Cooperative Extension's bed bug guide sums it up: bed bugs "do not tend to thrive in vehicles," and vehicles "tend to be the manner in which bed bugs get from Point A to Point B." Infestations in vehicles still "can and do happen" (Extension Foundation, Pests in the Home).
How do bed bugs get into a car?
They hitch a ride. The EPA notes that bed bugs travel on furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes and clothing (EPA). In a car, that usually means:
- Luggage and bags coming home from a hotel, rental or relative's house. See how to avoid bringing bed bugs home from travel.
- Secondhand furniture, mattresses or couches carried in the back seat, a hatchback or the bed of a truck. Purdue's extension entomologists note that infested secondhand beds and furniture speed up local outbreaks (Purdue Extension).
- Moving boxes during a move or a military PCS. See bed bugs and a military PCS move.
- Clothes, coats and backpacks from a place that has bed bugs, such as a dorm, an apartment, or a home you're helping someone move out of.
Bed bugs don't fly or jump, and they don't usually set out across a parking lot looking for a car. Someone almost always carries them in.
Can bed bugs survive in a car for long?
Longer than most people expect. The EPA says bed bugs typically feed every 5 to 10 days but can survive several months to a year without feeding (EPA). The National Pesticide Information Center puts it at up to about three months without feeding at room temperature, and much longer when it's cold (NPIC).
So a car that sits for a while isn't automatically clean. A few bugs left behind in a seat seam can still be alive when someone gets back in.
Will a hot car in a Virginia summer kill bed bugs?
Don't count on it. The EPA lists "black plastic bags in a hot, closed car in the sun" as one do-it-yourself heat option for items, but warns that "success depends on your climate and other factors" and that do-it-yourself heat treatments might not work (EPA). A car doesn't heat evenly. The dash gets hot, but the space under the seats, inside the seat foam and in the trunk may not.
Cold weather doesn't solve it either. NPIC notes bed bugs survive longer without feeding in cold temperatures (NPIC), and a car parked outside in a Virginia winter doesn't stay below freezing long enough to count on.
Where do bed bugs hide in a car?
Look anywhere that's dark, tight and close to where people sit:
- Seat seams, piping and the gap where the seat back meets the cushion
- Under the seats and along the seat rails
- Under floor mats and along the edges of the carpet
- Child car seats, especially the straps, buckles and padding
- Door pockets, the center console and the glove box
- The trunk or cargo area, if luggage or furniture rode there
For what you're looking for, the signs are the same as in a bedroom: live reddish-brown bugs, tan shed skins, tiny pale eggs, and small dark spots like ink dots (EPA). Compare anything you find to our photos in what do bed bugs look like, and see signs of bed bugs. A small, fuzzy, worm-like larva is more likely a carpet beetle; see bed bugs vs carpet beetles.
How do I check my car for bed bugs?
- Clear out the clutter. Trash, blankets, bags and papers all give bugs places to hide.
- Use a bright flashlight and work seat by seat, seams first.
- Pull out the floor mats and check both sides, then the carpet under them.
- Take out child seats and look them over on a hard surface outside the car.
- Check the trunk, especially if luggage or furniture rode there.
- If you find a bug, save it. Put it on clear tape or in a sealed bag and take a photo. That's the fastest way for us, or anyone, to confirm what it is.
How do I get bed bugs out of my car?
The Cooperative Extension approach for vehicles is the same step-by-step approach used in homes: clean and inspect first, use non-chemical methods to kill or remove the bugs, and use only products that are approved for vehicles if you need them, then keep monitoring (Extension Foundation). In practice:
- Vacuum thoroughly, especially the seams, the seat rails, the carpet edges and the trunk. Empty the vacuum or throw out the bag promptly (NPIC), and seal what you throw away in a zip-top plastic bag before it goes to the outside trash (Extension Foundation).
- Steam can kill bed bugs and eggs in upholstery and carpet if it's done slowly and carefully (Extension Foundation; NPIC).
