Can Bed Bugs Live In Storage Units
Taking precautions while storing your stuff can save you a world of headache later on.
Can bed bugs live in storage units. If they re in one storage unit the chances are good they will actually climb into another one. Preventing infestations despite the unique risks faced by storage operators there are ways to protect your units and prevent pest infestations. Bed bugged storage part 1. Because bed bugs can survive for over a year without a blood meal says missy henriksen vp of public affairs for the national pest management association in fairfax virginia they can go into that nice dark place and have a vacation for six months.
Bed bugs can get inside your storage unit through small gaps and cracks. Bed bugs can live for more than a year without a blood meal and can survive in temperatures from nearly freezing to 122 degrees making storage units a great breeding ground. However they will eventually die if they never find one. Bugs can burrow into any upholstered furniture and rodents will chew through it.
Storage units with heat or in warmer climates will also provide an ideal location as cockroaches do not like cold temperatures. They can also get into it if you accidentally bring them in on the items you re storing. People are not normally in the units which translates to a lack of light a boon for cockroaches which are mainly nocturnal. Many bugs prefer dark spaces so simply opening the door and shedding some light on your unit can he p keep pesky bugs away.
After a few days they will start to explore in search of a host. Storage units provide an ideal location for cockroaches to dwell. The most common way that bed bugs get in storage units is through mattresses. Cockroaches ants and bed bugs are equally destructive.
Make sure any mattress you keep in storage is free of insects before storage. So how can you keep pests out of your self storage unit. Is your stuff safe. Bed bugs are nondiscriminatory pests and just as likely to show up at an immaculately clean storage unit as they are a dive motel down the road.
Leave the cover on for a minimum of 400 days to starve any bed bugs that may be living in it. Since they can go for some time without food they re likely to survive in between your visits to your storage unit. To prevent them from coming in use a plastic mattress cover that is specifically designed for keeping pests out. Because rodents reproduce quickly a small infestation can become a big problem in a matter of weeks.
From the garage it s possible that they could infest or re infest the rest of your home. One pregnant mouse living in your storage unit can lead to a costly infestation and ruined possessions. For more information on keeping bed bugs away talk to a storage unit rental facility near you. Of course you should expect your storage facility to help with the process.