Should I Be Worried If My Neighbor Has Bed Bugs?
Some people don’t realize the amount of havoc bed bugs can wreak on a home. In all fairness, many people go their whole lives without encountering bed bugs, so how would they know? However, there’s always a chance that you’ll learn just how much bed bugs can inconvenience you, even if it’s not your fault.
You can get bugs from your neighbor if you live in an apartment, as they can crawl through gaps, cracks, and plumbing fixtures. Bed bugs have a 100-foot range, so they can easily travel between apartments in search of a host. Install weatherstripping on your doors to ensure bed bugs can’t crawl through and patch cracks in your walls.
Never accept used furniture from your neighbors without carefully inspecting it. Bed bugs can survive without a host for up to a year in some cases, so they can linger on mattresses and clothing. Follow along as we explore everything you must know about getting bed bugs from your neighbors.
Can You Get Bed Bugs From Your Next-Door Neighbor?
You can get bed bugs from your next-door neighbor, which is not uncommon. Unfortunately, you don’t only need to worry about your next-door neighbor, because you can get bed bugs from the unit above you or even beneath you if you live in an apartment complex.
The problem is that some people don’t notice bed bugs right away, so the situation can worsen right under your nose. After all, bed bugs are quite small and undetectable until they multiply and repeatedly bite you. A single female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in a lifetime, and you may have many female bed bugs at once.
That’s why bed bug infestations get out of hand so quickly, especially when traveling between apartments. In that case, they have several human hosts to suck blood from, so they’re not going to leave unless you make them. Bed bugs can travel from your neighbor’s home to your apartment in several ways, including:
1. Travel Through Ventilation
Most people don’t necessarily think about what’s going on in the ductwork at home. You can’t see inside your ductwork unless you’re cleaning it, which most people leave to professionals. However, you should worry if you share ventilation with your neighbor and they have bed bugs.
Bed bugs are more mobile than you may think, and they can travel through your shared ventilation system. Naturally, they require food, and they will travel in search of it whenever they need to. That sometimes entails crawling through the return vent in your neighbor’s apartment and entering your apartment.
Bed bugs typically stay within 20 feet of their hosts, but they’ll travel up to 100 feet if they need food. This means that your apartment is vulnerable if you live in a multi-unit complex with tightly packed apartments.
2. Crawl Through Plumbing Fixtures
You and your neighbor may have separate plumbing, but that won’t stop bed bugs if your apartments are close to each other. The 100-foot travel range they have gives bed bugs plenty of room to travel from your neighbor’s apartment to yours. That’s especially true if you and your neighbor have cracks and gaps in your pipes.
Bed bugs don’t need water in the way that other pests do, but will take advantage of any clear pathway. That includes the pipes in your walls and under your sinks, especially if they think a food source is nearby. Bed bugs feed on blood, which may not be around if your neighbors are out of town or gone for the day.
In that case, they will venture out and search for a new host in your home. Carefully inspect your pipes and plumbing fixtures for leaks and cracks. Patch them as needed to ensure bed bugs, fleas, and other pests can’t enter your apartment from another unit. Â
3. Receiving Used Furniture And Other Items
Many people dream of having a positive relationship with their neighbors, but that’s not always in the cards. For example, you can become friends with your neighbor, and they may offer you used furniture and decorations before throwing them out or selling them. However, that can end in disaster if they inadvertently give you bed bugs without realizing they ever had them.
Similarly, your neighbor may buy used furniture or thrift clothes that come with a bonus of bed bugs. In that case, the bed bugs they brought in may travel through shared plumbing or ventilation. Whether they give you infested furniture or it travels through the plumbing, you both have a problem on your hands.
Talk to your neighbor right away if you discover bed bugs in your apartment after receiving something from them. It’s a good idea to mention bed bugs even if you haven’t exchanged any items, as they can easily travel between neighbors.
4. Cracks And Gaps
Whether you live in an apartment or a house, there’s a good chance your doors, walls, and windows have gaps or cracks. This can happen due to construction errors or gradual damage, and they’re typically fixable. However, you should feel concerned about them if you discover that your neighbor has bed bugs in their apartment.
Those bed bugs are within range of your unit if they’re 100 feet away or less. That means they could crawl through those gaps and cracks anytime under the right conditions. You can avoid this problem and many others if you patch these gaps.
Luckily, you can patch many common cracks with caulk, which you can find at most hardware stores. It’s also important to install a door sweep on each of your entry doors to keep bugs and cold drafts away. That way, bed bugs can’t crawl out of your neighbor’s apartment, under your front door, and into your bed.
Can Bed Bugs Go Away On Their Own?
Bed bugs don’t typically go away on their own, as they’re among the most persistent pests. Even if you vacate your home, leaving them without a food source, new eggs may hatch and fill your home with baby bed bugs. Of course, they need a steady source of blood to survive, but they will venture out as needed to find more.
Even then, some bed bugs will probably remain in your home and even keep reproducing. Some people think they can leave their house for a few days and that the bed bugs will die. That doesn’t work because bed bugs can survive without a host for up to a year.
Some may die within a few months, but some bed bugs will hang on as long as they need to. That’s why professional treatment is essential, and tackling bed bugs alone isn’t worth the trouble.
Is Your Landlord Responsible For Bed Bugs?
Landlords are responsible for bed bug treatments unless they know the tenant is responsible. In that case, they’d have to prove that you’re at fault for the bed bugs being there. Granted, this is difficult to prove, but it may be possible if they inspected and documented the apartment’s condition before you moved in.
However, you may have evidence that bed bugs showed up after your neighbor dealt with them. In that case, the landlord may treat the whole multi-unit building or complex to be safe. This depends on many factors, but it’s worth reviewing your lease agreement before contacting your landlord.
Summing It Up
You should only worry about your neighbor’s bed bugs if you have shared walls and floors. Bed bugs can travel beneath door gaps, through wall cracks, and within your shared ventilation system. Seal the gaps and cracks in your apartment to ensure bed bugs cannot travel from your neighbor’s apartment to yours.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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