If you live in Kansas, bed bugs can be a serious problem you’re not prepared to deal with. It’s a common misconception that homeowners are safe from pest invasions when it’s cold outside, but bed bugs can be a problem in the winter and at any time of year. Because they thrive indoors in climate-controlled environments, bed bugs that are brought into your Kansas home or business can thrive once they find a host. As scary as it might sound, it’s the ugly truth that humans are the perfect host for these blood-hungry insects.

Pest experts have different theories about the kind of weather that bed bugs like the best. Some scientists think that bed bugs multiply faster in warm summer weather. However, others suggest that the main reason that bed bugs are more common in the summer than in the winter is that more people travel during the summer.

How Do Bed Bugs Enter Your Home?

Bed bugs hitch a ride into a new environment on clothing, bedding, pillows, backpacks, or other textile products. Since wintertime holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year are among the busiest travel days of the year, bed bugs can also spread quickly.

What are the Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation?

Most people first suspect that they have bed bugs when they notice the bites. If you have an infestation, you could wake up with small, raise bite marks on your skin.Bed bug bites usually appear in a tight cluster on your skin, but everyone reacts differently. Some do not react at all.

You can also use a flashlight to check your bed, box spring, blankets, behind electrical outlet covers and furniture. Bed bugs are usually visible to the naked eye. They are tiny, but they have distinctive rust color. These small pests also leave their sticky, black-colored droppings on bedding.

Even if you suspect that you have bed bugs, you won’t be 100% sure until you enlist the services of a trained professional.

We use a unique approach to bed bug detection and control that has proven effective. Specially-trained canines can detect evidence of bed bugs with greater accuracy than human inspectors. They alert their handler, who then knows exactly where to look for evidence of an infestation.

How do bed bugs spread in the winter?

People spend more time indoors during the winter. Once bed bugs get introduced into a new home, they have plenty of opportunities to spread, especially if you’re unaware of the infestation. If bed bugs are on clothes or bed sheets and you fling them around, bed bugs can relocate or spread to other areas of your home without you knowing.

The most obvious reason bed bugs spread in the winter is due to increased travel. By staying in hotels, you run the risk of taking bed bugs home. When you arrive at your destination, don’t bring your bags inside right away. First, do a thorough inspection of the room in which you’re staying.

Check the mattress, especially along the seams and in between the headboard and footboard, for signs of eggs, casings, or the bugs themselves.
Inspect walls behind picture frames.
Check along the seams and creases of upholstered furniture.
Observe the mattress and sheets for the small dark streaks left behind from bed bug feces.

If you think your hotel room is infested with bed bugs, suggest a room change immediately. Because bed bugs can travel through adjoining units, request a room far from the possibly affected room.

In general, if you suspect bed bugs are living in your home, you can limit the increased severity of the problem by getting an inspection at the first signs of bed bugs in your home or commercial property once you return.

The Best Bed Bug Solution for Winter or Summer

A more straightforward and effective treatment involves exposing the infested area to heat. The advantage of heat treatment is that it can reach into carpeting and bedding to places where bed bugs hide that pesticides cannot touch. Because of its wider reach, heat treatments are more effective than pesticides or bed bug traps.

Heat also works better in winter because it does not release harmful chemicals into the air. How hot does it need to be? You will need a temperature of 120 degrees or more to kill bed bugs without chemicals.

Bed bugs can strike at any time of year. Infestations are especially common around busy travel days, including the wintertime holidays.

If you find evidence of bed bugs during the winter, call Schendel for eco-friendly procedures like canine detection and heat treatments to kill bugs. It’s important to contact Schendel as soon as your suspect a bed bug infestation to prevent increased activity. The longer you wait to have a professional address the situation, the worse it will become and the more challenging it will be to control. To set up a free inspection at your Kansas home or commercial property, call us or fill out the form on this page.