Do Bed Bugs Spread to Other Rooms? How a Bedroom Infestation Reaches the Whole House

TL;DR

• Yes. Bed bugs crawl through cracks and openings, and they ride on belongings people carry from room to room.
• They leave the bedroom mostly as their numbers grow, and the longer they go undetected, the more likely they are to spread.
• Keep sleeping in your own bed. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension notes that bed bugs will eventually follow you to another room, and an empty room does not starve them (Health Canada).
• Bag bedding, clothes and other items before they leave the room, and carry the sealed bag straight to the washer.
• Skip sprays and bug bombs: using insecticides the wrong way may only move bed bugs to a new area (Alberta Health, US EPA).
• Need help? Get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

Bed bugs do spread to other rooms, which is why finding them in one bedroom so often leads to the fear that the whole house is next. That fear is partly right: an infestation that grows or goes unnoticed moves outward from the bed, toward the couch, the walls and eventually other rooms.

The spread follows numbers and time, though, and much of it comes from what people do once they find bed bugs, such as moving to the couch or carrying bedding down the hall. The way these insects get from one room to the next explains which of those moves to avoid.

Do Bed Bugs Spread to Other Rooms?

Bed bugs do spread to other rooms: they crawl through cracks and openings, and they ride on belongings people carry from room to room. Health Canada notes that they "are easily moved from room to room on infested objects." Left alone, a bedroom infestation can turn into a whole-house problem.

How Bed Bugs Move Between Rooms

Bed bugs move between rooms on foot and on your things. Once inside a home, they "can crawl from room to room, or floor to floor via cracks and openings in walls, floors and ceilings", according to the University of Kentucky, and they cannot fly or jump (Health Canada). Travel, luggage and second-hand furniture, the ways they reach a home in the first place, are covered in our guide to how bed bugs spread.

When Bed Bugs Leave the Bedroom

Bed bugs leave the bedroom mostly when their numbers grow. The University of Kentucky explains that "as numbers grow larger, the bugs tend to move beyond beds into other locations, making control more difficult", and that the longer they go undetected, the more likely they are to disperse. A single female lays at least 200 eggs in her lifetime, about 2 to 4 a day (Health Canada), so a few weeks of delay add up.

How Far Bed Bugs Travel From the Bed

Most bed bugs stay close to where people sleep, but a hungry one can cover a whole floor of a house:

• Within 3 to 4 feet (about 1 metre): where most bed bugs are usually found, though some may be farther away (University of Illinois Extension)
• 5 to 20 feet (about 1.5 to 6 metres): the distance they "will readily travel" from their hiding places to feed (US EPA)
• More than 100 feet (about 30 metres) in a night: the longest distance reported by Yale Environmental Health and Safety

Can Bed Bugs Infest the Whole House?

Bed bugs can infest the whole house when an infestation is left to grow, moving from beds to sofas, walls, floor edges and, in shared buildings, the units next door. They prefer spots where they can hide and feed regularly, so any room where someone sleeps or rests is at risk.

Sofas and Recliners

Sofas and recliners are the next most likely places for bed bugs after beds. The University of Kentucky warns that they "can be major bed bug hotspots, especially when used for sleeping." The US EPA adds the seams of chairs and couches and the space between cushions to the list of places to check in heavier infestations.

Wall Hiding Spots

Wall hiding spots let bed bugs settle well away from furniture. Health Canada lists wallpaper, picture frames and electrical outlets, and the University of Kentucky adds mirrors, switch plates and the junction where walls meet the ceiling. Our guide to bed bugs in walls explains how to inspect them safely.

Floor Edges

Floor edges are a common route between rooms. Bed bugs "often reside along baseboards" and hide "along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting, especially behind beds and sofas", according to the University of Kentucky.

Electronics

Electronics can sometimes hide bed bugs too: the University of Kentucky names clocks, phones, televisions and smoke detectors. Moving a clock radio or a gaming console from the bedroom to the living room can move bed bugs with it, as our article on bed bugs in electronics explains.

Neighbouring Units

Neighbouring units are at risk in apartments and condos. In multi-occupancy buildings, "neglected infestations are also more likely to spread to other units" (University of Kentucky), and Health Canada advises checking entry points on walls you share with neighbours, such as openings for pipes and wires. If they seem to be coming from next door, read about bed bugs travelling between apartments.

What Makes Bed Bugs Spread to More Rooms?

Bed bugs spread to more rooms fastest when people move them, by changing where they sleep, carrying infested items or spraying. Each of these well-meant reactions can turn one infested room into several.

