If you hear anything about bed bugs over the course of the next few months, it’ll likely be how cryptic they are. These pests can virtually hide in plain sight among your everyday belongings and feed on you at the most unexpected of times. As troubling as this sounds, it only makes the situation all that much worse if you truly understand where bed bugs hide. While knowing where they can hide will provide you with a road map to flushing out the critter, it makes your search a long and exhaustive one. This is why the situation is usually best left to pest management professionals with the right tools and knowledge.
Box Springs And Mattresses
It doesn’t take a genius to discern that bed bugs hide in mattresses and box springs. You’ll see this spot at the top of everyone’s list and this is because the bed bug is a pest that likes to be near its host or food source. In addition to this, these pests can sense human heat along with CO2 and kairomones that are expelled during sleep.
Bed Frame Cracks And Crevices
All headboards and frames are likely to develop cracks, bumps, and crevices over time. Some might be naturally designed in this manner to provide added appearance. Whatever the situation, these are also perfect hiding spots for bed bugs. It not only keeps them close to their hosts but it gives them a dark, warm cozy little spot that’ll keep them safe from prying eyes.
Sheets, Bedding, And Linen
It only makes sense that bed bugs will also choose to hide in your sheets, linen, and bedding. They’ll take up residence in your pillowcases, quilts, or comforters. The only good thing about this is, it makes locating them a bit easier. Look for reddish-brown stains, exoskeletons, or fecal matter.
Rugs And Carpet
Similar to the environment of sheets, quilts, and comforters, rugs and carpets provide a similar hiding spot. These areas provide just enough coverage for bed bugs to feel safe. Along with this, carpets and rugs are usually found in bedrooms, where they’ll give these troublesome critters quick and easy access to their feeding source.
Couches And Upholstered Furniture
This one probably isn’t a huge surprise either. How many horror stories have you heard about someone buying used furniture, only later to discover that they have inadvertently brought an infestation into their home. This is why you have to be extremely careful when buying used furniture. Make sure you heat treat it or vacuum it out incredibly well before bringing it into the home. To make matters even worse, there are hundreds of additional hiding places within a single piece of furniture. These bugs can hide under the armrests, the skirting, the cushions, and tons of other spaces.
Additional Hiding Spots For Bed Bugs
While some of the above-mentioned hiding places might not surprise you, there are other surprising locations that bed bugs can be located. Below, you’ll learn about some of these locations.
Suitcases/Luggage
Absolutely no one wants to deal with a pest like bed bugs while vacationing. Unfortunately, this is something that’s occurring more and more often. One of these reasons for this is because suitcases and luggage provide so many lovable hiding spots for bed bugs. A lot of bed bug infestations start with travel and you do not want to let this happen to you. Always start and end your trips by examining your luggage properly while applying the SLEEP theory.
Wall Decorations
Would you think that beautiful watercolor hanging above your head held a small family of bed bugs? Well, it’s entirely possible. Maybe it’s a candlestick. Whatever the decoration is, bed bugs today have been found hiding amongst a variety of wall decorations.
Book
Even books these days are not safe from a wondering critter like bed bugs. However, you won’t likely find them on the pages, instead, you won’t find them in the spine. It seems like this is the ideal place to check. Any time you invest in used books make sure you give that book a good sweep, checking the spine first if possible.
Nightstands
Nightstands probably aren’t surprising as many would think for a chosen bed bug hiding spot. Given the fact that they are usually located in the bedrooms and provide additional hiding spots, it only makes sense that this critter like a bed bug would take up residence in a nightstand.
Electronics
Given the sheer numbers of electronics located in most homes today, it can be more than frightening to learn that these critters will also take up residence here. They’ll not only inhabit your electronics but if they spend too much time in them, they’ll cause your device to malfunction. With the importance and price of today’s electronics, this is something that you want to avoid at all costs.