Moving and secondhand finds: don't bring pests home

Bed bugs

Bed bugs can't jump or fly. They ride in the cracks and crevices of luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes and other things people carry in, and having them has little to do with how clean a home is.^[6]

In a home they mostly hide within about 6 feet of where people sleep or rest: mattress seams and tufts, box spring joints, bed frame cracks, behind headboards and baseboards, and inside furniture, appliances, electronics and upholstery. They prefer wood, paper and fabric to metal or plastic.^[4]

How long they last in storage depends on the source. EPA says bed bugs can survive several months to a year without feeding. UC IPM gives 20 to 400 days depending on temperature and humidity, and adults have lived more than 400 days without food in the laboratory at low temperatures.^[1][4]

• Look closely at mattress seams and tufts, box spring joints, bed frame cracks and upholstery for bugs, eggs, shed skins and small reddish-brown to black fecal spots.^[1][4]
• Encase mattresses and box springs in a high-quality cover; the light color makes bed bugs easier to see.^[1]
• At a shared laundry, carry items in plastic bags, take them straight from the dryer into a bag, and fold at home. A dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs.^[1]
• Portable heating chambers can treat items you suspect, but they aren't regulated by EPA or other federal agencies; follow the directions carefully.^[1]
• Reduce clutter and vacuum often to remove hitchhikers.^[1]
• Buying used? UC IPM singles out second-hand beds and mattresses: inspect the item thoroughly before it comes into your home.^[4]
• Bring a flashlight and a small mirror. Bed bugs fit into cracks about as thin as a credit card, adults and clusters of young can be seen with the naked eye, but eggs take a hand lens.^[4]
• Check your own clothing, bags and coat when you leave a place that may be infested, such as a home you're helping someone move out of.^[6]

Moving out of a place that has bed bugs

Bed bugs are hitchhikers, so they can move with you in the things you pack. Treat or contain what you pack, and see the heat, freezing and treatment-prep guides linked below for the details of each method.^[6][5]

• Bag what you can't treat. EPA says items that can't be treated can go into a sealed plastic bag or storage container and stay there for up to a year to make sure any bugs inside are dead.^[5]
• Clothes and bedding can go through a dryer on high heat, which kills bed bugs.^[5][6]
• Freezing works only at 0°F. EPA says to leave items in a sealed bag in the freezer for three days and to check the temperature with a thermometer, because many home freezers aren't that cold.^[5]
• Black plastic bags in a hot, closed car in the sun can kill bed bugs, but EPA says success depends on your climate and do-it-yourself heat may not work. Never try to heat the home with the thermostat, a propane space heater or a fireplace; EPA says that doesn't work and is dangerous.^[5]
• Don't throw furniture out right away if it can be treated. NPIC warns that dragging it through the house can spread bed bugs, and others may take home what you leave out.^[6][5]
• If a piece has to go, make it unusable and label it: EPA suggests ripping covers and removing stuffing and spray-painting "Bed Bugs" on it. UC IPM says to take infested mattresses and furniture straight to the dump instead of leaving them on the curb or porch, or clearly mark them.^[5][4]
• After treatment, EPA advises checking for at least a year to make sure the bed bugs are gone.^[5]

Cockroaches

German cockroaches spread on items brought into buildings, especially appliances, furniture, boxes and things that were recently in storage. Inspect them before they come inside. Sticky traps are the best way to detect cockroaches and find where they're concentrated.^[2]

German and brownbanded cockroaches live and breed entirely indoors. American, Oriental and Turkestan cockroaches live outdoors and come in temporarily.^[2]

