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How To Get Rid Of Bed Worms? 6 Effective Ways

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We all like to sleep in a cozy and comfortable bed. But have you ever experienced something crawling in your bed and coming for you. These are called bed worms. To be more specific, a bed worm is a collective term for a group of bugs known as bed worms. Let’s look into these pesky, disgusting creatures in detail.

What Are Bed and Mattress Worms?

There is no bug known as a bed worm. The term “bed worms” is often used to describe a variety of different types of pests, including, but not limited to, dust mites, carpet beetles, and bed bugs.

insect carpet beetle larva isolated

In most cases, the worms that people see in their beds or mattresses are actually larvae of either carpet beetles or moths.

The larvae can be a variety of colors, but they are typically small and thread-like. While they may seem alarming, these worms generally do not pose a health risk to humans.

Bed and mattress worms are bugs and worms that usually come out at night and can be a problem for homeowners.

Adult worms and insects can hide in places like below the mattress, headboard, and bed frame. They can come out during the night and loiter on or around your bed. Some people may find this alarming or gross, but it is important to know that they are not harmful to humans.

Types Of Bed Worms

Here are some of the most popularly found bed worms –

Carpet Beetle Larvae

Carpet beetle larvae are a common household pest. They can be found in various places, but often in silk, wool, fur, and feathers. They can cause damage to these materials as well as to food products.

If you have carpet beetle larvae in your home, you can take steps to get rid of them, which I will be covering further in this article.

Carpet beetle larvae are a common problem during the summertime. They use open windows to fly into homes and lay eggs on your bedding, furniture, and carpets.

The two-week period for hatching is necessary for the larvae to grow from a quarter-inch to about an inch long. Once they have hatched, you will begin to see them crawling around.

The larvae of the carpet beetle are brownish or black in color and can be up to 1/4 inch long. They can cause significant damage to fabrics, including furniture, carpets, and bedding.

These small, brownish creatures can be difficult to spot, as they are different in color from bed bug shells, which are whitish and transparent.

If you see moth-eaten marks on your fabric or notice molted skin on the surfaces of the infested fabric, there’s a good chance that you have carpet beetle larvae in your home.

Cloth Moth Larva

Bed worms

A cloth moth larva is a small, creamy-white creature with a brown head. They can grow up to roughly half an inch long, and they love to feast on fabrics such as clothes, bedding, and mattresses.

Clothes moth larvae are a common pest found in homes. They love to feed on old and stuffed clothes, but they can also be found around bed sheets and covers. If you notice small holes in your fabrics or unexplained stains, there is a high chance you have a clothes moth infestation.

Silk webbing is also a telltale sign of bed and mattress worms. If you see this, it’s time to take action! You can eliminate the worms relatively easily, but it’s best to take preventative measures to keep them from coming back.

Pinworms In Bed

Pinworms are common parasitic worms that infest the human intestine. They are often found in school-aged children but can occur in adults as well.

The worms are small and white and live in the large intestine. Symptoms of pinworm infection include anal itching, insomnia, and irritability.

The thing about bed and mattress worms is that they are very difficult to detect. They leave no traces, so without spotting them, they can’t be detected easily in your bed or pajamas.

In fact, the only way to get rid of them for sure is to identify them accurately and then take appropriate action.

Pinworms act in a specific way. The female ones come out and lay eggs while the host is sleeping. This is one of the many reasons why it’s important to keep your bedroom clean!

Flea Larvae in Bed

Fleas are small, parasitic insects that you can find on the skin and fur of many animals. They are often transferred to humans through contact with an infected animal or by coming into contact with flea eggs or larvae.

Flea larvae can be found in a variety of places, including bedding, furniture, and carpets. If left untreated, they can develop into adult fleas which can then lay eggs and continue the cycle.

Fleas are a known common problem for both cats and dogs, but they can also be a problem for humans. Adult fleas will drop off from the pet and take refuge in the bed. They will lay eggs in the bed if they’ve had enough blood meals.

