Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can enter a home, hotel or any facility through various means, often hitchhiking on items or people. We frequently hear of these bugs in places where we sleep, so it’s not unusual for them to be found in bedrooms, hotel rooms or even daycares. However, they can also invade other spaces. Here are some common ways bed bugs can infest a property:

1. Traveling: Bed bugs are adept travelers and can hitch a ride on luggage, clothing, or other personal belongings. They may infest luggage or clothing during stays in infested hotels, motels, or other accommodations and then be unknowingly transported to a new location.
2. Secondhand Furniture: Used furniture, especially mattresses, sofas, and chairs, can harbor bed bugs. Bringing infested furniture into a home or business setting without proper inspection can lead to an infestation.
3. Visitors: Guests visiting from infested homes or hotels can inadvertently bring bed bugs with them. This is particularly common during holidays or gatherings when people stay overnight at one another’s homes or traveling in hotels.
4. Shared Laundry Facilities: Yes – it can happen at the laundromat or on college campuses! Bed bugs can spread through shared laundry facilities when infested clothing or bedding comes into contact with other items.
5. Public Transportation: Bed bugs can hide in public transportation, such as buses, trains, and taxis, and hitch a ride to a new location on unsuspecting passengers’ clothing or belongings.
6. Neighboring Units: In multi-unit buildings like apartments or condominiums, bed bugs can migrate from one unit to another through cracks in walls, electrical outlets, or shared plumbing lines.
7. Workplaces: Bed bugs can also be introduced into homes from workplaces, especially if employees share clothing storage areas or work in environments with high turnover and potential bed bug exposure.
8. Schools and Daycares: Infestations can occur in educational facilities when bed bugs are brought in by students or staff, particularly if backpacks, jackets, or other personal items are stored in close proximity.

Overall, vigilance and preventive measures, such as regular inspection of luggage and secondhand furniture, can help reduce the risk of bed bug infestations in homes and hotels.