• Penn State notes it's hard to keep cockroaches from coming in on boxes, grocery bags and suitcases. Sanitation keeps a few hitchhikers from turning into a serious problem: clean up spills and crumbs, don't leave dishes overnight, store dry foods in airtight containers and empty the garbage each evening into a lidded container.^[7]
• Look into narrow spaces. An adult German cockroach can hide in a crack 1/16 inch wide, and young ones use even smaller gaps.^[2]
• For used furniture and appliances, check for brownbanded cockroaches too. They hide in crevices in or near electrical appliances, inside hollow furniture legs and in clutter, and females glue light brown egg cases about 1/4 inch long beneath furniture, to ceilings and in closets.^[2]
• Don't keep moving boxes around after you unpack. UC IPM lists piles of papers and cardboard boxes as clutter to remove, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.^[2]
• In the new home, set sticky traps on the floor along wall edges, in cupboards and under appliances, and check them regularly to see whether anything came with you and where.^[2][7]

The spongy moth moving rule

If you're moving from a spongy moth quarantine area to a non-quarantine area, you must inspect outdoor household articles and remove all spongy moth life stages before you move, using USDA's self-inspection checklist or a qualified certified applicator. You may face penalties if you don't.^[3]

The rule exists because people spread this pest. Female spongy moths lay eggs on outdoor surfaces such as stacked firewood, trailers, grills, lawn furniture and toys, and when those items move, the eggs go with them. The caterpillars feed on more than 300 kinds of trees and shrubs.^[8][3]

The federal regulation (7 CFR 301.45-4) says an outdoor household article may not be moved interstate from a quarantined area into or through an area that is not quarantined unless a certificate or a completed self-inspection document goes with it. If you don't live in a quarantine area, the rule doesn't apply to you. The regulation still uses the old name, gypsy moth.^{[9][10][3][8]}

• Inspect all surfaces and crevices of patio furniture, lawn equipment, toys, grills, trailers and vehicles for egg masses.^[3]
• Scrape egg masses off with a putty knife or stiff brush and drop them in hot, soapy water, or seal them in a plastic bag left in the sun.^[3]
• Moving between April and August? Inspect on moving day if you can; otherwise keep items under a tarp, indoors or in a closed truck.^[3]
• Keep the completed checklist in the moving vehicle in case a USDA or state official asks for it; if you aren't driving, give a copy to the driver. APHIS calls it an official certificate that satisfies all non-infested states, and suggests keeping it with your moving papers for at least 5 years.^[3][8]
• Check APHIS's quarantine map first to see whether you're moving from a quarantined area.^[3][8]
• If a qualified certified applicator does the inspection instead of you, get a copy of the completed, signed checklist.^[3][8]

What spongy moth egg masses look like and where they hide

Egg masses are fuzzy and buff, tan or yellowish, covered with hair from the female's abdomen. APHIS gives an average size of about 1-1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide with up to 1,000 eggs each; the Minnesota Department of Agriculture describes them as about the size of a quarter with an average of 500 to 1,000 eggs.^[8][11]

Eggs are laid starting in late summer or fall and hatch the following spring; APHIS lists egg masses as the stage you'll find in late summer, winter and spring. In Massachusetts, eggs typically hatch in the first week of May, or by mid-to-late April in warm springs.^[11][8][13]

• Besides trees, stones, walls and logs, egg masses turn up on patio furniture, children's toys, lawn equipment, under tree wraps and in vehicle wheel wells. Minnesota calls the egg mass the stage people most often move.^[8][11]
• USDA's checklist (PPQ Form 377) groups what to inspect: recreational and camping gear (tents, boats, bicycles, campers, ice chests), household items kept outside (air conditioners, cardboard and wooden boxes, ladders, refrigerators, washing machines, trash cans, propane tanks), building materials, yard and garden items (grills, bird feeders, lawnmowers, picnic tables, patio furniture, plants), children's outdoor toys and swing sets, and vehicles, car parts and stored tires.^[3]
• The form's rule of thumb: inspect anything that was stored outside, whether it's on the list or not. By signing, you affirm you inspected all outdoor household articles for every life stage under 7 CFR 301.45-4(a).^[3][9]
• The regulation's own definition of outdoor household articles includes awnings, grills, bicycles, boats, dog houses, firewood, garden tools, hauling trailers, outdoor furniture and toys, recreational vehicles and their equipment, and tents. Mobile homes and their equipment are regulated articles in their own right.^[10][12]

