Don’t be fooled by the name! While bed bugs are commonly found in beds or the area immediately adjacent to the bed, it is not the only place you need to consider! Most bed bug infestations happen after some of the bugs hitchhike into your home on items of furniture, clothing, or accessories! If you think you may require bed bug treatment in Knoxville or the surrounding areas, you need to remember these unusual hiding places where bed bugs may be lurking.

Purses

One common way bed bugs infest a home is that they are carried indoors on or inside a purse! The seams and pockets of most ladies’ purses make them an ideal hideout for these tiny pests. Think about how often you lay your purse on the ground or a sofa while shopping or visiting a restaurant. This gives bed bugs the perfect opportunity to catch a ride back to your home, where they will eagerly set up a new home for themselves and thousands of other bed bugs! That’s why when we carry out bed bug treatment in Knoxville, we recommend leaving your purse at home so it can also be treated.

Stuffed Animals

Do your kids carry a favorite stuffed animal around with them? Unfortunately, this could increase the risk of them bringing bed bugs into your home, especially if you take it with you while traveling away from home! Make it part of your routine to regularly wash and dry stuffed animals on high heat, and you could avoid the need for bed bug treatment in Knoxville. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive at high temperatures, so putting the toys in the dryer can help kill any bed bugs that could be on your child’s teddy bear!

Fluorescent Lights

You might have heard that bed bugs only come out at night. There is some truth to this, as bed bugs prefer dark hiding places, but they will still bite during the day if a tasty meal is available! However, it is still surprising to learn that one of the weird places bed bugs can be found is in fluorescent lights! Electrical lines make great hiding spots for bedbugs. When you hire professional bed bug treatment in Knoxville, the technician will often check inside your electrical outlets for evidence of a bed bug infestation.

School Buses

You’ve probably passed a comment before about how kids pick all manner of bugs when they start school! You probably didn’t mean actual creepy crawlies! However, bed bugs are often brought home from school. One particular hotspot for bed bugs tends to be the upholstery of school buses! It makes it easy for bed bugs to hitchhike by crawling onto your child’s clothing or backpack while they ride the bus home! It is good practice to vacuum out their backpack and lunch box regularly to keep them clean and avoid a potential infestation that could lead to you seeking out bed bug treatment in Knoxville or the surrounding area. If you find that it is becoming a recurrent problem and believe the school bus is the culprit for your bed bug invasion, it is essential to talk with the school and ask them to arrange bed bug treatment in Knoxville for the school nurses.

Airplanes

Another place where you can pick up some bed bug hitchhikers that you would likely never think of is on an airplane! Considering the sheer volume of people from all over the country who will be onboard a single aircraft over a year, it is easy to see how pests like bed bugs can make it on board. Then when you realize that they are cleaned less often than you might expect, it suddenly becomes even more likely! If you are a frequent traveler, it is good practice to vacuum out your suitcase after each trip, especially since you risk not only contamination on board the aircraft but also in your hotel.

Thermal Heat Treatment

There are many different options for bed bug treatment in Knoxville and the surrounding areas. However, at Otis Pest Control, we have found that the most effective option is thermal heat treatment. This method uses specialist equipment to raise the temperature inside your property to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive for long at this temperature. The great thing about this type of bed bug treatment in Knoxville is that it treats everything inside the home, so no matter where the pests are hiding, they will be eliminated!

--

Otis Termite & Pest Control is a full-service pest control company with a focus on outstanding service. We have been serving the East Tennessee area for over 56 years and our reputation is built on prompt and effective service. We’re good at what we do and we’re fast. We do the job right the first time – and that’s an actual guarantee! 

Call 865.690.1662 or visit www.otispestcontrol.net.