What Attracts Bed Bugs?

What Attracts Bed Bugs?

What attracts bed bugs?

  1. Warmth 
  2. Carbon dioxide 
  3. Dark-colored sheets 

Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish types of pests that feed on human or animal blood. These pests are not known to spread any life-threatening diseases. But, dealing with a bed bug infestation can be extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable because their presence causes itching and loss of sleep. We all know that pest prevention is better than cure, but then it also begs the question: What attracts bed bugs in the first place? 

The most common kind of bed bug is the Cimex lectularius, which has been around for almost as long as humans have been sleeping on beds. Therefore, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they have a preference for all things human-related. 

Before gettings into the facts, let’s bust a common myth. They say that having a dirty room or a dusty bed is directly responsible for having bed bugs. However, this is not the case. 

The common bed bug doesn’t really have any use for dirt or dust since all it feeds on is blood. However, it is equally important to keep your room and bed clean and free from dust in order to prevent nooks and crannies from being the next fortress of a shelter-seeking bed bug. Usually, rooms that are dirty and unkempt have bed bugs because they have more places to hide and all the mess makes them harder to spot. But be aware that even in the cleanest rooms and tidiest beds, there remains a possibility that you could see the naked truth once you flip the mattress.

So what are bed bugs attracted to then? Well, they might not be what you would expect. Read on! 

Warmth

You might be thinking, “Aren’t insects inherently cold-blooded?” Well, to answer that question, yes they are. But the morbidly interesting detail about bed bugs is that they have been alongside humans and other mammals for so long. Because of that, they have become smart enough to know how to figure out the source of their favorite food. Specifically, by detecting body heat. 

One of the most difficult things about bed bugs is that you don’t immediately see them, especially during the daytime when you’re not lying down on the bed yet. But as soon as you lay down on the bed and begin warming up the bed, it’s like the dinner bell ringing loudly and clearly announcing yet again the beginning of a feast for the bed bugs.

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide

There are two major things that you do when you sleep — dream and breathe. Unfortunately, bed bugs find your exhalation attractive. 

For bed bugs, carbon dioxide in the air is a good indicator that there’s a larger creature present in the area that is most likely filled with blood. Conveniently for the bed bugs, you’re a perfect target. So once you start sleeping and the carbon dioxide that you exhale goes around you, the bed bugs are attracted. 

Dark-Colored Sheets

Dark-Colored Sheets

In a 2016 study from the Journal of Medical Entomology, they discovered a correlation between bed bugs and the color of mattresses. They found that 23 percent of female bed bugs preferred to lay their eggs on red sheets, while 29 percent chose to make their nest on black sheets. Surprisingly, when it came to other colors, they found out that only 3 percent chose to nest on green-colored sheets, and 7 percent chose purple-colored sheets. 

So whether it’s a correlation or causation, it’s worth changing your sheet colors to prevent it from attracting bed bugs. But you have to keep in mind that this will not eliminate an existing bed bug infestation. This is only to deter them.

Key Takeaway

So what now? You might think that it seems impossible to purely avoid bed bugs even by just reading the first two points. After all, it’s impossible to be cold-blooded and stop exhaling, right? The main takeaway is that now, you know what attracts bed bugs. 

With this knowledge, you can also get one-up getting rid of bed bugs. If prevention fails, you can trust Topbest Pest Control Services to not only get rid of your existing bed bug infestation, but also to make sure that they will never rob a minute of comfortable sleep from your eyes ever again. Click here to contact Topbest today! We offer FREE pest control infestation. 

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From

Where do bed bugs come from?

  1. Hotel Rooms
  2. Mass Transportation
  3. Shared Public Places
  4. A Friend’s House
  5. Used Furniture
  6. Personal Belongings

 

Bed bugs are pesky pests that can spread easily in your home. They are red in color, and are small and flat when unfed and become darker in color and swollen when given access to a food source. What do they eat? You. Specifically, human blood. They are attracted to warm-blooded creatures so your pets could also be a target. Bed bugs can reproduce quickly, laying up to 3 eggs per day that can hatch in 21 days. But where do bed bugs come from? We listed down below popular places where they can be found. Be observant when on these locations!

 

Hotel Rooms

This place frequently accommodates a nonstop amount of tourists. The continuous coming and going of people can increase the possibilities of someone carrying a bed bug. These pests are known to latch on to people’s clothes and belongings and travel far places. A traveler will visit many other places before returning to his hotel room, so who knows where these people sat? Even 5-star hotels can be infested with bed bugs.

These bugs can hide not just on the bed but also on the walls and mattresses. If you are using a hotel room be careful when placing your bags near beds, walls, or even on the floor. Bed bugs can live anywhere, but they seek warm hiding places more. With this in mind, there may be less chance of bugs on metal surfaces.

 

Mass Transportation

People inside metro train.

Just like hotels, buses, taxis, and even airplanes can become homes for bedbugs. Be careful especially when you have to sit on cushioned and upholstered seats which are attractive hiding places for these pests. If you can opt to stand in the bus or seat on plastic or metal seats. Always check your clothes and belongings after coming home. If possible, put your clothes in a hot wash immediately.

 

Shared Public Places

Public places are hot spots for bed bugs too. Be observant with the seating in cinemas, waiting rooms, restaurants, and even offices. These places are frequently populated with many people all the time, which leads to more food sources for these pests. These indoor settings are usually air-conditioned, which means that bed bugs are not exposed to high temperatures which can kill them. Be careful around these places as these bugs could also be latching onto your clothes.

 

A Friend’s House

Young girl sleeping in living room on sofa

A friend may be someone you trust, which makes you more inattentive when coming back from their place. They may not tell you even if they know that an infestation is going in their home, so treat their place like a hotel room. Check your clothes and belongings after coming home.

 

Used Furniture

Avoid taking home used furniture with you. You may be taking an infested object unknowingly. Signs of a bed bug infestation include dried blood spots, molten skin, white eggs, and fecal stains that look like marker stains.

If you like to collect vintage items, make sure to thoroughly inspect every crack and crevice before putting these inside your home. Prevention is better than suffering from a surprise infestation later on. Contact a professional pest control company to get rid of bed bugs in your home.

 

Personal Belongings

bags and accessories on wooden

Aside from your clothes, these pests can also hide in the personal items that you bring with you everywhere. This includes bags and hats that you place on random surfaces when outside. Your child’s stuffed toy can also be a hiding place for these bugs! Even the cleanest belongings can attract bed bugs. They do not seek dirty places in particular.

 

Key Takeaway

Before you even experience an infestation in your home, it is important to know where do bed bugs come from. Through this, you can be more careful in bringing them home with you. It is a common mistake to think that these pests choose to hide in dirty places. This only happens by chance as some second-hand furniture where they stay are old and dirty. They like warm places and will seek homes in cracks, holes, ad crevices in furniture, walls, floors, and even personal belongings.

If you have a bed bug infestation in your home consult a professional pest control service to solve your problem once and for all. Home remedies may be effective for some time but bed bugs can hide in hard to reach places and can reproduce quickly. If you’re interested in a free inspection, click here!