How To Keep Bed Bugs Away, According To Experts

Here’s how to spot them and keep them out of your home.

Transported around the globe by our travels, bed bugs have been with us for 37,000 years. “They’re not part of the ecosystem but live in the human environment,” says Dini Miller, PhD, professor at Virginia Tech and urban pest management specialist for the state of Virginia. “They need us to survive.”

Perhaps you never heard much about bed bugs when you were growing up. That’s because bed bugs weren’t a problem in the U.S. for much of the last century. “We had control of bed bugs, though we had not eradicated them,” says Eric Benson, PhD, PhD, professor emeritus and extension entomologist with Clemson University. “Then in the early 2000s, we saw a resurgence.”

Meet The Experts

• Dini Miller, PhD, is a professor at Virginia Tech and urban pest management specialist for the state of Virginia.

• Eric Benson, PhD, is a professor emeritus and extension entomologist with Clemson University.

Many theories exist about why bed bugs infestations have returned. Increased travel and mobility, less awareness about bed bugs than our grandparents or great-grandparents had, and the fact that bed bugs have developed resistance to insecticides may all play a part, says Benson. They’re also secretive, spending most of their lives hiding out in cracks and crevices while waiting for a meal.

In theory, you can pick bed bugs up anywhere people gather, including public transportation, healthcare and senior facilities, dorms, hotels, and movie theaters. “But your chances of encountering bed bugs during your daily activities is slim,” says Miller. “It’s easy to avoid bringing them home, but you have to know what to look for.”

Related: How To Keep Cockroaches Away And Get Rid Of Them Around Your Home, According To Experts

Read on to learn how to keep bed bugs away from your home, as well as what to do if you think you’ve discovered them in your house:

How To Identify Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have five immature life stages, and they require a blood meal at every stage in order to grow and shed their skins. The adults are flat and reddish-brown, about the color and size of an apple seed, says Miller.

Immature bed bugs are translucent whiteish-yellow and range from the size of a comma to the size of a zero (0) on a printed page. The eggs are white and about the size of a pin head. They are almost impossible to see but have obvious eyespots if they’re older than five days.

Also, be aware that bed bugs have no wings and must crawl everywhere. “But they’re willing to crawl around all night to find a meal,” says Miller.

How To Prevent Bringing Bed Bugs Home

The good news is that bed bugs do not carry disease. They prefer bare skin, so they usually don’t bite pets because fur is difficult to get through, though they can feed on pet birds, says Miller.

While you don’t have to be paranoid that you’re going to bring bedbugs home every time you leave your house, these tips can help prevent hitchhikers from coming home with you, say  Miller and Benson:

· Inspect secondhand items, including furniture, books, and upholstered items at garage sales or antique stores before buying and bringing home.

· Don’t buy refurbished mattresses or sofas.

· Use white plastic baskets to transport laundry if you use the laundromat (cloth bags are harder to inspect).

·  Inspect your purse, computer bag, gym bag, or backpack before bringing it into the house if you were in areas where bed bugs might be found.

·  If you suspect you’ve been somewhere bed bugs are present, use a extra-sticky lint roller to run over your shoes and clothes (especially places such as shoe laces, shoe treads, cuffs, and seams) before getting into your own car or house.

Travel Precautions For Bed Bugs

One of the most common ways of picking up bed bugs is when traveling. But here are a few steps to mitigate your risk, according to Miller and Benson:

· Do a quick sweep of your hotel room. “You don’t have to spend an hour, but take a few minutes,” says Benson. Use your phone’s flashlight to look at the head and foot of the bed, pulling back the sheets to look for evidence on the mattress or covers.  Telltale signs include fecal stains (groups of black or rusty-looking spots), cast-off insect skins, or the bugs themselves. Obviously, don’t stay if you find them!

· Don’t put your suitcase on soft surfaces such as the sofa or spare bed. The bathroom or bathtub is generally a better choice because they don’t like slippery surfaces, says Benson.

· Inspect the luggage rack before using it, especially where the straps attach to the bars, says Miller.

· Keep your clothes in your suitcase, not in the hotel drawers.

· Once home, unpack your suitcase immediately, somewhere like the mudroom or garage.

· Launder everything or put in the dryer for 30 minutes. Heat kills bed bug adults, immature stages, and eggs.

Do Repellants Keep Bed Bugs Away?

Unfortunately, no chemical products or natural essential oils have been found to repel bed bugs. Many different repellants have been tested, but the bed bugs just ignore them. “Their desire to feed on you overrides the repellants,” says Benson. Sonic repellants also have no science to support their use.

Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation

The first sign of a potential infestation is often a skin reaction. But while bites may indicate the presence bed bugs, they’re not a foolproof indicator that bugs are present, says Miller. That’s because people’s reactions vary widely from nothing to an intense, itchy red rash. And if you’ve been traveling, you may have gotten bitten but then not had a reaction for several days.

Seeing live bugs is the clearest indication of an infestation, says Benson. When bed bugs aren’t feeding, they’re hanging out together in groups in places such as the seams and mattress tags on beds, in nightstands and furniture next to the bed, inside drawers, wood seams, and even recessed screw holes. You also may see shed skins or fecal matter on mattresses, walls, or other surfaces.

What To Do About A Bed Bug Infestation

If you think you have bed bugs, don’t panic. You have a few days to figure out a plan of attack. But you must act because, unchecked, bed bug populations can double every 16 days—and about 80 percent of eggs survive to become adults. “They can move from egg to adult in 37 days, if they have regular access to blood,” says Miller.

Bed bug treatment is more expensive than other types of pest control contracts, but hiring a licensed pest control company is recommended. “With a lot of pests, such as ants or cockroaches, you may be able to take care of them yourself,” says Benson. “But others, such as termites and bedbugs, are very difficult to control by DIY methods.”

When hiring a pest control firm, take a few days to do some research. Get two or three estimates, and ask about their suggested treatment plan and how often they treat for bed bugs. But be wary of any bids that are out of line with each other, especially any that are very low, says Benson.

Be aware that bed bugs are resistant to many insecticides, and no single chemical will do the job. The pest control company must utilize a multi-pronged approach, which may include bed bug monitoring devices, mattress encasements, steaming, vacuuming, and insecticide applications in the form of sprays, aerosols, insecticidal dusts, and desiccant dusts, says Miller. Repeat visits will be required once new eggs hatch.

As upsetting as it can be to require treatment, try not to freak out. “Anyone’s home can become infested with bed bugs, so don’t be embarrassed,” says Benson. With perseverance, you can get rid of bed bugs in your home.

Related: How To Keep Spiders Away, According To Experts

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