What Attracts Bed Bugs?

Some people are lucky and never experience bed bugs. For others, it seems like a recurring problem they deal with every couple of years. You might wonder what attracts bed bugs and you have good reason to be concerned.

What attracts bed bugs to your home differs from place to place, but there are a few things that always lead them inside the house.

In this article, we’re covering everything you need to know about what attracts bed bugs and what you can do to repel them.

What Attracts Bed Bugs?

The common misconception is that dirt and grime are what attracts bed bugs. This notion is false. Bed bugs are attracted to one thing and one thing only.

Your blood.

They tend to move towards places where they can get their fix and the best place to find plenty of warm-blooded creatures is in your house. If you have pets and plenty of family members in the home, that is the primary reason you have bed bugs.

The unfortunate reality is that you might not have done anything to attract these pests. They make their way into your home in a variety of different ways that are often unavoidable. We’ll cover that in more detail below.

What Attracts Bed Bugs to Bite You?

If you’re wondering what attracts bed bugs to bite, they do it for the same reason they come into the home. They bite because that is how they feed. Bed bugs are blood-sucking parasites that survive by sucking mammal blood. They are primarily attracted to the CO2 we exhale when we breathe. Since we emit CO2, they are capable of finding us easily.

Since they are nocturnal and do most of their feeding at night, they end up finding us in our beds most of the time. The result of these factors is a blood-sucking pest that does most of it’s living inside the bed.

Do Certain Scents Attract Bed Bugs?

There are no specific scents that attract bed bugs. One scent called histamine is present in shedded bed bug skins. When they smell this, they are motivated to find the location because it signals a great place to inhabit. If other bed bugs are present, new bed bugs will find out where they are and move in to feed alongside them.

This reason is why bed bug infestations spread so quickly because a bunch of bed bugs attracts more and so on.

Why Are Bed Bugs Attracted to Mattresses?

Mattresses are a great place to hide. They can slip and slide beneath the fibers of the bed, and they are attracted to warm locations throughout the house. Typically, beds are warm and offer the best food in the house.

Since we spend a majority of the dark hours laying in bed, it reduces the amount of movement the bed bugs need to make to accomplish their goal.

While bed bugs are primarily attracted to mattresses, they can also live in couches and chairs as well.

Do Pets Attract Bed Bugs?

Yes, pets will bring bed bugs into your home, and if you have a dog or cat, they might be the reason for your infestation. Bed bugs are attracted to any warm-blooded creature similar to fleas and ticks. The goals of these parasites are the same.

They want to find a host that they can feed on and reproduce. Dogs and cats serve the same purpose as humans. The main difference is that pets are more likely to pick up bed bugs because they are closer to the ground. When your dog goes outside and rolls around in the tall grass, they are setting themselves up for acquiring parasites.

You must always use insect repelling collars and treatments on your pets to ensure they don’t bring bed bugs into your home.

What Food Attracts Bed Bugs?

Blood is the only source of food for bed bugs. This factor means that food will not attract bed bugs like it does other pests. Ants and cockroaches are attracted to food particles and droppings because they eat these things.

This reason is why the “dirty house” misconception is wrong. If a dirty or cluttered house were responsible for bed bugs, they wouldn’t feed on blood.

Now, a dirty house can worsen the bed bug problem by making it more difficult to find them. Having towels or quilts laying around will also provide the bugs with another hiding place.

What Repels Bed Bugs?

Unfortunately, repelling bed bugs doesn’t work as it does with mice and other pests. You can steer mice away with ultrasonic devices and certain scents, but bed bugs don’t care.

There are few things you can do to repel bed bugs once you have an infestation and it’s important to know the warning signs. Look around your house for these critters and check for feces or exoskeletons at the base of your bed and couches.

If you want to try and get rid of bed bugs on your own, you should start by washing all the sheets and furnishings in your home. Use the hottest possible water because that is the only way to kill them.

We recommend hiring a professional pest control team to handle this job. The problem can spread quickly because bed bugs lay hundreds of eggs throughout their lives so a minor discomfort can turn into a nightmare if you don’t handle it promptly.

Final Thoughts

By now, you should understand what attracts bed bugs and what doesn’t. To prevent them in the future, try to pay attention to where you set down things like backpacks and purses. Make sure you shake off all clothes and coats before bringing them inside.

You want to do everything you can to eliminate your bed bug problem before it gets worse. Hiring a professional exterminator or pest control company is the best way to get your life back to normal.