Can Bed Bugs Fly And Do They Have Wings?
Have Bed Bugs ever been able to fly?
If you live in a large city or you’re just visiting, you’re more likely to encounter Bed Bugs more than you were able to before, especially in the last 20 years.
Bed bugs aren’t really dangerous, as much as they’re annoying. Bed bugs are easy to spread because they can easy to move from place to place and are definitely hard to kill.
How do bed bugs get around so easily?
Do Bed Bugs Have Wings?
Bed bugs can easily spread from room to room, house to house, and even building to building. How do such tiny insects travel such big distances?
One of the most common bed bug misconceptions is that they can fly.
Many people cringe at the thought of bed bugs flying in and around their homes.
There’s only one problem with this misconception: BED BUGS DON’T HAVE WINGS.
Similar to fleas, bed bugs are equipped with legs only. Their only method of travel, without help of course, is to crawl from place to place.
Do Any Species of Bed Bugs Fly?
Research shows that no species of bed bugs have wings. Because of this, the only way they can fly is on an airplane just like us.
There are comparable species out there. The bat bug, swallow bug, lice, and carpet beetles are all similar species to the bed bug but, just like them, they don’t have wings either.
Do Bed Bugs Drop from the Ceiling?
Bed bugs are insects with six little legs designed to scurry across floors and walls.
There is nothing stopping bed bugs from climbing your walls up to the ceiling in order to drop on your bed from there.
It is possible to happen to someone at one time or another.
For starters, climbing the ceiling and dropping requires traveling further than simply crawling up the bed.
Secondly, in many cases, bed bugs live on your mattress, so there’s no reason for them not to crawl out of the mattress and straight onto you.
Crawling to the ceiling would be too much extra work.
Can Bed Bugs Jump?
Some people believe Bed Bug infestations spread because they are able to jump like fleas.
Quite the opposite, while fleas can use their legs to catapult themselves great distances, bed bugs don’t have that luxury.
The truth of Bed Bugs is quite simple.
If a bed bug wants to feed, find a quiet place to lay their eggs, or escape a less than ideal habitat, it has really only one option, crawling, and crawling at a very slow pace.
How Fast Do Bed Bugs Move?
By our measuring standards, Bed Bugs travel at a pace of about a meter a minute, so needless to say, bed bugs aren’t going anywhere fast anytime soon.
Looking at all the dangers they face along the way, including poor environments, and you’ll find bed bugs aren’t able to spread quickly on their own at all.
So how do the bed bugs move from place to place?
They use Us as modes of transport.
They ride in our cars, take the subway, and fly in airplanes, again just like us, only they fly for free.
They don’t drive or buy tickets: they hitch a ride with you.
For most people, the idea of a bed bugs traveling with them is a horrible thought. It’s one thing to have a bed bug problem in a hotel, it’s another thing to have a bed bug on yourself.
But, there’s good news. Bed bugs don’t actually travel on you.
Bed bugs prefer a moderate climate. Extreme temperatures and Bed Bugs don’t go well together. That’s why it’s always recommended to use heat lamps or freezers to get rid of them.
The normal human body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s normal for us, but it’s a heatwave for bed bugs.
Our body is simply too hot for them, so bed bugs aren’t going to live in our hair, on our arms or legs in the hope of getting around easier.
It’s like traveling in a sauna. It sounds good during those cold winter months, but after 15 minutes, you find yourself looking for the door.
Our body temperature is too warm for them, but our clothes and personal items are not.
Bed bugs travel with us in our luggage or backpacks. They’ll crawl in our clothes or into an empty bag and hitch a free ride to wherever we’re going.
Furniture is another common way bed bugs travel. Ever bought a used couch or mattress online or from someone you know or don’t know?
For the most part, your furniture will most likely not have bed bugs, but moving furniture from house to house is a common way to spread whole infestations of bed bugs between buildings.
Bed bugs also travel this way within your house.
Bed Bugs love bedrooms. There are plenty of places to hide and ready access to food because you’re in bed for five to eight hours or more a night. All they do is hide out all day and crawl up your mattress every few weeks to bite you at night.
