Bed bugs are tiny wingless insects that are significantly more difficult to spread than other insects due to their lack of wings, although they can travel up to 100 feet in an hour. Bed bugs enter people’s homes by crawling via pipes, gutters, windows, and holes and fissures in the walls.
The quickest way for bed bugs to spread is when people transport them. Bed bugs are drawn to furniture and clothing materials and can latch on to either. If they do and are moved to a new location, the bed bugs will enter the new home.
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Is It Possible For Bed Bugs To Travel From Person To Person
No, bed bugs do not live on their hosts; instead, they live in warm, close quarters near them. Bed bugs inhabit furniture and clothing materials, and when they do, they choose locations close to their hosts’ resting places so that they can easily come out and feed while their hosts are sleeping and then return to hiding as quickly as possible.
Bed Bug Mode Of Transmission
As previously stated, bed bugs can enter through water pipes, cracks, or holes in walls and windows. They can also cling onto furniture or garment materials before being carried to a new site, then emerge and infest their new home. Let’s look at how they migrate in more detail.
From Room To Room
Bed bugs spread from room to room by crawling on their own or latching onto clothes and furniture that humans move from room to room. Because bed bugs are fast crawlers, it doesn’t take long for them to spread, whether they rely on human assistance.
However, bed bugs prefer to stay in one place, which is determined by the availability of blood meals. They will not recognize the need to adjust unless their hosts relocate to a new area and rely on it for relaxation; at that point, they will relocate and seek out new small spaces in which to hide and operate.
From House to House
Through small openings
When their former house has been abandoned, either temporarily or permanently, and they cannot locate a blood source, they will seek to enter a new house by crawling through the crevices in the walls, water pipes, or windows. Bed bugs have been observed creeping up to the ceiling of their new homes and descending on the bed, either to feed on the human reclining on the bed or to find a hiding place.
Through furniture and clothing materials
Bed bugs can be easily transported with human assistance if they latch onto furniture or clothing that will be carried from one location to another. They can latch onto a person’s luggage if they visit a location where bed bugs have been infested, and they can also enter a home if the owner is being visited by someone whose house is currently infested.
They will try to hang onto the luggage and then leave it to find the next bed or couch to hide in and operate from. Bed bugs can also enter the home when a person purchases new or fairly used furniture that has been infested. Used furniture is mostly known to spread bed bugs.
A recently purchased couch or bed may already be home to bed bugs, and the person who just purchased them may not be aware of their presence until the infestation grows and spreads to other sections of the home.
Range Of Travel For Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can travel a considerable distance in quest of food due to their ability to go without food for long periods (studies show that they may go for up to a year without feeding). They can crawl up to a hundred feet or more in an hour, searching for food. There are no restrictions on how far they can travel in search of food as they have the strength to go without eating for an extended period, which can be up to a year.
Humans also assist by transporting infested furniture or clothing materials from one location to another; when they latch onto such luggage, they hide in places where they cannot be seen at first glance. They enjoy the warmth that comes from squeezing themselves into such places; they can live there for up to a year, or however long it takes for the human to reach their destination, regardless of distance.
Conclusion
It’s crucial to understand how bed bugs travel from one location to another to protect yourself from them. This article contains all you need to know about their mode of transmission and the time it takes for them to arrive at their destination.