No one wants to wake up in the morning to red, itchy spots all over their body, especially since this is often a sign of a pest infestation — and not just any pest, bed bugs! These little parasites are crafty and can often stay out of sight until the infestation becomes out of control. Many homeowners mistakenly believe that bed bugs remain close to their favorite feeding place — the bed. However, they can live anywhere in your home and often hide in discreet places to digest their food and reproduce. As bed bug exterminators in Contra Costa County, CA, we’ve dealt with our fair share of bed bugs and know all the places these pests love to hide. Here are the most unusual places you should check for bed bugs.
While bed bugs prefer to munch on people in bed while they’re sleeping, they’re not picky. They will go wherever the sleeping bodies go! If you spend time on a couch or armchair in your home (and who doesn’t?) and suspect a pest infestation, the furniture should be one of the first things you check. Bed bugs like to hide here while they digest their food and wait for stationary bodies to feed on.
If your bed bug infestation becomes severe enough, these little unwanted guests will take over your home and find any little dark, tight space to hide in. Your home’s power outlets present the perfect place for hiding. You will want to catch this as soon as possible because it can be dangerous to have bugs laying eggs near your electrical wiring.
Bed bugs love clothes. They hitchhike on them from hotels, airports, movie theaters, and other places into your home and then hide among them in laundry baskets, dressers, or closets. You will need to be especially careful with clothing you haven’t worn for a while, as these items create undisturbed hiding spots.
Another favorite hiding spot for bed bugs is your dresser drawers and nightstand. These pieces of furniture are often close to your bed, making it easy for the bugs to enjoy a nightly feeding and then scamper into a hiding place come morning. They especially love the cracks and crevices found in wooden drawers.
While bed bugs are not fans of carpeting (not dark enough or hidden enough), they will crawl into the gaps in your carpet edges and baseboards. They can live and breed in these nooks for a long time, with you being none the wiser.
We have some bad news for bookworms! Bed bugs love hiding in the spines of hardcover books. This means you could unknowingly transport the world’s worst hitchhikers into your home without even realizing it. As the library book sits on your nightstand at night, these pests come out and start making themselves at home in your bed.
Perhaps one of the most unusual (and disturbing) places for bed bugs to hide is stuffed animals. As your child takes their favorite stuffie with them wherever they go, bed bugs may hitch a ride on the toy’s fur and find their way into your home. The good news is that washing and drying the stuffed animal on high heat can easily take care of the bed bugs on the toy. However, you will need to keep an eye out for signs of bed bugs elsewhere in your home.
Do you suspect you have bed bugs hiding in unusual places in your home? Don’t let them rule your house any longer. Schedule residential pest control services with Bust-A-Bug Pest Management today! We use the latest methods for finding and getting rid of bed bugs and will ensure no pest is left behind.