Bed Bugs: Can They Live In Wood?

Need to get rid of bed bugs? Read on to learn the answers to all of your important questions. Need help? Call our professionals today to get started.

Can Bed Bugs Live In My Wood Furniture?

Bed bugs are very small insects that feed off the blood of humans and other warm blooded mammals. They are typically about the size of an apple seed and are reddish-brown in color. 

Though you may be able to see them with your naked eye, both the top and underside of their body is flattened, which allows them to hide in the tiniest of cracks in your floor, carpet, bed frame, mattress and upholstered furniture.

People are often concerned about wood bed frames and wood bedroom furniture for fear they might encourage bed bugs or, in the case of used furniture, might be harboring infestations. 

While, certainly, certain kinds of wood furniture might have more cracks or crevices in which bed bugs can hide, it ultimately doesn’t matter what kind of material your furniture is made from if you have a bed bug infestation.

What Kind of Material Do Bed Bugs Like To Hide In?

Bed bugs do not have a preference for the material in which they like to hide. They are just looking for cracks in the material where they can hide and wait out their next blood meal. Bed bugs do not eat or chew through wood so that’s not a factor. They are just as happy to hide between the joints of a metal frame or the cracks of any other kind of material. 

You might find, however, that it is harder to see bed bugs and signs of bed bugs in wood as the bugs themselves may be a similar color to your furniture’s wood. Some signs of bed bugs include blood stains which can also be a similar dark brown, dark red or black like many wood pieces of furniture.

How To Remove Bed Bugs In Wood Furniture or Flooring

If you suspect that you have bed bugs in your wood furniture, there are a few steps you can take to try to eliminate as many bed bugs as you can. First, vacuum every surface, crack and crevice you can find including on the underside of any and all objects to get at all the bugs who might be hiding. 

Your best course of action is to use a vacuum with as much suction as possible and a HEPA filter to catch all the dead bug exoskeletons and eggs they may have laid. Make sure to empty your vacuum bad frequently into a heavy plastic bag and seal it properly. You don’t want to accidentally reinfect your house (or anyone else’s) with bed bugs that have escaped their trash bag confines. 

After vacuuming, you can steam your furniture to kill any eggs and remove any excrement and bloodstains bed bugs may have left behind. Chemicals and insecticides can also be applied to your furniture to help eradicate any bed bugs left behind. These can be complicated and dangerous and application of bed bug insecticides are best left to professionals.

Call Pest Control Experts

Bed bugs are a serious problem. If you think that you have bed bugs living in your wood it could be a sign of a severe infestation. Serious bed bug infestations are notoriously difficult to eradicate on your own. 

There are complicated removal processes that might need more than one visit to completely eliminate. If bed bugs are on your mind, don’t hesitate to call Pest Control Experts today.