Sleeping in Another Room

Sleeping in another room often takes bed bugs along. Lehigh University's housing guide warns that "relocating to another room could spread the problem to other rooms or hallways", since bed bugs can ride along on bedding, pillows and clothes. A couch used as a bed can then become the new hotspot the University of Kentucky describes.

Moving Infested Items

Moving infested items from room to room carries bed bugs with them. The University of Kentucky recommends putting items in plastic bags before carrying them to the washer or to the curb, so bugs are less likely to fall off on the way. Orkin Canada, a pest control company, also names moving infested furniture down a hall, taking furniture apart and using one vacuum in several rooms as ways bed bugs can spread.

Sprays and Bug Bombs

Sprays and bug bombs can push bed bugs into new rooms instead of killing them. Alberta Health warns that using insecticides the wrong way may only make bed bugs move to a new area, UF/IFAS Extension calls bug bombs and homemade treatments ineffective, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension finds bug bombs mostly ineffective. If you use a product, choose one registered by Health Canada and follow the label, as explained in our review of the best bed bug sprays.

Clutter

Clutter gives bed bugs more places to hide and makes them harder to find and treat, according to the US EPA. Health Canada's first prevention tip is simply "Get rid of clutter."

How Do You Check Other Rooms for Bed Bugs?

Checking other rooms for bed bugs starts with every place where someone sleeps or rests. HealthLink BC advises checking other areas, not just the bed, and inspecting a couch if anyone sleeps on it.

Where to Look First

The first places to look usually include the seams of chairs and couches, the gaps between cushions and the folds of curtains (US EPA). Health Canada also suggests checking behind paintings, posters and mirrors, along mouldings, baseboards and window frames, and around outlets and light switches. Turn the power off before you remove an outlet cover. The full list of spots is in our guide to where bed bugs hide.

Rooms Next to the Infested One

Rooms next to the infested one deserve a check even if no one has been bitten there. The University of Kentucky notes that "it often is necessary to inspect additional rooms and apartments, especially around the one known to be infested."

Interceptors

Interceptors are cups placed under furniture legs that catch bed bugs climbing up or down. Health Canada calls bed leg interceptors one way to detect bed bugs, and the US EPA suggests putting them under each leg of infested furniture such as beds, couches or chairs. A catch in the living room tells you the infestation has left the bedroom.

Collecting a Sample

Collecting a sample confirms what you are dealing with. HealthLink BC suggests trying to catch a bug so it can be identified, which can help a professional judge how far the problem goes. Our guide to a bed bug infestation shows the other signs to compare.

How Do You Stop Bed Bugs From Spreading to Other Rooms?

Stopping bed bugs from spreading to other rooms means keeping them where they are until they are treated. Leaving the infested room empty does not starve them: Health Canada says they can live from several weeks to up to a year and a half without feeding.

Keep Sleeping in Your Own Bed

Keeping your usual bed keeps bed bugs in one place, where treatment can reach them. Seal the mattress and box spring in zippered encasements, which Health Canada suggests leaving on for a full year. Pull the bed a few inches away from the wall, keep bedding off the floor and put interceptors under the legs, as the University of Kentucky recommends.

Bagging Items

Bagging items before they leave the room stops bed bugs from dropping off along the way. Quebec's government advises storing treated items in sealed plastic bags, away from the infested room, until extermination there is complete. Most belongings do not need to be thrown out (University of Kentucky).

Washing and Drying

Washing and drying kill bed bugs on fabrics:

1. Bag bedding, clothes and curtains in the infested room.
2. Carry the sealed bag straight to the washer.
3. Wash everything in hot water.
4. Put non-washable and dry-clean-only items in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or more (Health Canada).
5. Store the clean items in new sealed bags.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming removes bugs and eggs from seams, carpet edges and baseboards. Health Canada recommends a stiff brush attachment and vacuuming daily. Seal the bag or the canister contents in a plastic bag right away and put it in an outdoor bin, as Quebec advises, rather than carrying an open vacuum through the house.

Whole-Home Professional Treatment

Whole-home professional treatment is the route Health Canada recommends: "it is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed professional pest control operator." Health Canada also says heat treatments should be left to professionals, who heat rooms to about 120 to 130°F (about 49 to 54°C) according to the University of Kentucky. Heat matters room by room, since Alberta Health warns that bed bugs may move to a cooler area if a room does not get hot enough. Our guide to bed bug heat treatment covers how it works.

If you want help, you can get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

Preparation, aftercare and every other bed bug question are covered in the bed bug guides on Pest Agent.