- Run removable fabric items through a hot dryer. That includes car seat covers, blankets, and clothes that were in the car. NPIC says drying heat-durable items on high heat for 30 minutes kills bed bugs, including the eggs (NPIC).
- Keep the car out of use if you can until it's clean, so you're not moving bugs to work, school or the gym. The extension guide recommends that for infested vehicles (Extension Foundation).
- Check again in a week or two. One cleaning can miss eggs.
Don't set off a fogger in the car. The EPA warns foggers shouldn't be your only method of control, because the spray won't reach the cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide, and improper use can harm your health or start a fire (EPA). A closed car is a small space with a lot of fabric. Store-bought sprays have another problem in Virginia: Virginia Tech has found practically all bed bug populations collected in the state are at least somewhat resistant to pyrethroids, the kind in many over-the-counter products (Virginia Cooperative Extension). More on that in why DIY bed bug treatments fail.
If there are bed bugs in my car, are they in my house too?
Often, yes, so check the house. The car is usually the in-between space. Bugs in the car came from somewhere, and the most common places are the home, a recent trip, or furniture you moved. Check the bed first: mattress seams, the box spring, the bed frame and the headboard. Then check the couch and any chair you sit in for long stretches. See signs of bed bugs.
If your home has been treated, the car matters for another reason. In our after-treatment guide, I point out that untreated spaces like a car, an office or a packed-away bag are where bugs can wait and come back from. After a heat treatment, customers may see a few live bugs in the first week, because we also treat the baseboards in the heat-treated rooms and stragglers come out and usually die off within about a week. If you're still seeing live bugs after that first week, call us, and tell us if anything went back and forth in the car.
Can I get bed bugs from an Uber, a taxi or a friend's car?
It's possible, but it's not the usual way people get them. A bug would have to be in the seat you used and then crawl onto your bag or clothes. If you're worried after a ride, use the same steps you'd use after a trip: check your bag before it goes into the bedroom, and put the clothes you wore in a hot dryer (NPIC; EPA). One ride is a lot less risk than a night in an infested room.
Need help?
The Bed Bug Experts serve Richmond, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg, Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia. If you've found bed bugs in your car, the next question is where they came from. Get a Free Quote and tell us what you found, where, and whether it was in the car, the house, or both. We also offer K9 bed bug inspections and heat treatment for the home.
- Richmond: (804) 346-5667
- Charlottesville: (434) 443-7551
- Fredericksburg: (540) 870-0254
- Hampton Roads / Virginia Beach: (757) 600-6073
Sources
- Extension Foundation (Cooperative Extension), Pests in the Home, "How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs" (section "How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs from Your Car"): https://pestsinthehome.extension.org/bed-bugs/how-to-get-rid-of-bed-bugs/
- National Pesticide Information Center (Oregon State University / U.S. EPA), "Bed Bugs": https://npic.orst.edu/pest/bedbug/
- U.S. EPA, "Protecting Your Home from Bed Bugs": https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/protecting-your-home-bed-bugs
- U.S. EPA, "Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control": https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/do-it-yourself-bed-bug-control
- U.S. EPA, "How to Find Bed Bugs": https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs
- Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), "Bed Bugs Biology and Behavior," ENTO-8: https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/ENTO/ENTO-8/ENTO-8.html
- Purdue University Extension Entomology, "Bed Bugs: Prevention": https://www.extension.entm.purdue.edu/bedbugs/prevention.php
--- Steve Hastings, VA license 17040. The Bed Bug Experts, a Southern Pest Eliminators Corp company.
Key takeaways
- Cars are usually a ride for bed bugs, not a home; a bug in your car usually means there is a source somewhere else.
- Check seat seams, floor mats, carpet edges, child car seats, and the trunk or cargo area after a concern.
- Vacuum, steam, dry removable items on high heat, and do not set off a fogger in the car.