How Easily do Bed Bugs Transfer – How Fast do Bed Bugs Spread?

Our fully inclusive guide on the speed and easiness of the spread of bed bugs.

We talk a lot about bed bugs, don’t we? Probably because they’re one of the most commonly reported and complained about pests in the entirety of the United States. But how fast do they transfer, and how easily are they spread? This is a concern of many.

The answer is not straight forwards, and it depends on the distance of the spread.

Read on for our fully inclusive guide on the speed and ease of the spread of bed bugs.

How Fast do They Spread from Room to Room?

On a daily basis, the average bed bug can lay somewhere between one and twelve eggs, and in their lifetime, anywhere between two hundred and five hundred eggs. With this in mind, you can see how easy it is to let an in – house infestation get out of control. The sooner you call in a professional, the better.

Remember that bed bugs need warm – blooded sources in order to feed, and therefore they’re likely to target and settle in the rooms which are host to the most human action. The speed at which bed bugs can move from room to room tends to depend on how long it’ll take for an infested piece of furniture, luggage, clothing etc to be moved from one room to another.

They are also capable of moving through the home in search of hosts. If the conditions are still in their favour, they can continue to breed wherever their piece of furniture or item is moved to.

Can They Spread from House to House?

When it comes to spreading from house to house, the more time an individual spends travelling, the quicker and easier this travelling process becomes for the bed bugs.

For example, hotels and hostels are usually a breeding ground for the little critters,

The movement of items, such as furniture and luggage is also a crucial factor in this. Also consider places with overnight guests such as hospitals, and even university accommodation.

Bed bugs don’t actually fly, but with six legs, they can crawl at a fairly impressive speed and travel between three and four feet per minute on most surfaces. This is the equivalent of the average adult human sprinting flat out.

After feeding, the bed bug will typically make its’ way back to its’ chosen hiding place, in which they’ll usually digest their meal, and then mate with partners. In the right conditions, an egg can mature into an adult in as little as a month and a half, and each individual bed bug can live anywhere between four months, up to over a year.

What About from Person to Person?

Last of all, but by no means least, many of us worry that bed bugs spread from person to person.

Although they need blood in order to survive, bed bugs will not live on human hosts. They are far more likely to be spread by living on items of furniture etc and these infested items being moved from place to place – for example in suitcases, back packs, and second hand furniture.

Bed bugs are opportunists by nature. They will hide away, and wait until it’s a convenient time for them to feed. If their area is disturbed, they’ll simply move to a neighbouring location, which can make the situation harder for you to decipher and ultimately treat.

The best way of stopping the spread? Contact a pest professional for an extermination.

 Thanks for reading!