Bed bugs are sneaky in two important ways— they’re great at hiding, and they only come out at night. Their infestations tend to be especially insidious because they go so long undetected Once you find them, chances are pretty good that you have bed bugs at all stages of their life cycle in your home. Here are some of their favorite hiding places.

Furniture Fabric

One of the first places you’ll want to look for bed bugs is the bed.  Scan the edges of the mattress and box springs, where they tend to molt and lay eggs. They can also be found in seams of chairs or couches, between cushions and in the folds of curtains.

Nooks and Crannies

Bed bugs aren’t picky about where they hide, but they don’t tend to travel far from the furniture they infest. Check for bed bugs behind nightstands and dressers. They also hide in drawer joints or in any other place where two sides of a piece of furniture meet.

Walls and Ceilings

Just like they do on furniture, bed bugs hide at intersections between walls and ceilings. They can also be found hiding behind loose wallpaper and underneath items that are hung on the wall. Make sure to check all of these areas, especially in the room with the infested piece of furniture.

Bags

While bed bugs don’t walk very far, that doesn’t stop them from traveling. These pests like to hop onto luggage, backpacks and other cloth bags from pieces of furniture. When you check into a hotel, be careful about where you place your luggage. Avoid leaving it on a hotel bed for more than the time it takes you to unpack. Store it on luggage racks or tables rather than keeping it on the floor.  

Clothes

Like luggage and bags, clothing can be a means of travel for bed bugs. When you return from traveling, wash all your clothes and dry on high heat. Bed bugs can also be found in movie theaters, cars with cloth seats and other places with upholstery, so it’s important to clean your clothes after going out and to be mindful when using shared laundry facilities.

Our technicians at Pro-Staff, a company that offers Des Moines bed bug control services, have seen bed bugs in all kinds of places. If bed bugs are biting you, give us a call at 515-279-7378 or contact us online.