Last Updated on February 2, 2024
They are the scourge of cities across the states, and they can be found almost anywhere around the world. Bed bugs are one of the most awkward pests to remove permanently from a home, and they can spread very fast.
Apart from the fact that they like to feed on human blood, and they tend to come out when people are sleeping, there are some other less-known details about these pests.
Here below is everything you didn’t know about bed bugs, including one or two rather strange facts.
Table of Contents
Bed bugs may be on the rise
This isn’t a fun fact and instead is rather concerning. From the 1930s to the 1980s, bed bugs were decreasing in numbers. This was partly due to strong pesticides such as DDT. This has now been banned, and bed bug populations have surged.
Baltimore and Chicago are two of the worst cities in the US for bed bug reports, Toronto, Paris, and London also have large bed bug problems. There were 266,640 Google searches for bed bugs in the London area in 2021. Searching for bed bug control Surrey is a common way to find pest control for these infestations.
97% of pest controllers said they had been called out to deal with bed bugs at least once during the previous 12 months. Of these pest experts, 67% of them say bed bugs are being reported more frequently than in recent years.
Spiders like to eat bed bugs
While bed bugs can seem largely useless and extremely irritating, they provide a good food source for spiders. It is often said that spiders are one of the most important pest controllers on the planet.
You can’t starve bed bugs out
Unlike some other pests, you won’t be able to simply starve bed bugs out. They generally eat about every 5 days, but bed bugs live for 70 days without food. One study showed that a bed bug can live for up to a year if the conditions are right without eating.
They breed very quickly
It is no secret that bed bug infestations can happen very quickly but do you know why? Bed bugs can lay 7 eggs a week which takes 7 to 10 days to hatch. Within 5 weeks that bed bug can reproduce. It only takes one lone pregnant female to cause an infestation.
The summer brings out more bed bug complaints
You already knew that pests are more annoying in the summer, but did you also know there are more bed bugs then too?
Bed bugs like the warmth, and they become more active during this time meaning more breeding. Also, people move more in the summer. Vacations and travel give bed bugs more opportunities to spread further afield.
Bed bugs don’t care how often you clean your home
It is common to assume that pests and dirt are somehow linked. Indeed, certain pests like unclean environments, but bed bugs are not one of them. Scrubbing your house spotless will not affect a bed bug population.
Bed bugs travel fast
If you watch a bed bug moving it probably won’t strike you as being anything remarkable. However, a bed bug can cover a distance of around 3 to 4 feet in 1 minute. This is the equivalent of an adult human sprinting.
Plus, they move between rooms and even buildings such as apartments. This year bed bugs were spotted in one hotel in London by the occupant.
Bed bugs are fussy about what color your bed sheets are
You might not put bed bugs down as having interior design ideas but it is believed that they prefer dark bed sheets to light ones. If you use yellow or white bed sheets you may attract fewer bed bugs. Red or black bed sheets are said to attract bed bugs as these colors mimic their preferred habitat of living in the dark.
Bed bugs can live almost anywhere
They are not bothered if the building they are in is a hotel, a cinema, or a house. Bed bugs have even been known to be found on public transport. This is why pest inspections are essential in house buying.Â
Bed bugs don’t pose any physical health risks
Many pests are linked to health issues. Dust mites can cause a number of symptoms such as sore throats and runny noses. Mice and rats can carry serious diseases, and mosquitoes can infect humans with dengue fever and malaria.
Bed bugs carry no such dangers. The most likely health risk is a secondary skin infection from scratching the bite marks they leave behind after feeding.
There are however some mental wellness issues. If a bed bug infestation isn’t taken care of it can lead to increased levels of stress, and sleep deprivation.
Summary
While there may be some interesting facts surrounding bed bugs it is fair to say that no one wants to live with these pests. Heat treatment is a proven way to kill bed bugs and this avoids any harsh or toxic chemicals.
If you spot a bed bug walking across your sheets then you will need to deal with the problem immediately. As you have read, within weeks you could go from a few bed bugs to hundreds.