Bed bugs are a year-round problem, not just during the fall. Infestation can ramp up in fall, but that isn’t because they’ve moved in from the outdoors. If you have bed bugs, the chances are they’ve been reproducing, spreading and biting for months and you are just now noticing.
While other pests hibernate or search for warmer temperatures indoors, the bed bug has been inside the entire time. Bed bugs are an indoor pest and are rarely found outside.
Therefore, the climate outdoors is not really a factor for why bed bugs are a big problem in the fall. It is the actions we humans take when the seasons change, and we move back indoors to get away from the colder weather.
Fall indicates the end of summer, but it doesn’t mean the end of bed bugs. When we take that last summer vacation, and the kids go back to school, we may be introducing bed bugs into our lives for the first time, and it isn’t until a few months later that we start to notice them.
Hitchhiking Summer Invaders
Despite their name, bed bugs are not just found in beds. They can be found anywhere people go, including public places such as libraries, movie theaters, and public transit.
Summer vacation just ended, and bed bugs may have come home with you in your suitcase, on your clothes, or in your shopping bags.
A single bed bug, carried home in a suitcase or on a piece of clothing, will multiply and become an issue very quickly. As the bed bug lays eggs and they hatch, those bed bugs can quickly become adults and lay eggs, and those eggs hatch, and more bed bugs emerge … you get the picture?
Bed bugs take a couple of months to fully go through a life cycle. If you were traveling this summer, it’s possible that you brought bed bugs home without knowing it.
Bed Bugs & School
The end of summer also means school is back in session. 
College kids move into the dorms where a single bed bug can quickly infest an entire floor. Books, backpacks, jackets, hats, furniture and bedding are frequent targets for bed bugs.
Kids tend to leave clothing lying around, in their backpacks, and often share their clothes with friends. Daycare kids lie down for nap time near each other, and after school sleepovers pick up this time of year.
These are just some of the many ways bed bugs appear more active in fall.
Bed Bug Travel Precautions
Bedbugs invade new areas after being carried there by clothing, luggage, furniture, and bedding. Bed Bugs do not discriminate between clean and dirty homes or businesses. The most at-risk places are those with the highest occupancy turn-over like hotels, dormitories, apartments, and homeless shelters.
Whether you are on vacation, or heading off to school for the fall, here’s what you can do to make sure you don’t bring bed bugs with you:
- Keep your suitcases covered in plastic and off the floor when you travel.
- When you travel, take a small flashlight to help you look for bed bugs.
- When you return from a trip, wash all of your clothes – even those that have not been worn – in hot water to ensure that any bed bugs that may have made it that far are not placed into your drawers/close.
- Never place luggage on the carpet or bed. Always use the luggage rack.
- Be sure to check for signs of bugs by lifting up the corner of the sheet and look on the edge of the bed near the seam for droppings.
- Wash out backpacks and don’t share clothes with others.
Got Bed Bugs? Hire a Professional
Bed bugs are hard to see, so if you think you have bed bugs, call a pest management professional. Bed bug infestations can be a real nuisance to deal with. To take care of an infestations, it’s important to know what these pests look like, how to identify bites, and what potential risks are associated with bites.
Thankfully, getting rid of bed bugs is as easy as calling a Sigma Pest Control technician. If you find that you have a bed bug infestation, be sure to call a Sigma Pest Control for efficient, professional, and effective pest control services.
Sigma Pest Control are your licensed and trained heat treatment experts. Our Bed Bug Control program is your answer to a bed bug free home. Call today for a FREE inspection and consultation – (540) 94-SIGMA.
