Do Bed Bugs Travel?

Hitchhiking is a form of traveling, and bed bugs are nothing but hitchhikers. People are constantly moving from one place to the other and these insects want to stay close to us as much as possible. This is something that has not began recently.

It has been happening for thousands of years. Bed bugs have always been living around us, waiting for us to go to sleep so that they can feed on our blood. Bed bugs can end up in your car, purse, backpack, luggage or even on your clothes.

They stay there until you arrive home, then they spread and pick their hiding places. They can travel a lot until they arrive to an ideal place, preferably a bedroom where they can catch us while we take a rest.

How do Bed Bugs Travel?

Bed bugs are wingless insects and one would imagine that it’s quite hard for them to travel. They can’t even jump, which would make it much easier for them to get in backpacks or cars. The only thing they can do is to crawl into thing and it turns out they can do it pretty well.

Their main target is your belongings which they use for hitchhiking. Bed bugs can end up on your clothing, backpack, luggage or purse without you even noticing them. They are going to stay there until the ride is over, which usually means that they are going to end up in your home.

This can happen to you while you enjoy your time being on vacation. You get home with a few bed bugs and in a couple of weeks, there is going to be a growing bed bug problem in your household. These insects reproduce in a rapid rate, as a female bed bug can lay down up to 250 eggs.

How Far do Bed Bugs Travel?

The distance traveled by bed bugs solely depends on us, humans. All of us will eventually get back home, which is really the ideal place for these insects. The temperature we prefer to live in is ideal for them too. Once they get in our purse, backpack or luggage, they wait patiently.

Then, once you arrive home, the exploration begins. They are going to look for an ideal place for shelter in your household. Their hiding spot can be any crack, crevice or gap that is hidden from sight. They spend most of their time in these hiding spots until the time is ideal for feeding, which is when we sleep.

• Related: How do You Get Bed Bugs?

If the environment is not suitable for them, they are going to crawl or hitchhike to the next room, apartment or building. Usually, it takes a few days for bed bugs to find the ideal hiding spots in your home. Meanwhile, they crawl around and usually end up in your bedroom where you spend most of your time in a resting position.

How do Bed Bugs Travel from Room to Room?

Bed bugs either move from room to room by crawling or by you carrying them. This really depends on the circumstances, as bed bugs are constantly on the lookout for hitchhiking. If there is no one to take them from one place to the other, they are going to crawl.

They don’t have wings nor they can jump, so it takes plenty of time for them to crawl to another room or apartment. If a room is ideal for them in terms of feeding, hiding spots and temperature, they are not going to leave it any time soon.

Usually, the most preferable room for them in a household is the bedroom. They are going to do their best to make their way to your bedroom and explore it for shelter. Then, once you are asleep, it is time for feeding. Fresh human blood and ideal temperature are the two main things they need for survival.

How do Bed Bugs Travel from One Apartment to Another?

Bed bugs can travel from one apartment to the other either by crawling or by hitchhiking. People can carry them on their clothes or in their purse, backpack or luggage. If the environment is not ideal, then bed bugs are going to change places without hesitation.

For example, if they end up in an apartment that is rarely used, they are going to crawl to the next one. They are going to look for a warm bedroom where people sleep day by day and stay there until the bed bug problem is fixed.

• Related: How to Check for Bed Bugs?

There are plenty of ways for bed bugs to change apartments. They can find the most hidden of ceiling openings, wall cracks and floor gaps and work their way to the next room. You can get bed bugs by buying used furniture or by taking them home on your clothes.

It is not easy at all for bed bugs to travel from one place to the other by their own at all. This is why they use us, as we are constantly on the move.

How do Bed Bugs Travel from Person to Person?

Bed bugs don’t spend much time on people. They rather use us for hitchhiking and, of course, when the time comes for them to feed. Other than that, they usually just hide or use their time to crawl to other places. During the day, you are most likely not going to see any bed bugs.

Once their shelter is established, they are going to spend most of their time there. Then, once the night comes, they are going to look for us, people, since feeding on our blood is in our best interest. Over the thousands of years, bed bugs have learned that it is not a good idea to be close to us or live in our clothes all the time.

If a place is not ideal for them, however, then they might decide to crawl on our clothing so that they can travel to another place. They do this until they find a bedroom or a similar place where people lay down to have some rest. That is when they can feed on some fresh blood.