You can get bed bugs from hugging someone who has bed bugs on his or her clothes. However, chances are very minimal for this to happen because it’s not like bugs are just sitting around waiting to jump on you while hugging.
There are very few chances of getting bed bugs from hugging someone because bed bugs have minimal movements while you are active. They love hiding and are more active at night. They tend to move when they are hungry and getting them from a hug is possible but not obvious.
Once the bed bug eggs have hatched, the nymphs are always hungry for blood. They move around looking for a host. If you hug someone who has them on his or her clothes, there are chances that you will definitely get the bedbugs.
Chances of getting bedbugs from hugging
Getting bed bugs from a hug will also depend on how long you have hugged the person who has them. If you hold on to each other for some minutes with your clothes close to each other, then a bed bug may easily crawl onto your clothes.
Bed bugs love to hide since they treat humans as a host and a danger at the same time. This is why they only come out at night in most cases. It is obvious that humans will crash them at a glance. Being out in daylight puts them at risk.
Possibilities
For you to get bed bugs from hugging, it means the person whom you hugged must be having very hungry bugs on his clothes that are desperate to move.
Bed bugs are very aggressive when hungry and they will even move during the day if they are starved. It is also obvious that they feed on human blood at night and seeing them during the day is a problem.
There are cases that they may be active during the day and one of these is when they are hungry. Bed bugs only feed or come out to suck blood like once a week. This makes them a very rare species to spot roaming around because when they are full, they take their time to digest what they have.
This makes their movement very limited unless it is very necessary. This is why getting them from a hug is very difficult but possible. This is because when they are starving, they will walk around looking for blood to such.
Can I get bedbug eggs from hugging?
Bed bug eggs are known to be relatively sticky. If you hug someone who has them on his or her clothes, then there are high chances of those eggs sticking on you. This will only happen if the hug is close and tight for a long time.
I the person that you are hugging has bed bugs in their bedroom or wardrobe where they keep their clothes, there are possibilities that their clothes will be having the bug’s eggs. They will carry the eggs around without their knowledge.
They can then spread the eggs anywhere like in the car, couch, train, or even leave those eggs on you if you hug them. This is why we say that it is possible to get bed bugs if you hug someone who has the eggs since those eggs only need like a maximum of 10 days to hatch.
How bedbug eggs from a hug can spread
If you go home with the eggs on your clothes and decide to keep the clothes for some time before you wash them, then you will definitely have taken an entire colony to your home.
This may explain why you may suddenly have bed bugs out of nowhere in your house. Bed bug eggs are tiny and you will only see them if you are very keen.
How to get rid of bed bugs from clothes
In case you realize that you hugged someone with bedbugs, remove your clothes and wash them with hot soapy water. Then spray them with some rubbing alcohol to kill the bed bug eggs in your car or where you were seated.
You may only need to spray them if you live in a cold area where there is no sun. If the sun is up, simply wash the clothes that contain the eggs and air them out to dry in the hot sun. This will kill the bed bug eggs and save you from any infestation at home.
If you see a bed bug on your cloth after hugging, soak the clothes in 1.5 gallons of water. Add 1 cup of dish soap and 8 ounces of witch hazel to kill the bed bugs and their eggs.
Avoid hugging people that you suspect may have bed bugs. However, a little or a slight hug that is not intimate may be harmless. In this case, there are very minimal chances of having bugs transferred to your clothes. If the closets are infested, spread some turmeric for bed bugs to repel them.
Put the clothes in a dryer, then set it at high temperatures of 113°F for 2 hours to kill any bed bugs and their eggs. High heat will kill bed bugs and if there is no sun in your area, this is one of the best ways to get rid of them from your clothes.
How to find bedbugs on clothes after a hug
If someone you want to hug has adult bed bugs on him, those will be definitely hiding somewhere especially if they have already sucked blood. Check under your color, inside pockets, and sleeves.
Adult bedbugs will try and find a way close to the body so that they can suck blood. There are very minimal chances of getting them from a hug because they will be crawling inside the clothes and not outside.
It is only the bed bug eggs and their newly hatched nymphs that become easy to spread while hugging. This is because the young ones are still not experienced and will crawl on the eternal part of the clothes, therefore, making it easy for them to physically spread.
Bed bug bites sting and if you have a sudden bump on you that feels like a sharp bite, then that is probably a sign that you have them. You can also soak the clothes and add a few drops of pine sol to get rid of bedbugs. (like 2-5 tablespoons depending on water levels)
It is obvious that the hungry bed bugs you got from hugging are probably already in your mattress and are sucking your blood. To conclude, it is possible to get bed bugs from a hug but the chances are always minimal.