MYTH: Bed bugs only come out in the dark, sleeping with the light on will prevent me from getting bitten. FACT: Bed bugs activity level has nothing to do with the amount of light in a room. Instead, bed bugs adapt their activity level to the schedule of the host to amplify their feeding time.
Myth: Bedbugs won't come out if the room is brightly lit. Reality: While bedbugs prefer darkness, keeping the light on at night won't deter these pests from biting you.
Bed bugs also don't like light and will run for cover when lights are on. If the infested room is dark, and the uninfested rooms are lighted all night, it discourages them from wandering. They tend to bite exposed areas of the body, permitting a quick get-away when lights come on.
The best option is to use a cover with a good seal that zips around your mattress and box spring. This traps the pests until they eventually die. And it keeps new bedbugs from crawling into your mattress. Look for an encasement that's sturdy and designed specifically for bedbugs.
While many people assume that they don't see bed bugs because the bugs don't come out when the lights are on, this is actually false.
Place a source of heat in the room. Since body heat attracts bed bugs, it would be a nice trick to lure them out with a device set at the same temperature. Release some carbon dioxide near their hiding spots. Bed bugs find this gas irresistible, as it signifies that a person is sleeping nearby.
Although bed bugs are nocturnal and prefer to bite their host when they are asleep, they are not limited to biting their host at night. They've been known to bite people while awake during the day as long as the opportunity presents itself.
While not overly effective, the most useful essential oils for deterring bed bugs appear to be blood orange oil, paraffin oil, silicone oil, and spearmint oil.
Mattresses and pillows make potential habitats for bed bugs. Pillows may also be host to bed bug eggs, making them a potential point of bed bug infestations. A possible sign that bed bugs have infested pillows may be the appearance of bites.
The good news is that bed bugs cannot tell time, and they do not know much about your sleeping habits. They just wait for night to fall to make their appearances. What bed bugs want is for you to stop moving around.
Because bed bug bites affect everyone differently, some people may have no reaction and will not develop bite marks or any other visible signs of being bitten. Other people may be allergic to the bed bugs and can react adversely to the bites.
Since bed bugs bite at night and hide by day, just entering an infested area during the day is not cause for alarm. Two bed bug bites more than a week after feeding on the same arm shown above.
Bed bugs hate scents such as lemon scents, cinnamon oil, neem oil, spearmint, and silicone. They will hide from you when you use these smells. This is so that they can easily attack and feed off of you! Even just the threat of these scents will keep them away from your house for good.
Bed bugs live throughout the year, but there is a particular time during each year when bed bug infestations become more common. In normal years, bed bug “season” peaks in the months of August and September when most families have returned from their travels, and bugs have a chance to gain a foothold.
Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids: Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are the most common compounds used to control bed bugs and other indoor pests. Pyrethrins are botanical insecticides derived from chrysanthemum flowers. Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins.
No, baking soda will generally have no effect on bed bugs. They will not ingest it, and if they do walk through it, it will not cause them any problems. 'Bed bugs may avoid areas with baking soda, but they would just relocate to hide in cracks and crevices or find another path to get to the occupants of the bed.
Do continue to sleep in your bedroom after identifying a bed bug infestation. If you move rooms or start sleeping on the couch you run the risk of contaminating these other areas of your home. Similarly, avoid taking your bedding from the location of the infestation to other rooms of your home.
"If you stay in a location that has bedbugs, these pests could hitch a ride on you or your belongings and begin an infestation wherever you go, including your home," a representative for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) previously told INSIDER.
Bedbugs are active mainly at night and usually bite you while you're sleeping. They pierce the skin and take your blood through their long beaks. The bugs feed from 3 minutes to 10 minutes until they're full, then crawl away. If you have a bedbug bite, you may notice an itchy spot on your skin.
If you know you're going to be out at night or hiking in a densely-wooded area, dress appropriately to prevent bug bites. Cover exposed skin as much as possible by wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, socks and closed shoes instead of sandals.
You may be thinking, can you get bed bugs from not washing your sheets? No—bed bugs have absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness levels. However, washing your sheets regularly gives you the opportunity to look for and remove any possible bed bug infestations.