Dealing with bugs is never fun, but it’s even worse when these pests invade your bed. When a pest enters your home, it’s in search of food, moisture, and shelter. For some pests, moving into your bed provides them access to food and a place to hide. We’ve made a list of pests that you may find lurking near your bed.
Bed Bugs
The most notorious bed invader is the bed bug. These pests feed on human blood and are active at night. They are small, usually less than ¼ʺ, which allows them to fit into tiny cracks and crevices. Bed bugs are reddish-brown and have an oval-shaped body. While they will live on your bed and bedding, they’ll also hide on other furniture, home décor, luggage, and electrical outlets. Bed bug bites can cause red, itchy bites, and they’re often clustered together.
Tips to Prevent & Get Rid of Bed Bugs
- Travel Safely: When traveling, check your room for signs of bed bugs, and don’t keep your luggage on any furniture.
- Clean Bedding: Wash and dry your bedding or infested clothing on high heat settings. This will help to kill any bed bugs on these items.
- Vacuum: Vacuuming regularly will help to remove any bed bugs and their eggs.
- Use an Insecticide Dust: Apply an insecticide dust, like our Bed Bug Killer, to the mattress, bed frame, headboard, furniture, baseboards, and any cracks and crevices where bed bugs could be hiding. When left undisturbed, it will remain effective for up to 10 years.
Fleas
Your furry family members aren’t too fond of this pest. Fleas feed on blood and prefer dogs and cats as their host. However, if no other source is available, they’ll feed on humans. These pests have a narrow body, and the most common species are about 1/8ʺ and brownish-black. Fleas like warm and humid environments. They typically live on their host for as long as possible, but they can end up in beds if your pets happen to spend time there. Flea bites will cause pets to scratch or lick excessively. On humans, they can cause itchy, red bumps with a small red ring around it.
Tips to Prevent & Get Rid of Fleas
- Keep Your Lawn Trimmed: If fleas don’t have a place to hide, they’ll be less likely to stick around. Keep your lawn trimmed and yard free of clutter.
- Team Up With Your Veterinarian: Contact your pet’s veterinarian to choose the best preventative treatment/medicine for your furry family member.
- Bathe Pets Regularly: Giving your pets regular baths will help to remove any fleas that may be hiding in their fur.
- Vacuum: Vacuuming can help to remove fleas and their eggs from your home.
- Keep Your Pet Bed/Bedding Clean: Make sure to regularly wash your pet’s bedding and to keep their space clean.
- Use an Insecticide Spray: Treat the infested area with a plant-based insecticide spray, like our Bed Bug & Flea Killer, to help kill adult fleas. This can be applied to your pet’s bed, but it should not be sprayed on your pets.
Dust Mites
Dust mites are another pest that can end up in your bed. These pests don’t feed on blood, instead, they feed on the dead skin and hair of humans and animals. Dust mites are extremely tiny, about 1/75ʺ, and whitish-tan. Because they are so small, they aren’t visible without magnification. Dust mites like humid areas and can be found in beds, furniture, carpet, and clothing. These pests won’t bite, but their presence can cause allergies and asthmatic symptoms.
Tips to Prevent & Get Rid of Dust Mites
- Wash Bedding Regularly: One of the best ways to prevent and get rid of dust mites is to regularly wash your bedding.
- Vacuum: Vacuuming can help to remove dust mites from your home.
- Remove Clutter: Keeping your home clean and free of clutter can help to control dust mites.
- Decrease Humidity: Dust mites love humid environments so reducing humidity levels can help to keep these pests away. Using a dehumidifier can help to reduce moisture levels.
- Use an Insecticide Dust: Our Bed Bug Killer doesn’t just control bed bugs, it can help eliminate other pests including mites. Apply the dust to your mattress, making sure to treat small crevices.
Cockroaches
When thinking about bed pests, cockroaches probably aren’t the first to come to mind. They’re more likely to hang out under your bed, but it’s possible they’ll travel to the mattress and bedding. These pests like dark spaces and moisture. Bedrooms are often close to bathrooms, which give cockroaches easy access to moisture. They eat a variety of things including, insects, crumbs, decaying leaves, and even dead skin cells and hair. Some cockroach nymphs are mistaken for bed bugs since they are small and reddish-brown. Nymphs like to hide in cracks and crevices just like bed bugs.
Tips to Prevent & Get Rid of Cockroaches
- Remove Food Sources: If cockroaches can find something to eat, they won’t leave. If you happen to enjoy a midnight snack in your room, make sure to clean up any crumbs.
- Eliminate Clutter: Cockroaches will use just about anything as a source of shelter. Remove clutter from your home and under your bed to help keep these pests away.
- Reduce Moisture: These pests need moisture, so it’s important to eliminate any moisture build-up. Check for any leaky pipes or faucets and repair or replace any you find.
- Seal Cracks & Gaps: Examine your home for spots where cockroaches and other pests can slip inside. Seal these to help keep pests out of your home.
- Use an Insecticide Spray: Our Ant & Roach Killer will kill cockroaches on contact while providing you with residual repellency. If using a bait, you don’t want to spray near it because this will deter pests from eating the bait.
- Use a Bait: When dealing with a cockroach infestation, you have to attack the source of the infestation—the nest. Our Roach Killer Gel Bait is designed to allow cockroaches to feed on the bait and return to the nest. When they die, other cockroaches feed on them, which results in a domino effect, helping to eliminate the colony.
Keeping creepy crawlers out of your bed is a top priority. Knowing which pests are likely to invade can help you prevent and eliminate an infestation. If you’re dealing with a pest problem, we want to help! Check out our Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective™ Pest Control products for a more environmentally and family-friendly solution.