The eggs hatch into larvae, which will then turn into adult fleas. To get rid of bed and mattress worms, it is important to treat both the pet and the bed.

These parasites are difficult to spot and often come across as tiny white worms to an onlooker. Specifically, when they hatch, their eggs look like crawling worms.

What Causes Bed Worms on Your Mattress?

A dirty and humid kitchen and bathroom

Lost Places, Kitchen, Abandoned

The kitchen and bathroom are two of the most commonly cited places for bugs. This is because they offer a lot of food and water, as well as a humid environment.

Bugs are often drawn to kitchens because of the abundance of food, while bathrooms can be attractive because of the moisture.

Bugs, such as weevils and flour beetles love invading homes that are dirty and humid. This is because these environments, along with having all the necessary resources to survive, also provide the perfect breeding ground for them.

If you don’t clean your kitchen and bathroom properly, these bed worms can initiate their process of infestation. They feed on food and drink stains, so they will likely hang around your bedroom if those areas are unclean.

To get rid of them, you must make sure to clean your kitchen and bathroom thoroughly on a regular basis.

A dirty bed

Bed and mattress worms are tiny, white creatures that can wreak havoc on your bed. They live in dirty environments and thrive off of body oil, sweat, and spilled drinks. In addition, they are attracted to food crumbs dropped on the bed.

Therefore, it stands to reason that they are often found in dirty mattresses and bedding, where they will chew through the fabric.

If your bedsheets and the fabrics that you use in your bed are made of organic matter that comes from other animals, then most bed worms will be more attracted to them and will end up damaging them more!

Hiding fleas and pests

Fleas will hide in any cracks or gaps in your bed frame and mattress. They will also hide in the seams of your mattress and between the coils of your box spring.

If you have a pet animal, there’s a good chance they will bring fleas into your home. To get rid of pests like fleas, you need to take action to remove them from their hiding spots.

Can Bed Worms Bite?

Yes, bed worms bite, and they can cause itchy bumps on the skin. In fact, some bed worms are also known to be carriers of dangerous diseases like the flu.

However, moths, more specifically the larvae of moths, feed on fabrics and can quickly ruin your bed sheets and covers.

The fact is that adult moths are harmless, so you don’t have to worry about them biting you in your sleep. However, if you want to eliminate these pests for good, it’s best to call in a professional exterminator.

Do Bed Bugs Start Out as Worms?

Contrary to what countless people believe, bed bugs do not start out as worms. Bed bug worms are actually baby bed bugs, which are a minor version of the adult bed bug.

They look different than the adults because they have not yet grown their wing vestiges or developed into the brownish shade that adults generally sport.

Bed bugs start out as eggs. Once the eggs hatch, the babies that emerge have six legs. Just like adults, they will feed on blood and grow until they reach adulthood.

They can be found in a variety of environments, including homes, hotels, and hospitals. Bed bugs go through three developmental stages: egg, nymph, and adult.

Baby bed bugs (nymphs), which are about the size of a poppy seed when they first hatch from their eggs, are particularly difficult to detect because they’re so small and can easily hide in cracks and crevices.

Are Bed Worms Dangerous or Harmful?

Clothes moths and carpet moths are not dangerous to humans, but their larvae can be destructive. The larvae of these pests feed on a variety of materials, including clothes, carpets, furniture, and even books.

Fleas and pinworms are two types of bed worms that are known to be harmful. Pinworms are the most common type of bed worm in the United States.

They are tiny white worms that live in the colon and rectum. Fleas are tiny black bugs that suck blood from their host. Both types of bed worms can cause a variety of symptoms, including stomach pain, nausea, restlessness, and problems sleeping.

Flea larvae that live in carpets or furniture can also transport dangerous diseases, like typhus, to humans. To protect yourself from these pests, it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible.

If the infestation is that of a bed bug, then you’re almost surely going to be dealing with bed bug bites.

