temperatures of 0oF bed bugs don’t survive more than four days