Can Bed Bugs Live in Cardboard

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Bed bugs are tiny translucent to reddish-brown parasitic pests that feed off human blood. These unwanted pests can enter a home in various ways, including hitching a ride on clothing, furniture, mattresses, and even in ordinary cardboard moving boxes.

Read on for expert tips on spotting and getting rid of bed bugs.

How Do Bed Bugs Get into a Home?

Bed bugs are far more common than people would like to think. These small parasitic pests feed on human blood. These tiny insects are small, measuring about the size of a small apple or sesame seed, appearing white or translucent until they feed on blood, turning them into a reddish-brown color.

Common Places Bed Bugs Are Found

These small pests are more common in urban areas but can impact smaller towns and rural areas. They are primarily found in places that have a high turnover of people regularly.

Bed bugs are often found in:

Hotels & Motels
Apartment Buildings
Hospitals
Homeless Shelters
Workplaces
Stores
Movie Theaters
Public Transportation Vehicles

Bed bugs are found in every state in the United States, and these pests are found in many places all over the world.

The best way to prevent your home from a bed bug infestation is to be vigilant of things you bring into your home and regularly clean your home, focusing on tiny cracks and small hiding places these bugs tend to hide out in when not feeding.

Do Bed Bugs Cause Disease?

Bed bugs do not carry diseases, but some people develop an allergic reaction to them. They do cause small red bites that can be itchy and uncomfortable.

Can You Get Bed Bugs from Moving Boxes?

Yes, bed bugs can hide in cardboard boxes. This includes the kind that people use in offices for storing paperwork files and inside packing and transport boxes used to deliver food and other products to homes and businesses across the country on any given day.

These pests can hide and possibly lay eggs in the flaps where boxes are joined together where the glue is usually located. You may not see them unless you tear open these flaps and carefully look using a magnifying lens and light.

Do Cardboard Boxes Attract Bugs?

Cardboard boxes do attract many kinds of bugs and pests. This includes cockroaches, bed bugs, termites, and many others. People should switch to plastic or other sealed containers for storing items for any length of time.

How Long Can Bed Bugs Live in a Box?

Bed bugs can live a very long time without feeding. Researchers have proven that bed bugs can live up to 400 days and maybe longer in a box or other hiding spot when the conditions are right. That is over an entire year. These are hardy bugs that are difficult to eradicate without aggressive actions.

Other Places Where Bed Bugs Can Hide

Bed bugs tend to live where people sleep. However, they can get into other rooms over time. These bugs reproduce at an alarmingly high rate and speed. They can hide behind pictures, in dresser drawers, in closets, in mattresses and bedframes, in other furniture, along baseboards, in basements, crawlspaces and attics, and just about any place imaginable.

Tips for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

The best way to avoid a bed bug problem is to prevent them from getting inside your home. Once there, these pests tend to be stubborn and make eradicating them extremely difficult and tedious.

Keeping your living quarters and workspaces clean regularly is key. However, bed bugs do infest homes and business settings even when the place is clean and tidy.

Here are a few helpful tips from pest control experts on preventing/eradicating bed bugs that include:

Avoid bringing too many cardboard boxes into your home.
Do not store items in cardboard boxes.
Avoid used furniture unless you know the owner.
Use special mattress covers made for bed bug prevention.
Clean regularly, focusing on small crevices and cracks where bed bugs can hide.
Be diligent when traveling. Bed bugs can hitch rides in suitcases, clothing, and other transported items.
If you work or go somewhere where bed bugs could be an issue, be extra cautious & take off shoes and clothes near the entryway and wash right away.

Conclusion

Bed bugs are something no one wants to encounter, and keeping things clean and neat can help prevent these guys from intruding into your home or work environment. Avoid keeping cardboard boxes or other containers in your home for too long, and be cautious of used furniture or mattresses containing fabric or obvious tears.

If a bed bug problem develops, prompt action should be taken to avoid spreading the pests beyond the initial infestation spot. It is also wise to contact a local pest control service for these stubborn parasites if you are dealing with a severe infestation.

Sources:

https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/preparing-treatment-against-bed-bugs
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html