Bedbugs Live Where?!?! Fun Fact Friday

When you hear the term bedbug, if you assume that bedbugs infest and live in beds, you are like most people.  But guess what? Bedbug infestations reach further than the bed.  In having a conversation with a friend of the family, I came to the realization that people as a whole are very misinformed as far as where bedbugs live and what they can infest.

Something I've commonly heard- "Oh, if I get bedbugs, I will burn the bed!"

Guess what happens when you bring your brand new bed into the house?  The brand new bed gets infested and here's why: Bedbugs do not just infest beds.  Some places that bedbugs commonly infest:

• Dressers
• Bedside Tables
• Head and Foot Boards
• Wall Voids
• Base Boards
• Debris Near Beds (Laundry, Books, Toys, Garbage, etc)
• Couches
• Chairs
• Etc

If bedbugs can/do infest all of these places, getting rid of an infested bed does no good at all.  Getting rid of a bed and buying a new one is often more costly than pest control measures to treat for bedbugs, and it is far less effective considering the fact that the new bed will become infested with bedbugs without proper pest control measures.

Something else I have commonly heard is people relating bedbugs to lice.  People's homes can be infested with bedbugs but a person does not have bedbugs infesting their person.  That does not mean that a person who's home is infested will not take bedbugs to other places, it is entirely possible and even likely to happen. Bedbugs can hitchhike on clothing, shoes, luggage, briefcases etc.  But a person will not have bedbugs crawling about on them throughout the day as they go about their business.

Additionally I have heard bedbugs being related only to poor housing or low quality hotels/motels.  While a bedbug problem can and sometimes does become bigger in these places because the cost of treatment can be a deterrent when finances are tight, bedbug infestations happen across the board.  Bedbugs are often brought home by people who travel for business. Doctors who may have patients bring them in to hospitals/offices can take bedbugs home. Any professional that is inside of peoples homes is at a greater risk for bringing bedbugs home.

In order to maintain better control of bedbugs, people need to be informed.  There is plenty of misinformation available on the web.  I recently read on a popular and well trusted site that bedbugs are no longer a problem in the United States.  This information is just not true.  There was a time when bedbugs were almost unheard of here, but they are on the rise in a serious way.

If you are having trouble with bedbugs, spiders, fleas, ants or other pests, give me a call.  I'd be happy to help you out.  Mention this pest control coupon and blog post when you call to schedule your (free) inspection for $50 off a full bedbug treatment by Peak Pest Management.

Micah Wood

Peak Pest Management LLC

www.peak-pest-management.com

micah@peak-pest-management.com

Portland 503-998-4322

Vancouver 360-607-1933

Seattle 206-790-8285