Bed Bugs: They’re Everywhere!

Living in Arizona, we’re mostly concerned about having bees or scorpions in our homes, but did you know your chances of having bed bugs are much higher?

In fact, some research suggests that there are only two types of people: those who have had bed bugs and those who will have bed bugs.

With those kind of odds, it is no wonder people are losing sleep and quarantining luggage following hotel stays. Bed bugs are everywhere, and you could easily collect those little hitchhikers leading to big issues on the home front.

Bed Bugs in the World

We commonly think of finding bed bugs near beds. Most of our concern comes from when we stay in a hotel, whether it’s the low-end Motel 6 or the high-class Ritz-Carlton.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate and are found anywhere they have a consistent food source.

But beds aren’t the only place bed bugs call home.

Truly, you can pick up bed bugs in any public place where people congregate. Since they are excellent hitchhikers, they will crawl from person to bag to pet until they secure a suitable place to take up permanent residence.

Some of the places you might encounter bed bugs include:

• Movie theaters
• Airplanes and buses
• Schools and daycare centers
• Secondhand stores
• Hospitals and doctors’ offices
• College dormitories
• Nursing homes
• Office buildings
• Gyms and fitness centers

Bed Bugs at Home

The goal of all living things is to survive, and we do that by finding food and shelter. Bed bugs are no different.

When you encounter bed bugs in the world, they’re likely to crawl into your luggage, gym bag, purse, or even on your clothes to find their way back to your previously peaceful abode. You just need two little bugs to create a big problem. So where will you find them in your home?

• Mattresses, particularly around the seams
• Bed frames
• Headboards and footboards
• Nightstands
• Inside walls, coming in and out through the electrical outlets
• Boxes, books, piles of clothes (e.g. clutter)

How to Know You Have Bed Bugs

So it’s happened, and you’ve become a statistic. The way you’ll know that bed bugs have taken up residence in your home is probably that you’ll see bite marks on your body (or that of other family members).

Some people are visibly sensitive—even allergic—to bed bugs, while others have no symptoms at all.

If you don’t find bite marks or start itching, another good sign is to find small blood spots on your sheets. Make sure to use light-colored sheets and inspect them regularly if you believe you might have a problem.

The last way you’ll probably discover that you have bed bugs in your home is to actually see the little guys. You can conduct a thorough search of your bed: mattress, frame, and under the bed.

You may also see them if you wake in the middle of the night and turn on the light. They don’t like the light so they will scurry away quickly.

When You Have Bed Bugs: Next Steps

Bed bugs, by their very nature, are tricky and hard to get rid of. They multiply quickly and can go weeks or months between feedings. So if you have them, it’s best to hire Budget Brothers Termite and Pest Elimination.

At Budget Brothers Termite and Pest Elimination, we use a method for eradicating bed bugs that really works!