Can Bed Bugs Fly Or Jump?​

Bed bugs are tiny insects that can bring an entire household crashing to its knees.

If you’re wondering how to get rid of bed bugs, then it’s important to understand the basics. Knowing just a few details about bed bugs can help you to keep them at bay proactively.

Here we’ll be discussing bed bug behavior so you know what to expect from a bed bug infestation:

• Whether bed bugs fly or jump

• How bed bugs travel

• How and why bed bugs commute from one room to another

• Ways to prevent your household from being infested with bed bugs

And perhaps most importantly……… 

• When to hire the EXTERMINATORS for a bed bug infestation.

If you suspect your home has a bed bug infestation and want to know more about ‘Can bed bugs fly or jump?’ then please read this article.

Do Bed Bugs Fly?

Fortunately for humans, they can’t fly.

If you do witness an insect resembling a bed bug flying across the room, we recommend not to panic as chances are it’s just a stink bug. As the name suggests, stink bugs release an unpleasant odor when disturbed or threatened (but thankfully, don’t bite!).

Adult Bed bugs are wingless insects with a flat, oval-shaped bodies with a reddish-brown color. They have six legs, with their front two used for gripping surfaces.

Bed Bugs don’t fly. They have vestigial wing pads which they do not use. While these little bugs don’t fly, they bite you overnight to get a blood meal. A blood meal at night is needed for these pests to grow through the five life stages. Thankfully they do not spread diseases to humans.

Yes, you read that right – they drink blood.

However, despite their vampire-like feeding habits, A bed bug bite will occur approximately once every one or two weeks on the body of a human host. 

Do Bed Bugs Jump?

Bed bugs are not capable of jumping. The idea is a myth. Unlike fleas’ bed bugs do not have powerful hind legs to jump long distances. This is essential to know because if you were to lay traps for bed bugs at the legs of a bed, bed bugs would not be able to jump over them. They would fall inside and not be able to escape.

Bed bugs do not fly, cannot jump, or crawl quickly. An adult bed bug moves at around four feet a minute. Bed bugs travel around and spread by crawling onto items like clothes, luggage, gym bags, and other items, even smooth surfaces like the legs of bed frames.

If you notice an insect jumping in the air, it is likely to be a flea. Fleas also bite and feed, and it is common for a homeowner to mistake flea bites for bed bug bites.

Indeed, bed bugs will always be notorious parasites, but they don’t have impressive abilities. 

How Do Bed Bugs Move?

Now that we’ve established Bed Bugs aren’t going to fly, let’s understand how they travel.

Bed bugs move by crawling.

And while they’re not going to be breaking any 100-meter dash records, the quick movement isn’t required since we’re asleep during their feeding time. 

These sneaky creatures like to hide in dark corners and wait to eat. The CO2 you breathe out is like a dinner bell for them, so they will start making their way toward the source after detection. 

What’s worse? They’ll also travel through furniture or cracks in walls if need be.

Can Bed Bugs Climb Walls?

Bed bugs can’t fly because they do not have working wings and cannot jump.

But they can and will climb your walls to get to you.

An adult bed bug can climb and grip due to its tarsal claws and tibial pads that enable them to pass by any bed bug traps you may have enclosed around your bed.  

However, unlike your favorite neighborhood spiderman, they’re not so good at sticking on people. Bed bugs don’t tolerate heat well and will not stick on you (like ticks and fleas), instead preferring to grip on household surfaces.

Bed bugs go to your bed in several ways, but most commonly, they will get along your bed frame, walls, or furniture. Contrary to popular belief, these pests do not live exclusively in beds. Some bed bugs might, after eating, find dark spaces where it’s difficult to see them, such as rugs or cracks between baseboards. 

How Do Bed Bugs Get from Room to Room?

Bed Bugs thrive on human blood, so if they find a food source (i.e., you), that’s where they will most likely have their nest and begin an infestation.  

We strongly recommend purchasing a mattress protector to prevent bed bugs from settling into your mattress. However, although bed bugs can’t happily reside in your bed mattresses, they will most likely crawl and hide in small crevices nearby, i.e., bed frames, in your box spring, or in wall cracks. 

How can I prevent bed bugs from coming home with me?

Another way bed bugs can move around is to crawl onto your belongings on vacation, such as luggage, clothes, and backpacks. In a hotel, place your luggage on the suitcase stand rather than on the floor.

When returning home from vacation, wash clothing and dry it in a hot dryer.

Simply put – Where you go, they go.

How To Stop Bed Bugs from Moving Around?

One mistake people generally make when experiencing their first few bed bug bites is to switch rooms they sleep in.

If you’re in the process of relocating, STOP IMMEDIATELY!

By remaining in one sleeping area, you’re preventing bed bugs from spreading throughout and infesting other rooms. And sure, we totally get it that nobody wants to act as bug bait.. 

But it’s an essential step to take before calling pest control. In the event you do need to transfer items like your child’s favorite teddy bear to another room, put it in a dryer at 120 degrees beforehand. 

The Do’s & Don’ts

If you see a bed bug, your first instinct may be to panic and frantically throw the furniture around. 

While getting the creepy crawly feeling of having bed bugs can be overwhelming, it’s essential to stay calm and understand there are ways to handle them before becoming a bigger problem. 

We recommend following these Dos and Don’ts: 

Do’s

• Be on the lookout for small, itchy bumps that may not be noticeable to you or others. If these occur during sleep, check your mattress, pillows, and chairs.

• Clean up areas where bed bugs reside. This includes laundering sheets, other bedding, clothing, and curtains in hot water and regular vacuuming.

• Use caulk to repair the cracks in plaster to prevent bugs from laying eggs. Apply adhesive or wallpaper paste for peeling wallpaper that may be hiding bed bugs underneath.

Don’ts

• Ignore the issue and pray they will amicably decide to go away on their own. Bedbugs are resilient creatures and can lay dormant for months without feeding.

• Use pesticides or insecticides if you don’t have any experience using them, as these may cause health risks when improperly used.

When to Contact pest control for a bed bug infestation

To a certain degree, homeowners can limit the number of bed bugs by frequently washing and heat-drying bed sheets, bedspreads, and blankets. Bed bugs reproduce slower than other insects, but they reproduce quickly enough to infest a bed.

Bed bug patrol bed bug killer has a great spray with a 100% kill rate that is child and pet friendly. The bug killer is suitable for light and heavy infestations and is available online and in stores.

Removing them for good? Well, that’s a whole new ball game.

To get rid of bed bugs, you’re going to need the services of an exterminator.

But when do you call them?

If bed bugs keep returning to your beds, don’t wait until your infestation is out of control before seeking help – this will only cost you more money down the road!

Exterminators use chemical treatments, heat treatments, spot treatments in cracks and crevices, or a combination of all to get rid of a bed bug problem for good. An exterminator can also provide recommendations on how to prevent a future infestation of these insects.

A Quick Summary

Just in case you prefer cliff notes:

• Can Bed bugs jump? No, and a bed bug does not fly.

• Bed bugs crawl and feed on us while we are sleeping.

• A bed bug can climb on walls, avoiding every bedside trap you set for them. 

• To pursue a new food source, bed bugs will happily move from room to room.

• Control a bed bug problem through frequent cleaning and sealing off cracks.

• Don’t wait to contact an experienced pest control company for bed bug extermination.