Why Bed Bugs Thrive in Winter

Some types of bugs become less common in the winter. Colder temps mean that they become less active, die off, or even hibernate. Unfortunately, bed bugs are not that type of bug. Bed bugs do not get less active in the winter. In fact, they are often more active in the winter. They also spread more quickly in winter temperatures. To understand why, it helps to learn more about bed bugs.

Location

Where do bed bugs live? From their names, you would think they live in beds. That is not really true. Bed bugs primarily live in the areas around beds, such as behind bedroom baseboards. However, they do frequent beds and other soft surfaces. That means you often find bed bugs on beds, furniture, and even in clothing.

Why is their location important? Bug activity tends to die down in winter because the bugs get cold. However, bed bugs that are snug in your house, your bed, your furniture, and your clothing are cozy and warm. Since they are not experiencing temperature changes, they are not vulnerable. That means that bed bugs stay very active in winter.

Travel

In addition, bed bugs often use your soft surfaces to travel from place to place. They hitch a ride on your clothing or any bedding you might move to alternate locations. They crawl inside suitcases and shoes, moving with you. That means that winter makes it easier to transport these little creatures. After all, in the winter people tend to wear more layers and heavier clothing, making it easier for bed bugs to hitch a ride.

Get Rid of Bed Bugs, Now

Now that you know bed bugs are not going to die in the cold weather, you know how important it is to get rid of them. Bed bugs are a problem that does not self-resolve. They may start out in one room of your home, but they will move to additional rooms. If you share walls with other homes, they can get into other people’s dwellings. They can hitch a ride on your clothing, making you a vector to transmit them to other places. You can get them in your car, making it possible for you to reinfest your home. In other words, you do not want to wait to take care of your bed bug problem.

Remember, Bed Bugs Thrive in Winter so Act Fast!

Call Flick today. We can perform an inspection, and if you have bed bugs, we can create a treatment plan that gets your home bed bug free, ASAP.