What are the risk factors for having a bed bug infestation?
There is a myth that bed bugs tend to infest places which are dirty. Of course it is a good idea to keep your house clean and tidy, but a messy house isn’t a precursor to a bed bug infestation.
There are some practical steps you can take to try and prevent bed bugs from infesting your home. It is mostly a case of using your common sense. Once you realise that bed bugs are extremely cunning and will take advantage of any opportunity presented to them to infest somewhere where they can have easy access to blood meals, you can still try to get one step ahead of them.
Bed bugs thrive in a location which has an average temperature of 23.9 degrees celsius and where people and pets come and go, such as a bedroom or living-room. They are hitch-hikers and will find their way into luggage, school bags or boxes where they can be transported to more suitable locations. They may also be transported via your pet’s fur.
Bed bugs can survive for up to a year without a blood meal. They are very good at hiding and emerging when you least expect them.
How can I prevent bed bugs from infesting my house?
There are some simple tricks you can adopt on how to prevent bed bugs from ever getting a foothold in your home. The first thing you will need to do is inform yourself about them. Learn what they look like, how to spot signs of them in your house and what to do in case of an infestation.
If you go to someone else’s house or stay in a hotel, look out for signs of bed bugs. You don’t want to accidentally bring them back in your bag or suitcase. Make a habit of keeping your luggage away from the bed. That way, if there are bed bugs, they can’t easily find their way into your suitcase.
Check your pet’s fur often for any signs of them. Also, vacuum and steam clean your home as often as you can. These are two methods which are proven to get rid of the bed bugs and their eggs, hopefully before they’ve managed to reproduce.
If buying second-hand furniture, check with the seller that the furniture is from a bed-bug free house and has been checked for signs of infestation. Do this to prevent the bed bugs from being transferred to your own home.
If washing your clothes at a laundrette, remove them immediately from the tumble dryer and put them into a bag. Don’t fold them whilst you are there, because if someone else has unwittingly brought bed bugs from their home, they could unfortunately end up in yours, too.
Finally, although clutter and mess won’t cause an infestation, the less you leave lying about, the fewer places bed bugs will have to hide. Consider keeping boxes sealed until you need them. Prevent bed bugs from entering your home; don’t wait until you have an infestation on your hands to take action.