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Do Bed Bugs Live Outside?
To know whether bed bugs live outside or not, one must understand that this pests are not only good hitchhikers but also like to travel. They hide in shoes, boxes, and suitcases just to be close to a food supply.
They are nocturnal and elusive creatures. They also hide in furniture adjacent to bedding, especially box springs and mattresses.
They can be found in nearly all places people like to gather. That comprise public transportation, retail stores, offices, schools, hotels, and residences.
How Do Bed Bugs Get in Your House?
Are you wondering how bed bugs get in your house or home? Well, you should not be surprised because they can survive for a whole year without feeding.
A study by WebMD indicates that bedbugs are brownish, oval, tiny insects that survive on the humans or animals’ blood. Mature ones have flat bodies similar to that of an apple seed but their bodies become reddish in color and well after feeding.
Despite the fact that they don’t fly, bed bugs move very fast over ceilings, walls, and floors. The female ones can lay hundreds of eggs over a lifetime with each egg measuring the size equal to a speck or dust.
Nymphs or immature bedbugs shed skins five times to maturity and need a blood meal only before every shedding. When conditions are favorable, the bed bugs can grow to maturity within a month and yield more than three generations annually.
Unlike bees or ants, bed bugs have no nest, but appear to live in hiding places in groups. Initially, their typical hiding places are in headboards, bed frames, box springs, and mattresses. These are places they can live to easily reach humans for biting at night.
As time passes by, still, they may get distributed over to the bedroom before spreading to any protected location or crevices. They may as well move to nearby apartments or rooms.
The fact that they solely live on human or animal blood, having bed bugs in your house or home does not mean that you are dirty. You are expected to discover them in perfect hotel rooms and homes as well as in filthy ones.
What Kills Bed Bugs and their Eggs?
Many affected people don’t have any idea regarding what they use to kill bed bugs and their eggs at their homes. Fine, here is the remedy.
Buy some spray bottles and approximately one gallon of rubbing alcohol. Your new greatest friend is rubbing alcohol. It works as both a bed bug repellent to prevent them from laying more eggs and also kill the current ones.
The alcohol further helps to stop bed bugs from biting you during the night. For more information about the use of alcohol to kill bed bugs, read our article on, “Homemade Bed Bug Killers: Spray Alcohol, Vinegar.”
According to a report by Wikipedia, bed bugs and their eggs can be killed laundering infested bedding and garments on high temperature. Wrap house furniture in plastic before putting them under direct sunlight. Alternatively, if infested during winter season, place them in a shade on an icy day.
What Chemical Kills Bed Bugs
Chemicals used to kill bed bugs are many, but Pyrethrins, botanical insecticides are most applied in the treatment of pest infestation. They are made from chrysanthemum plants, specifically its flowers. These mixtures are fatal to bed bugs. It can also flush the pests out of their places of hiding and eradicate them.
Over 300 brands of bed bug infestation treatment insecticide are registered by EPA. Consumers can use a majority of them, but others can only allowed for application by specifically skilled professionals. They include:
- Pyrethroids,
- Insect growth regulators,
- pyrethrins,
- Neonicotinoids,
- Biochemicals,
- Pyrroles, and
- Dessicants
Additional chemical classes for very slight use patterns include:
Dichlorvos: Also called DDVP, fall under organophosphates and are enumerated as a pest strip favorable for pest treatment of small fields.
Propoxur: Is an n-methyl-carbamate and is registered specifically for application in industrial and commercial buildings without presence of children.
An in-depth coverage on pesticide controls is provided in the article, Kill Bed Bugs Fast Use Pesticides & Bed Bug Monitor.
How to Get Rid Of Bed Bugs Naturally
Now, underneath, you’ll find numerous natural methods used to control and get rid of bed bugs forever:
- Vacuum the house in entirety
- Get rid of bed bugs from the bed frame and the headboard.
- Lavender oil works miracles
- Rinse the bedclothes at extremely high temperatures
- Try a natural pesticide like diatomaceous earth for bed bugs.
Main Causes of Bedbugs
What leads to bed bug infestation? The main cause of bedbugs is that, they usually move from one place to another within luggage. Consequently, they easily spread to any place settled by humans. The fact that bed bugs feed on animal and human blood means they happily live in perfect homes. That mostly happens if they fail to get a reliable source or access to blood. Thus, bed bugs are not caused by dirt.
What Causes Bed Bug Bites to Itch or Flare Up?
Asked if people bitten by bed bug react with an itch or flare up? Just to respond, the answer is yes. Bed bug bites may itch or flare up time and again even if it happens some years after. That can occur due to two situations:
- During moments of low immune response and high stress, old bed bug bites flare up as though they form part of your quick caution system.
- There also people who may develop a bite response when in the presence of Bed Bugs. This reaction is experienced by some people previously exposed to the bites. It happens when they are in the similar scene as old bites.
What Causes Bed Bug Blood Stains?
The primary cause of bed bug blood stains is their excrement. This subject will be briefly discussed because it’s explored in detail in the subsequent article, “Bed Bug Feces, Shells, and Stains & Eggs: Find Bed Bugs.”
It leaves behind black to brown stains on linens and mattresses. The bed bug blood stains can also be seen in areas where they have been by chance crushed.
What Causes Bed Bugs in Mattresses?
The cause of bed bugs in mattresses relates to the fact that they like to hide in clutter. A mattress does not only provide bed bugs a good environment to hide but also makes it hard to spot and remove them.
Moreover, it’s also a fact that bed bugs like to live in places they can easily reach animals and humans for a bite. Therefore, a mattress becomes an ideal location for them to hide and live.
What Causes Bed Bugs in Hotels?
The main cause of bed bugs in hotels is associated with the fact that they are excellent hitchhikers. For them to infest a hotel, they must hitch a ride on something or someone. Therefore, they can either accidently ride along with the person to a hotel room. These pest may also reach a hotel via coats, rucksacks, and purses.
What Causes Bed Bugs to Die?
The primary cause of bed bugs’ death is lack of blood to feed on for a period exceeding one year. They also die due to prolonged exposure to extremely cold or hot temperatures. Bed bugs thrive in temperatures of about 55°F or less. However, the also die in a controlled hot or freezing buildings.
What Causes Bed Bugs to go Dormant?
The main cause of bed bug to go dormant is their survival ability to cold weather or lack of access to food. Basically, bed bugs slows down their metabolism during this stage and become inactive. Nymphs are gifted to go for about 3 to 6 months without food. The adults, on the other hand, can last for up to a year during the dormancy stage. This allegation is evident on Sean’s Website.
Spiritual Causes of Bed Bugs
The spiritual cause of bed bugs is the belief having them is a sin in people’ lives. Bed bug infestation is closely associated with people living in a heavily populated location. Similarly, sin a part of our life in this world.
As bed bugs like to live in hidden places or in underneath surfaces to avoid being seen by people, the same applies to sin. When people encounter health, relationships, and work problems with bed bug infestation. Sin also lurks in the same way. People repent their sins to become clean and avoid going to hell. Similar to treating bed bug infestation to get rid of related problems.
Number 1 Cause of Bed Bugs
The primary cause of bed bug is buying used bedding like mattresses. Bed bugs are excellent at spreading to other home areas and getting a ride on clothing.
Additionally, they can end up in used chairs, couches, and any other movable household pieces. So, before buying anything used, thoroughly check out first.
