Picky Bed Bugs

 

Picky Bed Bugs

A Favorite Color

Entomologist Corraine McNeill of Union College, Lincoln Nebraska has studied bed bugs in depth. In a relatively recent study, she discovered that bed bugs can not only see color, but they react to different colors. The findings from this study were published in the April 2016 issue of The Journal of Medical Entomology, and discussed that, similar to mosquitos, bed bugs have both color preferences and color aversions. While nymphs, the adolescent forms of bed bugs, do not possess very good eyesight and therefore do not respond to different colors, the adults display clear opinions. These vampiric pests prefer two very “vampiric” colors: black and red. The theories behind their preferences for black is rather simple. Bed bugs are masters of hide-and-seek and actively look for dark places to conceal themselves. Black, being the darkest of all colors, simulates this exact kind of environment, encouraging bed bugs toward it in a pursuit for concealment. While it seems like their attraction to red would be equally as simple, relating to the fact that they require sanguine meals to survive, however, this is actually not thought to be the case. McNeill explains that when bed bugs are searching for a meal, they’re not searching for red, because our blood is inside and therefore, they cannot see it prior to biting. Rather, they utilize other indicators to find their victims, including heat, CO2, and the presence of other bed bugs. The later of these indicators may be the actual reason bed bugs like red. Naturally, the adults are colored a particular reddish-brown hue, and, as such, red colored items may look to them like something that is covered in other bed bugs, urging them to gravitate towards the color.

Why Do Bed Bugs Target Certain People?

If you have bed bugs in your home, it may seem like only certain people are being targeted, while others are ignored. This phenomenon has led to the myth that bed bugs are picky as to who they target, but this is actually not exactly true. There can be a number of reasons why someone is not being targeted by these bedtime biters including:

• Location – the bed bugs may have not reached that room yet
• Physical Restrictions – it may be difficult for the bugs to access someone, for example if they sleep on the top of a bunk bed.

OR

• You actually are being bitten… you just don’t know it.

Just like in the case of mosquito bites, some people simply do not have the immune response to bites and, therefore, will not display the tell-tail signs of being bit such as bumps, redness, etc.  While this seems like a major advantage in the case of bed bugs, it can actually work against you as it may make it more difficult to recognize a bed bug infestation, which can lead to delayed pest control treatments and therefore a larger infestation to treat.

Ripe for the Sucking

These hungry little pests are somewhat particular about the blood they consume. Wait… didn’t we just debunk that myth in the last section?? Well… while nearly no person is off limits, bed bugs do seem to be particular regarding the “freshness” of their sanguine meals. In other words, reports have suggested that bed bugs will only drink blood from live hosts and will also surprisingly not indulge in spilled blood.

No So Picky

In practically every other way, bed bugs are not considered picky creatures. Bed bugs don’t care if your home is meticulously clean or disgustingly dirty, they don’t care if they’re in a restaurant or a movie theater, and they certainly don’t care if you are a 25-year-old artist or a 55-year-old accountant, they just want to find a host and somewhere dark to hide. Unfortunately, along with this, they are very hearty pests that can survive an entire year without a blood meal and are highly resistant to a variety of pesticides.

When You Have Bed Bugs…

When you find out you have bed bugs, things can quickly become overwhelming. Unless you’ve had a run-in with these nasty bloodsucking insects before, you may have a lot of questions. But no need to fear, with Pointe Pest Control, we’ve got your back. We are experienced with combating these tricky pests and we want you to be able to sleep soundly once again.

Citations

Bed Bugs FAQs (2020) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Global Health Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html (Accessed: September 2020). Blakemore, E. (2016) Bed Bugs Are Picky About Certain Colors, Smithsonian Magazine. The Smithsonian Institution. Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bed-bugs-are-picky-about-certain-colors-180958891/ (Accessed: March 1, 2021). Brennan, D. MD. (2020) Bad Bugs Slideshow: Identifying Bugs and Their Bites, WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/allergies/ss/slideshow-bad-bugs (Accessed: June 2020). Gannon, M. (2017) Bedbugs: Facts, Bites and Infestation, LiveScience. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/42297-bed-bugs-facts-information.html (Accessed: August 2020). Main, D. (2016) Bedbugs Could Be Attracted to the Color of Your Sheets, Newsweek. Available at: https://www.newsweek.com/bedbugs-could-be-attracted-color-your-sheets-452207 (Accessed: August 2020).