Living in houses with bed bugs can be terrifying and annoying. You can never have a sweet sleep or comfort in your home with their presence. They can spike on you at any time of the night.
This article will show you what attracts bed bugs into your home.
Bed bugs are only interested in your blood, that’s why they ruin your sleep. Let’s take a look at what other things attracts these bugs to your home.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are considered to be pests that are harmful to humans and animals.
They are nocturnal pests which means they mostly feed at night. These insects are small and difficult to spot out on time. Your blood is all they are after.
The most distressing thing with bed bug activity is that you remain restless for as long as they feed. Homes with bed bugs are dangerous to live in.
How To Identify A Bed Bug
It will be a bit challenging to check for bed bugs with the naked eye, unless with tools such as a magnifying glass.
Bed bugs are tiny and brownish insects. Whenever you suspect an infestation, you’ll need to take a closer look at areas they may use as hiding spots.
Common bed bug hiding spots include cracks on walls, bed creases, clothing, ceiling, and floors. Asides from their habitation in bed, these pests won’t fly around, they only crawl on surfaces.
Things That Attract Bed Bugs to your home
The information above has given you a clear image of bed bugs.
You now understand how they gain access to homes, their time for operation as well as their hiding places. It will be important for you to really know what attracts them to your homes.
Without this knowledge, you’ll find it difficult to prevent them from accessing your home. Bed bugs do not respect your status before visiting your home.
Whether you are rich or poor, it’s none of their business. It will be good for you to know the kind of environment they like so you can keep them at bay. Let’s look at the different things that attract these insects.
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Bed bugs like a warm environment
When you sleep, a lot of heat is generated from your body. This makes your bed space warm and suitable for harboring bed bugs. During this period, it’s like a gold mine for them. These insects are like temperature detectors.
Your body releases about 90 F during sleep, which is more than what they get from furniture, water pipes, or elsewhere.
Using air conditioners isn’t the best option; you only feel cold but still give off that same temperature.
Instead, for them to go away, they will try and find a warm place to hide. This is when your body becomes their best available option.
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They like dark places
Bed bugs are more comfortable in dark environments. Remember, they don’t like places where they can be spotted out easily. They like hiding in cracks which could be found on your walls.
Other possible hiding spots include chairs or even rocks. Since their activities are mostly at night, they love dark places to hide.
Certain colors are attractive to bed bugs. Black and red draw their attention more than other colors do.
Why is that so? These colors represent blood and darkness. When your homes have such colors, you have more chances of attracting bed bugs.
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They love the smell of carbon dioxide
When you breathe in oxygen, you release carbon dioxide.
This is one of the major reasons why bed bugs like feasting on humans. These bugs tend to be denser in areas with a high concentration of carbon dioxide. Your movement reduces while asleep, this retains carbon dioxide around you.
To prevent such occurrences from happening, you need an air conditioner or fan. This is to diffuse the high concentration of carbon dioxide around you. Adopting this method will prevent what attracts them to your homes.
- The Blood in your skin
Your blood serves as food for bed bugs.
Not only are they attracted by human blood, but other animals as well. They are not interested in your well-cooked food or grains, your blood is all they’re after. Bed bugs are not selective to skin texture. They bite both the soft and tough skins as well.
People with blood group O, are more likely to attract bugs compared to other groups.
The only way you can avert their spike is to apply essential oils to your skin. Lavender oil can do the job for you.
The aroma of Lavender oil is toxic to insects, especially bed bugs.
You can apply it to cover skin holes and repel them from coming near. It can also be applicable on surfaces for prevention.
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Mattresses and bedsheets
Your bed is the primary home for bed bugs.
Any other place within your home can’t give them the comfort they get on your bed. Already used or old beds are mostly attractions for these pests in homes.
They bore holes in your bed and use it as a hideout. Your bedsheets can also play an important role, as it provides them with good coverage.
Where Bed Bugs Hide
They like hiding in confined areas around your home, where they can’t be detected easily. Your clothes, luggage, cushions, and used bed are suitable for their habitation.
These creatures used their tiny body to their advantage, to gain access through tiny spaces. Their major hiding place is in mattresses, couches, and spring boxes.
This is for them to easily have access to you.
Their best time for operation
Bed bugs don’t often operate in the morning or afternoon.
They mainly carry their activities at night or when the room is dark. These are periods when you’re likely to be asleep. They use their sharp elongated pipe to pierce your skin and draw your blood. Bed bugs use three to ten minutes to suck your blood and then return to their hiding place unnoticed.
The first minute of their bite is painful but becomes itchy afterward. If you are not aware of how they operate, they may be mistaken for mosquitoes.
Black bed sheets tend to blend with their color, which makes it difficult for them to be spotted. You should use bedsheets with bright colors for easy identification. Bright colors aren’t attractive to bed bugs.
Following the provided information above, you can now know what attracts bed bugs into your homes. It’s left to you to know the best step to take and prevent them from invading your home.