The name of the insect may imply that they dwell only in bedding, but the persistent bed bug can travel to many other places in your home. Effective pest control needs to focus on eradicating the pest throughout the home. If you think you may have a bed bug infestation, here are five places to check besides your mattress.
Under Worn Wallpaper
Loose and torn wallpaper is a safe place for hidden travel. Bed bugs can use these hidden spots to get to the bedroom and may even tuck into electrical outlets along the way. Replace or repair any loose or torn wallpaper to make the option unavailable to them.
Snuggled Into Sofas
Soft furnishings like sofas and recliners have the same benefits as beds. The soft spots have seams and crevices where the pests can hide, and they typically have many occupants for bed bugs to feast on. Bed bugs reach furnishings by clinging onto the clothing of family members or visitors and stay around because of the convenience.
Look around the seams and between or under cushions to detect any insects. Look closely because bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed. Rust-colored spots or small blood stains on the cushions could also indicate their presence.
Hidden in Carpets
Carpets are not a favorite area of the parasites because they do not have access to a food supply as easily on the floor as they would a piece of furniture. Unlike fleas, bedbugs dislike feeding on dogs, so they do not accumulate around pets.
However, carpeting gives bed bugs a simple way to travel to more favorable areas like the sofa or bedroom. The pests may even find their way onto people as they walk through or when they sit on the sofa. Bed bugs prefer thicker, longer carpeting because it gives them an adequate hiding space, so inspect your carpets carefully.
Traveling in Vehicles
People can transfer bed bugs from their homes or other places and into their vehicles. The insect may travel with the person inside or stay outside in the vehicle. A warm climate like California makes the car a comfortable spot for the bed bugs to stay, even if it's parked outside.
Inside the vehicle, bed bugs will hide in seats and carpets, and they'll feed when people use the vehicle. Look for signs common to bedroom infestations. Dark spots from dried blood or droppings could show up on the seats or carpets. You might also find shed insect exoskeletons between seats or in other grooves in the interior.
Huddled in Handbags
A handbag makes it easy for bed bugs to spread out to many places. Handbags often sit on floors, beds, and chairs in the home. Pests can easily climb out of a bag and find a new hiding spot. The insects may even use the bag to travel to other areas in the home or other parts of the community.
Handbags typically have a lot of seams and pockets, so they provide many hiding spots. Wash cloth bags in hot water and dry them on high heat to help remove the pests and inspect the bags closely after laundering. Ask a pest control service about how to manage leather bags and other materials that cannot go into a washing machine.
The locations mentioned above are not a complete list of bed bug hiding spots. Clothing, stuffed animals, and any hidden area with a potential meal nearby fit their needs. At
Monterey Bay Pest Control Inc., we design eradication plans that address every hiding spot, so you have a safer and more comfortable environment. Call today to schedule a home inspection.