Can Bed Bugs Travel on Your Clothes?
Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed off of human blood which is why they are typically found in mattresses, bed sheets and other upholstery inside people’s homes. But can bed bugs travel on your clothes?
Are Bed Bugs Flightless Insects?
Technically, bed bugs are not flightless insects and are in fact capable of flying short distances. This means that they can easily crawl from your mattress up onto your clothing, forming a nasty bed bug infestation on your body.
Can Bed Bugs Travel From Your Clothes Onto Others?
So now that we know bed bugs can travel on your clothes, what happens when you wear that clothing out to a restaurant, for example? Can bed bugs jump off of your clothing and infest the restaurant chairs?
Fortunately, bed bugs can’t survive for long outside of the home, which means that they won’t last long while on clothing outside. They will likely die off before they can travel to any other infestation spots.
How Can I Avoid Bed Bugs Attaching to My Clothes?
If you want to avoid bed bugs attaching to your clothes, there are a few steps you can take:
- Check your clothing before using it. Before you wear your clothes out of the house, thoroughly inspect it for any bugs or eggs. While bedbugs won’t typically live on clothes outside of your home, it never hurts to check.
- Vacuum frequently. Since bedbugs live in textiles and mattresses, you should vacuum these areas once or twice a week. Doing so will help get rid of any bugs and eggs that may have gotten on your clothes.
- Wash your clothes regularly. Make sure to wash and dry your clothes often so that any bed bugs or eggs on them don’t have a chance to reproduce.
- Use insect repellants. There are many types of insect repellants that you can use to ward off bed bugs. Spraying some of these on your clothes will help keep the bugs away.
Conclusion
Can bed bugs travel on your clothes? Yes, they can, but they typically won’t survive outside of the home. To keep your clothing safe from bed bugs, make sure to check, vacuum, wash and repel them often. Doing so will help you avoid any nasty infestations in the future.