State quarantines and firewood

States can run their own spongy moth quarantines on top of the federal one. Minnesota, for example, has formal quarantines in Cook and Lake counties covering outdoor household items, firewood, nursery stock, logs and mobile homes, and it has used emergency quarantines around newly found populations. Its residents must self-inspect and remove all life stages before moving items out of a quarantined area, and moving regulated articles out without the right documentation can bring civil or criminal penalties. Check with your state department of agriculture before you move.^[12][11]

• Don't move firewood. APHIS and Minnesota both say to buy local firewood and burn it locally, and Minnesota's quarantine makes it illegal to move potentially infested firewood out of a quarantined area.^[8][11]
• If you must move firewood, USDA's checklist says to move only USDA- or state-certified, treated and labeled firewood, to avoid spreading other tree pests.^[3]
• If you find egg masses and you don't live in a quarantine area, APHIS asks you to report them to federal or state agriculture officials.^[8]

Common questions

Do I need a spongy moth inspection for every move?

No. The federal rule applies to outdoor household articles moved interstate from a quarantined area into or through an area that isn't quarantined. If you don't live in a quarantine area, it doesn't apply, though some states have their own quarantines.^[9][3][12]

Can I inspect my own things or do I need a professional?

You can do it yourself with USDA's self-inspection checklist, or hire a qualified certified applicator. Either way, keep the completed checklist with the moving vehicle.^[3][8]

Will a moving truck or storage unit kill bed bugs?

Don't count on it. EPA says bed bugs can survive several months to a year without feeding, and it recommends keeping untreatable items sealed for up to a year.^[1][5]

Is it safe to take furniture someone left on the curb?

Inspect it carefully first, especially beds, mattresses and upholstered pieces. Infested furniture is sometimes left out, which is why EPA, UC IPM and NPIC ask people discarding it to destroy or clearly mark it.^[4][5][6]

Sources

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Protecting Your Home from Bed Bugs (updated July 6, 2026).” www.epa.gov/bedbugs/protecting-your-home-bed-bugs (accessed 2026-11-10)
2. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Cockroaches (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/cockroaches/ (accessed 2026-11-10)
3. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, “It's the Law: Before Moving, Check for the Spongy Moth (Program Aid No. 2147, revised September 2023).” www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fsc-moving-check-spongy-moth.pdf (accessed 2026-11-10)
4. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Bed Bugs, Publication 7454 (May 2013).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnbedbugs.pdf (accessed 2026-11-10)
5. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control.” www.epa.gov/bedbugs/do-it-yourself-bed-bug-control (accessed 2026-11-10)
6. National Pesticide Information Center (Oregon State University and U.S. EPA), “Bed Bugs.” npic.orst.edu/pest/bedbug.html (accessed 2026-11-10)
7. Penn State Extension, “German Cockroaches.” extension.psu.edu/german-cockroaches (accessed 2026-11-10)
8. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, “Spongy Moth.” www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/spongy-moth (accessed 2026-11-10)
9. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives), “7 CFR 301.45-4: Conditions governing the interstate movement of regulated articles and outdoor household articles from quarantined areas.” www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-301.45-4 (accessed 2026-11-10)
10. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (National Archives), “7 CFR 301.45-1: Definitions (gypsy moth quarantine).” www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-301.45-1 (accessed 2026-11-10)
11. Minnesota Department of Agriculture, “Don't Pack the Pest.” mda.state.mn.us/dont-pack-pest (accessed 2026-11-10)
12. Minnesota Department of Agriculture, “Spongy Moth Quarantine.” www.mda.state.mn.us/spongymothregs (accessed 2026-11-10)
13. UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program, “Insect & Mite Guide: Lymantria dispar (spongy moth).” www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/landscape/publications-resources/insect-mite-guide/lymantria-dispar (accessed 2026-11-10)