Bed Bug Myths and Facts

A bed bug infestation remains a prevailing problem faced by many American homeowners. It even comes to a point when people feel embarrassed to admit they have bed bugs at home. Dealing with bed bugs is never a favorable experience. This tiny pesky crawlies cause so much discomfort in people’s homes. Those attacked by bed bugs often suffer from sleep loss and restlessness. 

There are so many things we need to know about these ancient pests. Some of the claims are true while others are simply false exaggerated assertions. It would be in the best interest of the public to possess the right knowledge about what bed bugs really are so everyone can debunk misconceptions and set some things straight once and for all.

Bed Bugs: Fallacy versus Reality

Some false statements about bed bugs continue to be passed on even to this day. It’s time to shed light on the issue and expose the truth about these critters. We have listed below various myths and facts surrounding bed bugs:

• Myth: Bed bugs are too tiny they are invisible to the naked eye.

  • Fact: Bed bugs may be very small, just about the size of an apple seed, but they can be definitely seen by a watchful eye. Adult bed bugs are very much visible and with the help of a magnifying glass, you can even see young bed bugs and bed bug eggs.
    

• Myth: Bed bugs only infest dirty homes.

  • Fact: Anyone can get bed bugs. Whether you come from a well-kept and wealthy home or from a poor and cluttered household, bed bugs do not mind. Unlike pests like rodents and cockroaches, bed bugs are not attracted to grime. They are great hitchhikers and are attracted to warm human blood. They can infiltrate any environment by lodging onto people’s belongings including suitcases, clothes, shoes, bags, furniture, etc. However, clutter does provide bed bugs with more room to hide making them more difficult to catch and detect.

• Myth: Bed bugs only attack people during the night.

  • Fact: It’s true that bed bugs are nocturnal and are generally active at night when their host is sleeping. However, these tiny vampires will still bite you anytime and suck your blood even during the day. They do hide in dark areas and whenever there is an opportunity to discreetly move closer to their blood meal, especially when a person is resting and not moving, they will grab the chance to gorge on blood.

• Myth: Bed bugs are named as such because they mainly infest mattresses.

  • Fact: Bed bugs like being close to people due to the warmth, sweat, and carbon dioxide produced by the human body. Also, they depend on blood to survive. That is why they are often found on people’s beds because it is where their host spends more time at night during bedtime. However, bed bugs have a lot of hideouts other than the bed. They can be found in bookshelves, furniture, wallpapers, curtains, electrical sockets, and basically within any tiny cracks or fissures around the home.
• Myth: Anyone bitten by bed bugs experiences severe reactions like extreme scratching and restlessness.
  • Fact: Luckily, some people do not have any reaction to bed bug bites at all. They don’t even realize they have bed bugs at home until they spot the bugs themselves. Others, however, will go through sleeplessness and anxiety because of the itchiness of the bites. Others even suffer from secondary infections as well as allergic reactions.

• Myth: Applying insecticides is enough to kill bed bugs and stop an infestation.

  • Fact: Insecticides may be effective but only in the case of small infestations or when the bed bug problem is confined only within a small room. Unfortunately, pesticides will be useless if the bed bugs have spread widely and infested all other areas of the household. Also, many pest control professionals discourage the use of chemicals to kill the bugs. Bed bug heat treatment is proven effective when treating heavy infestations for this method can penetrate deep and hidden spots that can’t be reached by pesticides.

     

• Myth: Bed bugs carry transmit viruses.

  • Fact: Bed bugs are never found to carry bacteria and spread deadly diseases. The harm they inflict is limited to leaving itchy bite marks on people and making them restless. They also breed fast and spread quickly by hitchhiking on people’s belongings.

Bed bugs are no doubt among the most annoying pests and most difficult to get rid of. Although they are not necessarily life-threatening as compared to other nuisance pests, they still can cause stress among people in the household. Just knowing you have bed bugs at home is enough to make your skin crawl. After noticing the very first subtle signs of bed bug activity, the best action you can make would be to immediately seek advice from a pest control expert.