Weird and Wacky Bed Bug Facts With all the attention bed bugs have been getting, you might think you know everything about these pests. You know they feed on us while we sleep, cause itchy, red bumps, and they’re difficult to get rid of. But these pests have many secrets that you might be surprised to learn.
Fact 1: Bed bugs can live anywhere.
Most people think hotels when they think of bed bugs. However, bed bugs can thrive in single-family homes, apartments, hospitals, college dorm rooms, office buildings, schools, buses, trains, movie theaters, retail stores, and almost anywhere that humans are.
Fact 2: Bed bugs aren’t just city dwellers.
Bed bugs don’t just live in big cities or third-world countries. You can find them in all 50 states!
Fact 3: Bed bugs are hardy.
Bed bugs can live for many months without feeding on blood. They can linger in your furniture, bags, and suitcases for a long time waiting for a human host to get near to them again. They can also survive temperatures of nearly freezing to 122 degrees. Professional pest control is the best way to treat an infestation.
Fact 4: Bed bugs are smart.
Bed bugs are elusive as a survival instinct. They instinctively stay out of view during the daytime, hide in mattress crevices, box springs, baseboards, behind electrical switch plates, in picture frames, and even behind your wallpaper. But during the night, the carbon dioxide we exhale can tempt them out of their hiding places.
Fact 5: Bed bugs are methodical. The feeding pattern of bed bugs is predictable. After they find a host, a bed bug will usually feed for 5-10 minutes. Sometimes their feeding pattern is jokingly referred to as breakfast, lunch, and dinner since bites will commonly be found in a pattern. The bite marks they leave behind are the signs of a bed bug infestation.
Fact 6: Bed bugs could have a degree in anesthesiology. Ever wonder why bed bugs don’t wake up their human hosts when they feed? The components in their saliva act as an anesthetic and promote increased blood flow at the bite site — making their feed quick and nearly painless for the host.
Call ChemTec Pest Control, Lubbock, Texas