Bed bugs, just hearing those two words will send chills down your spine. These tiny invaders are well-known for making your home theirs as well as the first chance they get. But what exactly attracts them inside in the first place?
Today, we will dispel the false ideas and find the actual causes of their annoying presence and the best ways to handle them.
Are Bed Bugs Drawn to Dirty Homes?
The belief that bed bugs flourish in dirty surroundings is one of the main misconceptions about them. This is a myth!
Bed bugs do not want your leftovers or kitchen crumbs, unlike other pests, including cockroaches.
Their one concern is blood itself. Bed bugs are attracted by the carbon dioxide we exhale and the warmth of our bodies.
They can thus find their way into your house even if you are painstakingly cleaning every nook and cranny. As these pests hide in furniture, clothes, bags, public transportation, and even theatres, hitching a ride to your home isn’t difficult.
Cleanliness in this situation provides no immunity.
Myth: Bed Bugs Are Attracted to Certain Colours
One of those weirdly specific rumours is the claim that bed bugs prefer particular colours. Although it seems odd, research has found that bed bugs can have minor preferences for certain shades, including black and red.
Let us put this into context before you toss your dark-coloured bed sheets in a frenzy.
Indeed, bed bugs can be drawn to specific colours, but this inclination is not strong enough to control their invasion behaviour. Their appeal is far more driven by warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide than by your personal design decisions.
Therefore, even if colour could have some impact, it is not the main reason why they wind up in your house. Instead of redecorating, concentrate your efforts on more efficient preventative actions, including filling in cracks and fissures in your walls.
Fact: Carbon Dioxide Is a Key Attraction
Carbon dioxide is the basic component that draws these little suckers to us. Humans and animals exhale carbon dioxide, and bed bugs find their next prey by using this gas as a homing beacon.
Unlike mosquitoes, though, once they find the carbon dioxide trail, bed bugs silently creep towards the source rather than buzzing around to hunt for their next victim.
Their need for carbon dioxide explains why bed bugs show up at night while we are sleeping and are blissfully ignorant of their existence. We are great targets since our deep breathing produces a consistent flowing stream of CO2.
Heat: A Double-Edged Sword
Bed bugs are also known to be attracted to heat. It’s one of the ways they detect nearby hosts. When a bed bug senses warmth, it instinctively knows a blood meal is close at hand. This makes human body heat particularly enticing to these pests.
Here’s where things get interesting: while bed bugs can be drawn to heat when searching for food, they are incredibly vulnerable to high temperatures. This vulnerability has given rise to one of the most effective extermination methods—bed bug heat treatment.
Bed Bug Heat Treatment: Turning the Tables
If they are drawn to heat, how can heat be used as treatment? Here is the scientific foundation behind it. Heat treatments work since bed bugs cannot survive very high temperatures.
Professionals can remove both adult bugs and their eggs by heating an affected area to a temperature where bed bugs cannot survive, usually between 45°C and 50°C.
This treatment is the perfect method since it’s a chemical-free approach. It’s perfect for households with sensitive people, dogs, or children.
Heat treatments also reach bed bugs in their hiding places, deep within furniture, mattresses, and fissures. This is something conventional insecticides cannot accomplish fully.
It’s honestly ironic to use heat to outsmart a creature that lives on warmth.
Common Heat Treatment Myths
Speaking of myths, another misconception is that heat treatment ruins home goods or furniture.
Professional heat treatments are closely monitored to ensure a slow and safe temperature increase for your belongings. Consider it more of a sauna for your house. It’s hot enough to eradicate bugs but not so hot as it would roast your leather sofa.
Another myth is that you’ll be able to feel the effects of the heat treatment long after it’s done. This isn’t the case. Once the treatment is over and the room cools down, there’s no lingering heat. Your home returns to its normal comfortable temperature, minus the bed bugs.
Debunking the “Only One Treatment Needed” Belief
While heat treatment is highly effective, some believe that one session will guarantee complete eradication. While it’s true that heat treatment can eliminate a large portion, it still depends on the severity of the infestation.
Follow-up treatments or inspections can be necessary to ensure that all bed bugs, especially eggs that are more resilient, are completely eradicated. A professional exterminator will advise on whether a second round of treatment is recommended.
In addition to heat treatment, it’s wise to consider other preventive measures to keep bed bugs from returning. Regular inspections of travel luggage, avoiding used furniture purchases, and encasing mattresses can all help reduce the chances of a future infestation.
Bed Bug Myths You Can Safely Ignore
These are some more legends that have been floating about and ought to be disproved.
‘Bed bugs just reside in mattresses’. Not true.
From wall gaps to beneath picture frames, bed bugs can lurk in almost any location. As long as they have food, they don’t discriminate about where they choose to camp.
Another famous myth is that they fly or jump. Bed bugs, unlike fleas, cannot jump. And given their moniker, they most definitely cannot fly. One reason infestations usually develop slowly at first is their crawling.
They say that bed bugs spread diseases, but do they? Although their bites could be painful and itchy, they actually do not cause any human infections.
Keeping Bed Bugs at Bay
Prevention is king, so how can you make your house less appealing to bed bugs?
First, stay alert while travelling. These creatures love hotels and would be more than happy to hitch a ride back home with you. Check your bags, and if possible, wash and dry your clothes at high temperatures as soon as you get home.
Vacuum frequently, and before bringing any second-hand furniture into your house, closely inspect it.
If you believe there is an infestation, do not wait. Early discovery helps in preventing a complete bed bug invasion. Nevertheless, avoid depending on quick over-the-counter pesticides or home cures as they can cause more damage than benefit. Instead, call professional bed bug heat treatment.
Conclusion
Bed bugs can be your worst nightmare, but understanding them is the key to keeping your space safe.
Remember, these sneaky little bugs are not picky, so they’ll infest even the cleanest home. Follow our guidelines, and you can create an environment that’s less inviting to these unwelcome guests. Hopefully, thus, you soon won’t have to deal with them at all.