Bed bugs scurry back to their hiding places immediately after feeding which is why most people don’t find evidence of the actual bed bug in the morning. The bed bugs aren’t going to sleep after feeding but rather mate and reproduce. A female bed bug must have a consistent diet of blood meals to be able to reproduce.
Bed bugs typically hide within eight feet of the host. This could be in books, crevices, picture frames, box springs, floorboards and virtually any other area that offers a great hiding place. The female bed bug goes back to her hideout to lay eggs, about five per day and up to 500 in her lifetime if conditions are right.
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Other Bed Bug Feeding Habits
Understanding bed bug feeding habits may help you to narrow the options for which pest you might be dealing with if you have been waking up with unexplained bite marks.
Finding the Host
Many people assume that bed bugs can smell the host and that is how they find the blood meal. A recent study revealed that bed bugs are actually repelled by too much human aldehyde which is responsible for the human scent.
Bed bugs are actually attracted to CO2 and body heat. As you breathe in and out, carbon dioxide concentrates around your location. Coupled with body heat and moisture the bed bugs can detect a ready host. The critters send out pheromones to alert others of a ready meal. Bed bugs are sensitive to these indications for a radius of about 3 feet otherwise they forage randomly until they find a host.
Food Options
Bed bugs only subsist on blood from a live host. They will not feed on spilt blood. Although they prefer humans, they will feed on pets and other warm-blooded animals if need be.
As previously mentioned, females need a blood meal at least once every two weeks to reproduce. Bed bugs require feeding at least once in each stage of their development if they are to reach maturity. Bed bugs do not forage or consume any other food except the blood of warm-blooded animals.
Feeding Times
Bed bugs are nocturnal and typically feed between 1 am and 5 am. There is a common myth that these pests are scared of light and sleeping with the night light on might scare them away. This is a myth since bed bugs will feed regardless of the lighting. They also feed during the day if the host is available only during the day. People who work the night shift still get bitten during the day while they sleep.
Stealth Feeding
These pests are stealthy feeders which is why it is almost impossible to catch a bed bug in action. The bug only stays on the host only for as long as it takes to fill up on blood which is between 3 and 10 minutes before dashing off to the hiding place.
The bed bugs produce an anesthetic in their saliva so you won’t feel the bite while feeding. The saliva also has an anticoagulant agent which stops your blood from clotting, giving the pest consistent blood flow. If you have happened bitten by bed bugs, we have a lot of information about how to treat bed bug bites.
Hire an Exterminator to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are some of the most difficult pests to eliminate. These pests can cause psychological issues including depression, anxiety, withdrawal and insomnia. Many people have to be treated for psychological problems along with exterminating the critters.
DIY pest control has a high failure rate. The bugs are impervious to most over-the-counter pesticides and hide in gaps and cervices the width of a credit card. There is almost zero chance that you can find and effectively treat every crack, gap and crevice that the bugs infest.
Hire a bed bug exterminator in Toronto to get rid of the bed bugs permanently. The expert also does repairs and institutes other measures to make sure that the critters don’t come back.
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