I always thought bed bugs have a hiding spot near your bed, as they need to be close to you to feed on your blood. Well, it turns out it was a misconception. Bugs are so small that they can hide nearly anywhere. The worst part is they can climb your wall and build their shelters in your bedroom walls.
The best way to locate bed bugs on the walls is by finding the crevices in the walls that are wide enough to fit a credit card. From bedroom walls to carpets and from the drawers near your bed to the upholstery, bed bugs will infest nearly every corner of your house.
Bed bug infestation has nothing to do with your neighborhood, cleanliness, and home maintenance, and the size of your house. One bug is all it takes for these insects to infest your home.
Of course, it doesn’t happen overnight, but you won’t notice these bugs until they multiply into thousands and infest nearly all corners and furniture of your home.
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Bed Bugs Infestation on Walls
Bed bug infestation is quite serious. If you spot one bug crawling over your mattress, then there is a good chance there are hundreds, if not thousands of them in your house. And, if you don’t take action quickly, they will lay eggs and multiply themselves.
Bed bugs look for a hiding spot near the host. And while your bed is the most convenient place for them to hide, they can also be found in the crevices near your walls, behind your bedroom walls, in the drawer, and furniture near your bed.
They come out of their shelters at night to feed on the host and then go back into the crevices. There is a good chance the bugs will get to your walls if your bed is right up against it. They will find a small crevice where they could hide and lay eggs.
Where Are They Found?
When you inspect your home for bed bugs, consider checking the furniture, walls, ceilings, and everything that is connected to the floor. I have seen the bed bugs hiding behind the electrical outlets. It doesn’t take them a long time to find a convenient habitat and settle there.
All they need is a “perfect hiding spot” where they can’t be seen or caught. They surprisingly do it so well that no one notices their presence until the bugs start to feed on our blood.
Eventually, you will have to call pest control to get your home inspected for these gross bugs. But don’t worry! Below I have shared some easy ways to spot bed bugs on walls and kill them. Before I get to that, let me show you how bed bugs can climb the walls.
Can Bed Bugs Crawl on Your Walls?
It’s definitely not the most convenient spot for the bed bugs to live, but if you spot these nasty little creatures crawling on the wall, then it is a sign you have a pretty serious bug infestation. Bed bugs on the wall indicate that there is no space left for the bugs to inhabit, so they have to crawl on the wall to find their way into another room.
They can also climb the pipes and wires to find an entry point to another room. This problem is quite common in restaurants, apartment complexes, and commercial buildings. But bed bug infestation in the wall can also be a major issue for small families.
Bed bugs love wooden walls. The uneven surfaces and dark colors of these walls make them a perfect spot for the bugs to hide and grow. While these walls look fascinating in retro-inspired homes, they can also become home to plenty of bed bugs. That’s one of the reasons why homeowners don’t prefer wooden walls and furniture these days.
Can They Travel Through Walls?
Bed bugs cannot fly and neither do they have strong legs that could help them jump and run if they are caught. So, the only option for them to commute is through crawling. They use their bodies to attach themselves firmly to the walls and furniture.
It is absolutely possible for these miniature bugs to find their way into another room or an apartment next to your house. However, they cannot travel through walls. Have you not seen the size of these bugs? They can barely walk, let alone making a big hole in the wall.
I have heard that bed bugs have the tendency to travel 30-40 feet to get to their host for feeding. I have also heard that these bugs are so quick in noticing the pest control that before you know it, they will flee from their current habitat to another room or any untreated area.
There is no denying that they have excellent survival skills. Even though they cannot jump or have wings to fly, they can escape the treated area and find a new hiding spot easily, which also gives us another reason why it is super difficult to treat bed bug infestation.
Tips for Killing the Bed Bugs That Hide in Walls
Bed bugs can live in any wall – be it brick or wooden. While some walls come with cracks and crevices as part of the decor element, others simply get cracks and scratches over time. Earlier I mentioned that bed bugs are as thin as a credit card. So, you are wrong if you think they cannot live in the small cracks on your walls.
If you spot such cracks, get them filled as soon as possible. I strongly believe that bed bugs would never invade your home if you did not allow them to. All they need is crevices and cracks to settle into your home.
It is hard to deal with the bugs once they have infested your home. The best you can do is keep them from entering your home. And the only way you can do that is by sealing the gaps, cracks, crevices, and other small corners where bed bugs can hide. Don’t give them a comfortable environment to live in.
Here’s what I’d recommend you do if the bugs have infested your walls.
Use Pyrethrin Powder in All Corners and Crevices
If the bed bugs are hiding in walls, sprinkle Bonide Pyrethrin, which is one of my personal favorites too, on them. You could also create a pyrethrin bug-killing liquid solution by mixing the powder with water. Prepare this solution in a spray bottle and spray it to all the areas where the bugs are highly likely to travel.
If they crawl through these treated areas, the powder will be stuck to their bodies and will kill them slowly. If you are using it in powder form, then use a duster. Now, if you can spot the group of bugs in the holes in your wall, spray the solution onto them. It will kill them right there.
Paint the Walls
Bed bugs can hide from the host and feed on them. But that’s all they can do. You could take advantage of their weak feet and kick them out of your house with fresh wall paint. Now, there is no bug-special paint that can kill bed bugs or repel them.
Your best bet is to seal the crevices and then paint the walls. I have recently sealed the cracks on my walls with Sashco Crack Repair Sealant and I must say, it was a savior.
Painting walls can be a good idea if you have several crevices and cracks on your bedroom walls. Not only will it keep bed bugs out of your walls, but it will also give a makeover to your home.
Vacuum Clean Your Walls
Start with cleaning your walls. Vacuum cleaning or mopping will help remove the bugs and their feces from your walls. Of course, vacuum cleaning alone isn’t going to work. However, it is the first step in preparing your wall for further treatments.
Use handheld vacuums such as the Atrix HEPA Backpack Vacuum. I have tried it on my bedroom walls, and it cleaned the walls as well as the corners quite efficiently.
Use Residual Pesticide
One major issue with bed bugs is that they return in no time. You must have sprayed the best pesticide spray, but it is only a matter of time before they will return. So, to avoid that, I suggest the residual pesticide.
You can try using Bayer Temprid Spray as it repels nearly all types of pests, including bed bugs.
Spray the residual pesticide in the areas that are vulnerable to bed bug infestation. That’s all it takes for you to get rid of these nasty bugs for at least a few months.
Bottom Line
Bed bug infestation can be frustrating, but with the above-mentioned solutions, you can treat these bugs easily. Note that the solutions I have listed above don’t necessarily kill the bugs, but they are strong enough to repel them.
Thanks for the info. There was an old lady in the flat above me and when she left in March there was a leak from her toilet which eventually came through the cracks in my walls. I suffered this for months and the Landlord did nothing. until now December. I believe there was an infestation of bugs due to this but they are in denial about the whole episode. Bugs have to originate from somewhere. the don’t just evolve on furniture or beds. I am seeking compensation because 8 months of trying to get this spurious Landlord to act has made me so angry I feel like throwing the dead ones that I have caught into their offices. I have steam cleaned everywhere and it seems to have worked. I will see when the pest control get here on the 20th.