Where do bed bugs come from?

By

August 3, 2017

  • Bed bug information resources may differ on the most common ways of getting bed bugs.
  • The most common way to get bed bugs varies by situation.

Whether in borrowed computer equipment, clothing worn on a visit to an infested locale, or tucked inside secondhand furniture, bed bugs are resourceful hitchhikers.
Photos: Mark Sheperdigian, BCE

“Mommy, where do bed bugs come from?”

“Well dear, they come from the bad thoughts that you don’t deal with. They multiply into bed bugs that just get worse and worse until they cannot be hidden.”

The truth is actually more reassuring.

We always ask residents whether they know how their bed bug problem got started, as the answer is essential to preventing a re-infestation. All too often, people have no idea how they got them. There are many ways to get them, but bed bug information sources never seem to agree on which route is the most common. In truth, the most likely possibility differs depending on the circumstances.

Customers are not likely to get bed bugs by inadvertently picking up wandering bugs that have fallen off people in movie theaters, in hair salons, on buses, on subway trains and the like. For these less likely routes, simply bringing home an errant bed bug is no guarantee that an infestation will result. After all, it is amazingly rare to hear of a pest management professional (PMP) who brought bed bugs home “from work” and became infested.

In communities with little or no bed bug activity, it is much more likely that a visitor from a heavily infested home or a college student returning home from an infested dorm room ranks higher than other routes. Traveling to an infested location also is a possibility, and we often get calls from active travelers. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how a community can become infested from one unfortunate event.

Single-family dwellers are likely to become infested by entering heavily infested homes for social visits, or by receiving visitors from infested homes. Bringing in used furniture is another common pathway, but only for people who get their furniture that way.

Those in multiple-family dwellings with a lot of bed bug activity are subject to all these possibilities. Once an apartment building or senior center has an infested unit or two, the movement of bed bugs multiplies. Bed bugs are taken out of heavily infested units every day by the residents and visitors, and on any discarded furniture. Eventually, the bugs will disperse themselves to adjacent units. For this reason, property managers must institute a program that includes these steps:

  1. Educate the residents and staff to reduce inadvertent spread.
  2. Establish procedures for discarding furniture.
  3. Supply trained assistance to residents who need help discarding furniture.
  4. Provide bed bug management services from trained professionals.
  5. Institute regular inspections to catch infestations before they get bad.

As you work with residents to determine the most likely cause of an infestation, these principles may help you come to more logical conclusions.

Leave A Comment

  1. Thomas Abney says:

    Hi, thanks for sharing the great post. Bed bugs create a bad environment at home. We also have a problem of bed bugs in our home and I used many sprays and toxic chemicals to kill them but it fails. I discussed with my neighbor and he suggested me to hire professional movers in NYC who provided him fumigation service to him last year and according to him they provided a permanent solution for bed bugs. Any suggestions?

    1. PMP Staff says:

      Thanks for the insights, Thomas. A large, professional movers company having a licensed and professional bed bug division, especially in New York City, is a smart idea. —The Eds.