What Causes Bed Bug Infestations?

April 15, 2023
Bed Bug Blog

The quickest way to stop your bed bug problem is to ask “what causes bed bug infestations?”

Nobody likes bed bugs, but it’s better to get to the source of the infestation than to blindly do what you think might work to stop a bed bug infestation.

Luckily, there are a few major causes of bed bug infestations in your home, so it’ll be easy to sniff out the source of the problem.

Travel

Travel is by far the most likely way to cause a bed bug infestation. It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all of the people you brush across in your travels. Or keep track of the places someone else may have come in contact with that had bed bugs.

There are likely suspects, however.

Have you stayed in a hotel recently?

Even if the sheets are cleaned daily by great housekeepers, there’s still a chance that the sheets can have hidden bed bugs infestations. It’s easy to get them without properly paying attention to your luggage or your sleeping quarters. And honestly, you probably aren’t paying that close attention anyway. You go to a hotel to relax, not search for bed bug infestations.

Even so, you simply could have randomly come in contact with a random person on the street or in your travels, and bed bugs made their way onto you.

Second-Hand Furniture

Second-hand furniture is another very likely cause of bed bug infestations. It also will be quite obvious, since it’s easy to see changes when you add new furniture to your home. However, while you’re out moving the piece of furniture you are looking to move into your home, don’t forget to inspect it.

The same might go hand-in-hand with first-hand furniture in a house or place that doesn’t take care of it very much. When people don’t care, there’s a high chance they won’t even notice an infestation on their furniture. This ties in more directly with traveling, but don’t be afraid to decline any offers for sitting on the furniture of an acquaintance or family member that you feel may not care for their furniture properly. And therefore may have a bed bug infestation.