4 Common Bed Bug Locations Other Than the Bed

14 Jul 4 Common Bed Bug Locations Other Than the Bed

Naturally, when you think of bed bugs, you think of your mattress and pillows. Bed bugs do commonly appear in bed areas, but your infestation could expand well beyond the bed. Bed bugs like to nest in locations all around the home.

Learn about the various bed bug locations and how a pest control worker will help treat the areas.

1. Other Furniture

Bed bugs are not just limited to the beds in your home. Other furniture pieces provide the same conditions bed bugs thrive on. The tiny bugs thrive in dark and cool spaces, especially under mattresses. The same effect applies to furniture cushions.

If you have a couch or chair with separate cushions, the bed bugs may crawl underneath a cushion to live. You may notice bed bug bites on the back of your legs and knees after sitting in the infested areas. To help get rid of the problem, clean and wash the cushions according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

A pest control worker would apply further treatment to the furniture and baseboards around the furniture. For example, many workers will use pesticide dust to help eliminate the problem and prevent the future growth of the bugs.

2. Curtains and Window Treatments

Another fabric the bugs are attracted to in your home is the curtains and drapes hung from windows. The creases and folds in the curtains provide an area for the bugs to easily live and thrive. Daily vacuuming of the curtains will help remove the bugs and their droppings, but may not completely eliminate the pest population.

One way to see if the bugs have invaded the curtain area is to check the window frames behind the curtains. Little dots located all around the corners and edges of the window frame could represent bed bug droppings. The dots look similar to marker spots and will often form in large clusters.

A pest control worker may use a liquid treatment around the window frame to kill the bugs off. The treatment may also expand to a heat-based treatment. Special venting units would heat your home to temperatures above 100 degrees. The bed bugs cannot survive in the hot temperature, and the heat will help eliminate the whole bed bug colony.

3. Electrical Outlets

One of the strangest places to find bed bugs is the electrical outlet receptacles in your home. These areas are a lot different than the soft fabrics and mattresses the bugs typically seek out. Electrical outlets may serve as a transitional area for the bugs before they reach places like couches and beds. Eventually, the bugs will need to find blood to feed on.

The outlets could serve as an ideal location if you have pets in the home. As pets go by outlets, bed bugs may transfer and feed off the animals. Just like window frames, you will see small dots located all around the outlets. The dots are really noticeable if you have white outlets in the home.

Heat treatment works best for the outlets because dust or liquid pesticides could create electrical problems.

4. Wall Decorations

Wall decorations represent another area where bed bugs may live and hide. The small spaces behind picture frames are ideal for bed bugs. Bed bugs are small and thin, so they can fit between the small cracks. Also, if your walls have wallpaper, bed bugs can fit between any cracks or rips underneath the wallpaper.

Wall areas are easier to treat because you can remove the frames and use cleaning wipes to completely remove the bugs, droppings, and eggs. A pest worker will treat whole walls and focus on baseboards. The baseboards are often the key entry area for bugs.

For more information on our pest control services, contact us at Eary Termite & Pest Services. We will help eliminate bed bugs from your home and create a bug-free environment for years to come.