How do bed bugs spread? Bed bugs cannot fly or jump; they move only by walking or by hitchhiking on our belongings: bags, clothes and furniture. So bed bugs do not come from dirt; they come from an infested place and travel with you or with something that enters your home.
The most common ways bed bugs spread
- Travel: hotels, furnished flats and shared accommodation, where bed bugs climb onto luggage or clothes and come home with you.
- Second-hand furniture: used mattresses, sofas and beds, and even cardboard boxes from an infested store.
- Visitors and workers: a bag or clothes coming from an infested home or accommodation.
- Neighbours: in apartment buildings, bed bugs move between flats through cracks, sockets and pipes.
- Public places: occasionally from fabric seats on transport or in waiting areas, though this is less common.
Do bed bugs spread from person to person?
Rarely directly. Bed bugs do not live on the human body; they bite and return to their hiding place. But they can ride on clothes or bags to another place.
How to protect yourself when travelling
- Inspect the hotel bed as soon as you arrive: mattress seams and headboard, using your phone torch.
- Put your suitcase on the rack or in the bathroom, not on the bed or the floor beside it.
- Do not unpack into wardrobes if you have any doubt.
- When you get home: unpack outside the bedroom, and wash clothes in hot water and dry on high heat.
- Inspect the suitcase and its seams before storing it.
How to check second-hand furniture
- Inspect seams, corners and joints with a torch before bringing it in.
- Look for black dots, empty skins and small white eggs.
- Steam-treat any used fabric item before using it.
- Avoid used mattresses where possible.
For hiding places in detail, see Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?.
If bed bugs have reached your home
- Do not move items from the infested room to other rooms before treatment, so you do not spread them.
- Start treatment quickly, as bed bugs multiply and spread over time.
- Treat cracks and the bed with a bed bug insecticide, and steam the mattress and sofa.
- Repeat after 10 to 14 days to catch eggs that have hatched.
Products from Orkida
- Optiguard Flex by Syngenta
- K-Othrine Partix by Envu (formerly Bayer)
- Tempered SC for bed bugs
- POLTI Italian steam cleaner for mattresses
- Economy bed bug control kit
Bed bug spread FAQs
Do bed bugs fly or jump?
No. They have no wings and do not jump; they only walk, at roughly one metre per minute.
Do bed bugs spread on pets?
Rarely. Bed bugs prefer human blood and do not live on animals, but they may be in a pet's bed if it is close to where someone sleeps.
Do bed bugs come from dirt?
No. Bed bugs appear even in very clean homes and luxury hotels, because they travel with belongings, not because of dirt.