Some dwellings are more prone to bedbug infestations than others. Usually, shared living spaces tend to be the most problematic. If you reside in an apartment, dorm, or condo, there’s a risk that you’re going to encounter an infestation due to a neighbor’s infestation. Bedbugs can travel short distances and they can slip through the smallest holes.
Therefore, they can easily travel from your neighbor’s apartment and enter yours. Unfortunately, it is impossible to pick your neighbors. Nevertheless, you can take steps to prevent a neighbor’s infestation from becoming your problem.
Be Alert
Consumers should always be alert. If one bedbug enters your apartment, you may be able to stop it before it turns into a full-blown infestation. If you get rid of the bedbug and prevent others from entering, you can likely avoid a bigger headache. Being alert can help identify the problem sooner. Doing so may prevent it from worsening.
You’ll also be more likely to know when a neighbor has this problem. Then, you can take additional steps to prevent the bugs from entering your condo.
Closing All Holes
If you reside in an apartment, condo, or hotel, you should do whatever you can to prevent bugs from entering your unit. In general, this means that you’ll want to block all potential entry points. Bedbugs are small so they can fit through the smallest holes. You might think a tiny crack won’t matter, but you’ll likely be wrong. Instead, you should close every entry point you can find.
If you know a neighbor has bedbugs, you should take more steps to prevent an infestation. For instance, you can close all gaps around your door. It might be a hassle, but it is better than having to deal with a bedbug infestation later.
Dry Your Linens
If a neighbor has bedbugs, the pests may enter your apartment. Once this happens, you’ll want to get rid of them quickly. Drying your linens regularly can be a good way to eliminate bedbugs before they reproduce. The heat generated by your dryer should be hot enough to kill bedbugs. Once you’ve dried your linens in your dry, you’ll know that the linens are free of bedbugs.
You’ll also be thrilled to know that heat can kill other bugs, including termites, fleas, and cockroaches. Dry your pillowcases, sheets, blankets, and towels regularly to keep bedbugs out of your condo.
Use A Mattress Cover
In general, bedbugs want to hide on your mattress. Once they’ve taken shelter here, they can easily feed on you in the middle of the night. Using a mattress cover can make things more difficult for the pests. The bugs won’t be able to hide on your mattress because they cannot access it. This won’t stop bedbugs from entering your apartment, but it will keep them away from your bed.
This will also make it significantly easier to deal with an infestation.
Encourage Good Housekeeping
There is no doubt that pests tend to target crowded living spaces more often than where single people are living. The main reason for this is more people living in a condo, flat, apartment, or house means more messes which are harder to contain.
Property management companies are totally responsible for keeping their rentals pest-free. Encouraging good housekeeping among tenants can help keep bed bugs and other pests at bay.
A bed bug-free living space is much more difficult to maintain when the occupants are constantly coming and going. These tiny parasites are known to travel in bed linen, clothing, pre-owned furniture, and plush toys.
Routine Inspections
Routine pest inspections are a must in shared living spaces. Property management companies and homeowners should schedule monthly or quarterly inspections. The process is fairly simple if the inspector is knowledgeable of bed bugs. Knowing what to look for will definitely prove vital for amateurs.
One important fact that every occupant should know is where bed bugs tend to live. As mentioned above, bed bugs are small insects that feed on human blood. The victim in this case is known as the host and the bed bug is the parasite. With this in mind, it only makes sense for parasites to live in proximity of their hosts.
Thoroughly inspect the mattresses, pillows, bed linen, bed frames, and box springs.
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