How to Prevent Bed Bugs
It’s often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. While this proverb applies to many things in life, it’s especially true when it comes to bed bugs. In fact, prevention is key to avoiding a bed bug infestation in your home. In this guide, we’ll go over how to prevent bed bug infestation in your home, as well as what to do if the infestation has already begun.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, wingless insects that hide in the cracks and crevices of your bed, box springs, bed frames, and other objects around the bed. These small insects come out at night to feed on their preferred type of food: human blood.
Fortunately, bedbugs typically don’t carry or spread disease, but they can cause an allergic reaction and severe skin reactions in some people. The risk of an infestation is higher if you’re frequenting places where nighttime guests come and go, such as hotels, hospitals, or even homeless shelters.
How Do Bed Bugs Enter Our Homes?
There are several ways these little bloodsuckers can cause an infestation. They can enter your home via used clothing, used furniture, and used bedding, or as hitchhikers on your friends’ clothing, shoes, and bags. They can even traverse the piping and wiring in your home and gain entry that way.
Once they are inside your home, these insects will find a way to your bed, and the thing they like snacking on the most: you. Once they have had their fill, they’ll start reproducing, further spreading the infestation.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Preventing bed bugs is fortunately simple, and you only need to adhere to a few simple rules to minimize the chance of an infestation. If you live in a home, it’s important that you do not bring in any second-hand furniture, mattresses, spring boxes, or bed frames before thoroughly inspecting them for bed bugs.
Check all rented and used furniture for bed bugs, and only rent the furniture from a place that has a bed bug prevention policy. Additionally, when entering your home from the outside, avoid placing your bag, purse, or a backpack on your bed, seating furniture, or just about any type of furniture where you rest or sleep.
The same rules apply if you’re living in an apartment building, with some additional considerations. For example, you should seal all cracks and crevices around plumbing and wiring in your apartment, as these tiny insects can traverse the wiring and plumbing in apartment buildings. This will prevent the bed bugs from potentially traveling to neighboring apartments, and vice versa.
Endnote
It’s important to note that there is no bulletproof method for preventing bed bugs. However, taking a proactive approach to preventing bed bugs significantly reduces the chances of an infestation. However, if you believe you’ve come in contact with these insects, check out the guide on how to check for bed bugs, and be sure to call professional extermination services.