But, generally speaking, bed worms can be dangerous and harmful. However, the variety of problems that they cause simply require the use of antiparasitic medications. These medications will kill the bed worms and help to get rid of them from your home.

Symptoms of Bed Worms’ Bites

Carpet beetles and cloth moths are two common types of bed bugs. They are not known to be carriers of diseases, but they can cause allergic reactions in some people.

When bed bugs bite, they usually inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant, so you don’t feel the bite and keep your blood flowing. However, some people experience allergic reactions to the bug’s saliva.

Bed bug allergies can cause different symptoms in different people, such as rashes, hives, and even asthma attacks.

In addition, bugs can fly in the air and get into your respiratory tract. Once they are there, they can cause allergies like a runny nose or irritate your eyes. If you experience any of these mentioned symptoms, it is important to see a doctor right away.

To get rid of bed bugs, remove all infested items from your home and wash everything in hot water.

How to Get Rid of Bed Worms?

Vacuum Clean Your Bed

Bed and mattress worms are a type of parasite that can live in your bedding. They thrive in warm, moist environments that places like your bed offers and can cause a variety of health problems. One way to reduce the number of bed and mattress worms is to vacuum your bed regularly.

This will remove the eggs, larvae, and adult worms from your bedding. Be sure to concentrate on the areas where you found the worms, like seams and cracks.

Use heat to kill the worms.

Heat is quite effective in dealing with bed worms too. In fact, heat is so potent that it can eliminate pests regardless of what stage of their lifecycle they are in. Further, the advantage that heat offers over pesticide treatments is the fact that heat is not toxic to human beings.

Therefore, try using hot water to soak your bed sheets and bed fabrics the next time you feel like bed worms are lingering around your sleeping space. You could also use steam on items and spaces that you can’t exactly soak in hot water.

Use soap water to clean your bedding and fabrics.

You can use soap water to clean your beddings and fabrics. Soak the bedding in soapy water for about half an hour. Rinse them thoroughly, and air dry them to remove excess moisture.

If you can’t soak your bedding, simply try soaking a fresh towel in a concentrated soap solution and then wring it. Using that towel, you can now scrub at the mattress to kill these bed pests.

Clean and sanitize your entire bedroom

In order to get rid of bed worms, it is extremely important to clean and sanitize your entire bedroom and not just your bed. This includes dusting and wiping down all surfaces, as well as using effective homemade cleaning solutions.

You can prepare the cleaning solution by mixing vinegar, water, and essential oils. This will help kill any eggs or larvae that may be present. You can also use essential oils, which have specific insecticidal properties, to help get rid of the worms.

Freeze the worms and any of their eggs

Freezing the bed worms can also be an effective solution to getting rid of them from your bedroom! This can be done relatively easily and cost-effectively, making it a popular choice for those dealing with an infestation.

After freezing the worms and eggs, you need to clean the beddings. Eggs and larvae can remain on fabric even after freezing, so it is important to follow up this step with a good cleaning of the particular beddings.

Treat your pets for parasite infestations.

Dog, Pet, Canine, Animal, Fur, Snout, Mammal

Some types of bed worms are most commonly found in pets, who can spread the parasites through their hair, skin, and feces. If you have a pet, it is important to treat them for any parasite infestations regularly to prevent the spread of bed and mattress worms.

You should clean your pets frequently and apply insecticide after consulting your vet in order to treat any parasite infestations.

As a further safety measure, you could also try spraying or applying the same insecticide to places in your house where your pet spends a lot of time.

Conclusion

Bear in mind that you will have to try implementing these methods in permutations and combinations until they work. If nothing seems to work, then your hail mary pass is to call a professional pest control expert. Remember that it is preferable to get your house treated to remove harmful pests as soon as possible.

About the author

A biotechnologist by profession and a passionate pest researcher. I have been one of those people who used to run away from cockroaches and rats due to their pesky features, but then we all get that turn in life when we have to face something.