Bedbugs Symptoms, Causes, Treatment – Where are bedbugs found …

Where are bedbugs found?

Bedbugs are found all over the world. Bedbugs were common in the U.S. before World War II and became rare after widespread use of the pesticide DDT began in the 1940s and 1950s. They remained prevalent in other areas of the world and, in recent years, have been increasingly observed again in the U.S. Increases in immigration and travel from the developing world as well as restrictions on the use of stronger pesticides may be factors that have led to the relatively recent increase in bedbug infestations. While bedbugs are often reported to be found when sanitation conditions are poor or when birds or mammals (particularly bats) are nesting on or near a home, bedbugs can also live and thrive in clean environments. Crowded living quarters also facilitate the spread of bedbugs.

Bedbugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. They do not infest the sleeping surfaces of beds as commonly as cracks and crevices associated with the bed frame and mattress. Other sites where bedbugs often reside include curtains, edges of carpet, corners inside dressers and other furniture, cracks in wallpaper (particularly near the bed), and inside the spaces of wicker furniture.

Since bedbugs can live for months or even longer under favorable conditions without feeding, they can also be found in vacant homes.

Pictures of bedbugs

Reviewed by William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR on 6/21/2013

Bed Bugs - Initial Symptoms Question: What were your initial symptoms for bed bugs?

Bed Bugs - Treatments Question: Were you able to effectively treat and rid your home of bed bugs?

Bed Bugs - In Hotels Question: Please describe your experience with bed bugs.

Bed Bugs - Prevention Question: How have you prevented bed bugs from recurring in your home?

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Bedbugs Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - Where are bedbugs found ...