Bed bugs won’t crawl around your house to take it over.
They will instead get into other areas of your house easily because you transport them there.
All your sheets and linens, laundry baskets, and your clothes will all bring bed bugs into other areas of the house.
Spreading Bed Bugs through your house is more likely if you leave piles of laundry on the floor. It doesn’t matter if the pile is on the carpet itself or in a laundry basket on the carpet, piles of linens are always a good option for bed bugs to travel in.
If you have bed bugs hiding in your dirty clothes piles and you then decide to wash your clothes, you’ll end up moving the bed bugs to other areas of your house.
How Do I Stop Bed Bugs From Traveling
Bed bugs are small and excellent at hiding. Since they are the size of an apple seed when fully grown, they can easily sneak into a bag, a pile of laundry, or a piece of furniture without being seen.
You’ll encounter Bed Bugs even when a house or hotel is cleaned properly and all conditions are sanitary.
So how do you prevent Bed Bugs from spreading from place to place?
What to do when you encounter bed bugs…
Hotels Or Airbnb Stays
Travel is a big part of life for many people, whether it’s for business or for pleasure. The bad thing is that bed bugs are now part of that life on the road too.
It doesn’t matter if you’re staying in a roadside motel or a five-star property in the most expensive city, the common occurrence of bed bugs means no property is safe.
The most important thing to do when entering a hotel room is to check the room for obvious signs of bed bugs.
Before the inspection, put your bags in the bathroom, or more specifically the bathtub. Bathrooms are bleached and offer few hiding places. That way, if you do find bed bugs in your room, your luggage will be safe.
The next thing to do is to check the bed. Look in the seams of the mattress and behind the headboard. One sign of bed bugs are little black dots, shed casings, feces, and bloodstains. If you see something, let the hotel know. Hotel staff will want to know if there’s a possible bed bug infestation.
Once you’re done, check the area around the bed. For the most part, bed bugs won’t travel more than 15 feet from where their host rests, in this case, the bed. Be sure to check any other furniture and the closets just to be sure.
It’s important to inspect your room thoroughly. It’s not necessarily a reflection of the hotel’s cleanliness if they do happen to have Bed Bugs. A previous guest may have unknowingly brought them in with their own luggage. Bed bugs don’t need to feed often, so they may not have bitten another guest yet.
It’s always a good habit to keep your bags on the luggage rack or in the bathtub. Keeping your bags off the ground or off the bed keeps it out of reach of bed bugs and should help you avoid spreading them.
SecondHand Furniture
Second-hand furniture is usually a great bargain, but it’s also an easy way to transport bed bugs.
The best way to avoid bringing bed bugs home is by using common sense.
Don’t bring used furniture or beds from someone you don’t know. They may have had Bed Bugs from their previous owners.
Although Bed Bugs can be hard to see in furniture, especially once they move into the upholstery. You may find you aren’t able to detect bed bugs in all circumstances. Getting rid of bed bugs on mattresses or other furniture is difficult but not impossible.
Make sure to check the backs and undersides of all furniture. Look at all the joints, cracks, seams, and any holes with a flashlight. You might find either a bed bug or their eggs.
Finally, if you see any tiny black spots on the surface of the furniture, it might have been in contact with bed bugs. They leave a small black spot after they’ve fed.
Infestation In Your Home
If you have found bed bugs in your home, you’ll likely need to act fast and do a treatment to get rid of them before the infestation gets out of hand and too big to eradicate.
There are things you can do before and after the treatment to help minimize the spread of bed bugs.
You’ll want to clean your linens and clothes on a regular basis. Be sure to wash out the laundry basket to avoid unknowingly re-spreading the bed bugs.
You’ll also want to vacuum on a regular basis and avoid leaving any piles of anything that makes a good hiding place for Bed Bugs.
Bed bugs for sure don’t have wings, so they can’t fly. Still, they travel easily by hiding in luggage and furniture. They can be hard to spot outside of your home, but careful inspections will help you avoid accidentally spreading them into your home.
