There are a lot of myths about what attracts bed bugs. We hear about dirt, dampness, sweat, or urine smell as common culprits, but unfortunately, none of these are true. One of the most common misconceptions is that a dirty house will attract bed bugs and this is just not true. However, a dirty house will make it harder to discover bed bugs, so there is benefit removing clutter.
There are indeed some things that attract bed bugs, and we will cover the most common.
First, let’s make it clear that anyone can get an infestation of these irritating insects. The most upscale apartment block or expensive hotel is just as susceptible to more modest accommodation. But certain things make this parasite want to share your living space.
Second, spending time trying to figure out how bed bugs came to your home is time well spent. You can get bed bugs from many different place. If your not aware of the source, you could get them again after spending time and money treating them.
Here are some common places you might get them from:
- Hotels
- Friend or relative house
- Travel (airport, public transportation)
- Secon d hand furniture
- Movie theater
- Apartment complex
- A guest visiting your home
5 Things That Attract Bed Bugs
1) Carbon dioxide
Bed bugs get their nutrients from blood, preferably human blood, and are naturally attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale when you breathe. One of the reasons they like to feed at night may be because your lack of activity means the carbon dioxide you breathe out has a higher concentration.
2) Unwashed laundry
Bed bugs are attracted to laundry that hasn’t been through the washer because it smells of human beings – their food source. The good news is that high-temperature washing and drying usually kill these little beasts. When you return from a trip, its a good idea to put any laundry in a high-heat wash right away to help prevent them from moving in.
So, don’t leave dirty laundry lying around when you travel or if you share a laundry room in your complex.
3) Warmth
Bed bugs enjoy the warmth, and because we heat our homes, it makes them a welcoming habitat. They also associate warmth with food and are drawn toward the body heat of people and other warm blooded creatures. Although bed bugs feed on other animals, they far prefer human blood to that of your pets.
4) Dark-colored bed linen
Bed bugs prefer the darkness. It makes them feel safe because it provides camouflage. So bed sheets in darker colors might be a mistake. It is probably better to stick to white or light colors since they’ll allow you to detect the presence of a bed bug much faster.
5) Nooks and crannies
Bed bugs love the cover provided by nooks and crannies, creases, cracks, and anywhere they can live out of sight. They don’t have to be dirty areas, just good hiding spots that keep them from danger. Not only do these locations provide hiding space, but they also make detection and eradication harder.
Can you prevent bed bugs in the first place?
Sadly, apart from making sure you do the laundry promptly, cleaning up, and having light bed sheets, there is little you can do to make your home less attractive to this nasty insect. But, you can be proactive and try and catch an infestation quickly before it spreads. The use of bed bug traps and monitoring devices will alert you if bed bugs makes their way into you home and help to catch the issue early so you can treat a small area instead of having to treat your entire home once they have become established.
Check out these Bed Bug Detectors and Traps and identification Tools in the DIY Shop. These are the best products on the market for this purpose.
And, remember to be observant and look for signs of bed bugs in your daily routines. Learn what bed bugs look like and keep an eye out when your changing your sheets, doing you laundry, and cleaning your house. If you suspect you have a problem, get it checked out ASAP. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to exterminate.
Check out The DIY eBook and DIY Shop for everything you need to treat bed bugs yourself.
Remember, there are 3 main ways to kill bed bugs: heat, chemical, or a combo of heat and chemical. Choose the treatment that will work best for your situation and if you have questions, give us a call anytime.
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