Have you ever seen a tiny, jumping bug on your bed and thought, “Is that a bed bug?” Usually, a jumping bug indicates fleas, but that opens the door to some questions: Do bed bugs jump? The most commonly asked question is, “How do I get rid of bed bugs?” We’ll go through these questions, and more, to differentiate between bed bugs or another possible pest.
So, do bed bugs jump?
Bed bugs can’t jump like fleas because they don’t have the long, strong legs that are required to jump long distances. Instead, bed bugs crawl, often going up walls and onto ceilings. Bed bugs spread from one room to the next in seconds when they hitch a ride on a human host.
Do bed bugs jump when you touch them?
Bed bugs can’t jump, so. They are known to crawl very rapidly, however. Sometimes people mistake a tiny jumping bug on their bed for a bed bug, when it’s more likely a flea.
How far can bed bugs crawl?
There was a study done on an apartment complex in which researchers found that the bed bugs can travel around 16ft within five minutes. This was done within the experiment parameters, but researchers suggest that the bugs will travel more at night when they are more difficult to see and record.
Can bed bugs climb up the wall?
Yes, as I’ve said, and they enjoy crawling onto the ceiling and other surfaces as well. In fact, some favorite places for bed bugs to live are between the walls and the wallpaper, within any cracks on the walls or ceiling, and even behind picture frames; check those family photos for more than family! They are most strongly associated with living in bed frames, box springs, and furniture, but the truth is that they can live in many areas of your home.
So bed bugs bite, right?
Of course, they do, they want to suck your blood! Bed bug bites are usually painless but itchy. They feed on humans while they sleep, crawling into the mattress to hide during the day, only coming out at night.
What do bed bugs eat?
Well, to put it bluntly, YOU! Bed bugs are parasites, that is, they require feeding (or mooching) off of another creature in order to survive. They are very different from the spiders in your home eating them, which you could think of as a symbiotic relationship; the spiders help you remove bugs, and they get a home and a meal! So the parasitic bed bug is literally just here to bleed you dry, pun intended. Bed bugs move at night, leaving bed skirts, the mattress, box spring, or bed frame to gorge themselves on the blood of their human hosts, sometimes leaving bloodstains.
So how do I get rid of them?
The first step in any good treatment plan against unwelcome insects, like bed bug infestations, is over-the-counter treatment products. Bed bugs are tough to get rid of, especially if they have had time to breed and multiply.
Your first steps would be to clean their most common places to hide, like the walls and ceilings as well as all the furniture. They won’t be found on slick surfaces like clean, flat floors. You must check for cracks in the walls and ceilings, and clean out any mold or damp areas you may find. Vacuum the floors, various furniture, and don’t forget the curtains! The key to treatment is repetition; you want to get ahead of the bed bugs’ breeding habits so that you wipe out the nest before a new generation of bed bugs has a chance at life. It is imperative that you remove all of the infested items from your home. If you must keep any furniture, you have to do your best to clean it and then wrap it in plastic for up to a year to ensure that the bed bugs are truly dead. When you throw out old, infested furniture, be sure to tear it up to discourage the bed bugs from living there, and so that no one will pick up your nice-looking couch from the curb without realizing the friends they are taking home with them.
What would a pest removal service do differently? Long story short: a lot. They are pest experts and they have access to the GOOD stuff; they are up on the newest pesticides available. A new “biopesticide” is on the market that is basically a fungus but only against bed bugs. Pest control workers understand how bed bugs move and can transmit diseases, and they have handled a bed bug problem or two in their careers.
Conclusion
There are many different varieties of bugs that are tiny and that can jump, but rest assured that bed bugs cannot jump. They can, however, suck your blood, so there’s that. If you find yourself with a bed bug infestation, your best solution is to call an expert immediately to destroy the problem at the source, and to do it quickly.
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