Can someone who has bed bugs bring them to your house?: The answer is yes! Bed bugs can be carried by someone coming to your house but they are not easy to detect. Some items inside your house require special attention if you want to get rid of them.
Bed bugs are very tiny insects that feed on blood like mosquitos but they do not appear during light and confine themselves to dark places. They can survive at very low temperatures but they die when the temperature is very high. They are usually brown in color and they can survive up to one year without feeding and once bed bugs enter your house it is very hard to get rid of them.
Table of Content
How bed bugs can be carried by someone entering your house?
The most likely item for bed bugs to be carried on into your house is those backpacks that guests bring with themselves. They mostly reside inside clothes, shoe curtains, books, and different packaging.
Just because bed bugs are very tiny, you may not be able to feel their presence inside your house or body until and unless they start feeding on your blood. In that case, it would cause swelling in that area which is not likely to be realized very soon.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
There are very few studies that show that bed bugs carry any kind of disease. Yes, they are dangerous in the sense that they cause irritation and swelling in different parts of the body.
They may make you lose your mind especially when you are unable to catch them. Because they move really fast and are very tiny. So catching them is very rare.
Bed bugs are usually nocturnal in nature and most of the time they bite when you are asleep leading to disturbance in your sleep and if this situation is prolonged it may lead to insomnia.
Although it is very unlikely that a person would get an infection from a bed bug bite the way the body reacts to bed bug bite varies from person to person. Some people may get an infection and others may not.
They may cause some secondary infections where itching an area again and again for quite long may cause a wound that could be infected if not treated in a proper way.
They can worsen respiratory infections because individuals having a low level of immunity or having allergies are more likely to be bitten by bed bugs. In very rare cases they may also lead to anemia.
The individuals more prone to bed bugs bites are children, elders, and patients who stay mostly on the bed. Children may have a good immune system but they are likely to get allergies easily.
As far as elders are concerned their immune system weakens with the passage of time and their health is also affected by certain other factors like anxiety, depression and insomnia. So they bed bugs may aggravate these kinds of complications.
Those patients who stay mostly on the bed are also at higher risk of getting infections as itching may lead to their skin inflammation.
How to prevent bed bugs from entering your house?
In order to prevent bed bugs from entering your house following measures could be taken:
- Do not allow the coming person to bring their pets into your house and also remind them to not unpack their luggage inside your house.
- When you go to visit somebody’s house avoid direct contact with their belongings especially the bed, clothes, and pets.
- Remind your guests to keep their shoes outside your house before entering as they may carry bed bugs inside their house.
- Cover the sofa or bed on which a coming person would be sitting with some sheets that can be washed later on to avoid bed bugs infestation.
- Keep a specific area or a closet where you can keep the belongings of your guests and thoroughly clean that area after they are gone.
- Avoid using clothes, bags, shoes of another person.
- There are bed bugs interceptors present in the market. Install them inside your house to prevent bed bugs from irritating you.
- Avoid visiting those areas which you know may carry bed bugs.
- Always keep your house clean and vacuum thoroughly. Also, pay special attention to keep your curtains clean.
- Educate yourself and your dear ones so they may know how to deal with the problems related to bed bugs.
Dealing with the problem of bed bug infestation is quite serious and requires special attention and patience. Because precautions you are taking against the bed bugs may annoy the person coming to your house. So you should explain things to them thoroughly.
And it is better to deal with them at the early stage of infestation because the can grow at a very quick pace. You can use pesticides or heating methods to kill them as they can’t survive high temperatures.
Also, make sure to take help from professionals pro at dealing with them in case of any serious infestation.
FAQs
What are bed bugs?
They are tiny insects often brown in color that feed on the blood.
Do bed bugs spread diseases?
Apart from an allergic reaction to their bites and swelling in those areas they are not known to spread any serious disease.
What are the symptoms of bed bug infection?
Some of the symptoms are redness, swelling, and itchiness on the area where bed bugs bite.
Do I need to consult a doctor if a bed bug bites me?
The reaction to bed bug bites may vary from a person to person. If you are getting a very serious reaction then you must consult a doctor.
Do animals/pets carry bed bugs?
Yes, bed bugs feed not only on the human blood but on animal blood as well. It is very likely that your pets may carry them.
Can bed bugs enter in my hair?
Yes, they can cling onto your hair but unlike lice, they are not well adapted to cling onto your hair for a very long time.