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Yes, bears can smell through walls if they are close enough. Estimates vary, but experts say bears can smell up to a maximum distance between one and 20 miles. Food inside a house does not attract bears to the degree that food left outside does, though.

Yes, it’s possible to have bed bugs and not find them because they hide in small spaces outside of mattresses, including baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets, clothing, and in crevices of walls. They can squeeze into spaces as small as the width of a credit card. Bed bugs can also live up to 400 days without feeding, making them resilient and hard to eradicate.

It is highly unlikely that fleas will go away on their own without treatment. Female fleas can lay dozens of eggs per day—up to 50—causing their numbers to multiply quickly and spread throughout your home. An adult flea can live for around 100 days or even up to a year as long as it has access to a host, such as a pet or human. Even without a host to feed on, fleas can survive for weeks. Because of their rapid reproduction and resilience, it's best to tackle a flea problem as soon as possible. Hiring an exterminator is recommended to prevent the infestation from worsening.

Whether dryer sheets can keep squirrels away is a bit of a mystery because the evidence is entirely anecdotal. Many households claim to have success with using dryer sheets for keeping squirrels away by placing them throughout their attics, yards, on a clothesline, and any other area where squirrels like to run through. Squirrels do not like strong scents, so if you try using dryer sheets, the ones with the strongest scent may be the most effective.