When Do Bed Bugs Come Out? Bed bugs are tiny, flat and oval-formed. They feast solely on the blood of people and animals. They’re most active at night and like to hide in crevices and cracks during the day. Bed bugs are a big problem in numerous parts of the world. Therefore, it’s vital to understand their habits and life cycle.
In this article, we’ll talk about when bed bugs emerge and the phases of their lives:
Identification
Bed bugs are tiny and don’t have wings. They measure 4-7 mm in length and are usually red-brown or mahogany. You can spot them by their pear-shaped body and six legs. Bed bugs also have a flat bottom and two antennae on their head.
Their shape may change if they haven’t eaten for a while. After feeding, they become brighter red and bigger. But, if they haven’t had food for a while they become more brown and flat.
Look out for signs of bed bugs, like pieces of their skin or eggs, around your bed. Also, small spots which may be feces near where you sleep. Pay special attention to cracks or spaces near the headboard and seams on the sides of your mattress. During the day, you may see adult bed bugs wandering around – this is normal if they can’t get food at night.
Lifecycle
Bed bugs are famous for their capacity to stay hidden, come back often and fight off extermination. To manage bed bugs better, it is key to comprehend their life cycle.
Female bed bugs can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. The eggs are tiny (1mm) and pale yellow, too small for the human eye to see. They take 6-10 days to hatch and will create a nymph. Nymphs are the bed bugs that we recognize – small and oval, from 1-4mm.
Nymphs grow bigger after each blood meal; they usually feed on humans every 5-7 days. The life cycle has 5 stages, taking around 37 days until they reach maturity – resulting in adult bed bug formation around 40-50 days after hatching.
The lifespan of a mature bedbug is usually 4 months or until their next blood meal. But, adults will live longer if they get regular meals or if they survive bad conditions like extreme temperatures or droughts by going into a state of sleepiness called diapause (10 months up to an entire year). Bedbugs can survive without food longer when it’s cooler; yet, if the temperature is lower than 45°F (7°C), even with food, some species cannot keep reproducing.
To sum up, the life cycle of a bed bug includes:
- Egg
- Nymph
- Five nymphal instars
- Adult
and takes about 37 – 50 days, depending on the environment’s temperature.
What Attracts Bed Bugs?
What Attracts Bed Bugs? Bed bugs: small, pesky parasites. They suck human blood and live in homes and businesses. Want to know what draws them in? Here’s what attracts bed bugs:
- Environmental things
- Human things
Both can draw them to you.
Temperature
Bed bugs like warm and humid conditions. They can survive temperatures from near freezing to 120°F (49°C). They seek dark places for harborage and to feed. It is not known what attracts them most – likely a mix of temperature, harborage and food sources.
Bed bugs have five life stages before adulthood: egg, nymphs, juvenile 1 & 2, and further growth stages. Bed bugs must feed every 5-10 days or they die. Females mate once to lay eggs. Optimal temperatures are 68-88°F (20-31°C). Humidity of 80% helps them survive better. The right temperature and people for food sources can attract more bed bugs.
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a key ingredient in bed bug activity. Oxygen is required for bed bugs to survive, and carbon dioxide is inhaled just like other animals. When bed bugs sense human breath or skin cells, they become active and search for food. Humans exhale carbon dioxide, which agitates bed bugs and makes them easier to find.
The carbon dioxide accelerates a bed bug’s readiness to feed. A nymph can take a blood meal within 30 minutes of exposure to the gas. An adult bed bug can be ready to feed in 10 minutes or less. Even when sitting still, a human can produce enough carbon dioxide to attract bed bugs from 8 feet away! Homeowners need to be aware of this behavior to detect and treat bed bugs.
Human activity
Bed bugs are parasites that need humans to survive. They suck human blood and can sense our body heat and carbon dioxide. That’s why they come out at night while we sleep. They don’t fly, but they can crawl quickly on the floor, walls, and ceilings. This makes them great opportunistic pests.
Bed bugs like warmth, darkness, and human activity. People sleeping in different places often means bed bugs are easily transferred around by them or their luggage. They can hide in furniture cracks or behind baseboards, waiting for heat energy from bodies nearby.
Human activity like travel can bring bed bugs into the home. People bring their luggage into the bedroom, where bed bugs are more likely to be since the mattress provides maximum human exposure at night. To reduce the chance of a bed bug infestation, always check your hotel room for signs of an infestation before bringing your stuff in. Look for small dark stains on mattresses or sheets as this may be a sign of an infestation.
Clean items that can’t be washed before returning home like suitcases and electronics with rubbing alcohol or Lysol spray before bringing them into the bedroom.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
Bed bugs? Not during the day! They wait ’til night, when it’s dark and still. Knowing where they hang out during the day can help you spot an infestation. Let’s look at some of their favourite areas. That way, you can keep them away from your home!
Here are some of their favourite areas:
- Cracks in walls and floors
- Behind baseboards, window and door frames
- Between mattress seams and bed frames
- Behind pictures and wall hangings
- Under furniture
- Under carpets and rugs
Mattress seams
Mattresses and box springs are the two places bed bugs love to hide. If you suspect an infestation, inspect these spots for any signs of the bugs. Bed bugs enjoy tight spaces, so they’ll often be around mattress seams and crevices. During daylight hours, it can be tough to spot all of them.
Look for blood spots, mottled shells, or egg shells. Bed bug nymphs are the size of a poppy seed – using a magnifying glass and flashlight can help to identify small black specks on sheets or brown specks that might be bed bug excrement.
Cracks and crevices
Bed bugs are experts at hiding in tight crevices and cracks. These spots provide them not only with a physical barrier from predators, but also a damp environment. With their flattened bodies, they can penetrate these areas easily and make nests.
To check for an infestation, take a look at bed seams or tufts, behind headboards, drawers, nightstands, carpet edges, furniture cushions, bookshelves, closets and electronic devices. Keep an eye out for signs like dark brown stains on mattresses or blood spots from when they’ve been disturbed during feeding.
If you find any of these signs, act fast. Use good quality insecticide to treat the area and get rid of the pests.
Furniture
Bed bugs love furniture! Seams of mattresses, cushions, sofas, chairs and behind beds are their favorites. Upholstered furniture is perfect for them because it’s warm and dark. They’re attracted to carbon dioxide, so they stay near where people sleep and frequent – like behind headboards and under furniture.
Before bringing furniture into your home, inspect it for bed bugs. If you find signs of infestation on used furniture or items from yard sales, get help from pest control professionals. This will make sure the bed bug issue is properly taken care of before it spreads more.
When Do Bed Bugs Come Out?
Bed bugs are a pesky problem if not taken care of! How and when to act? When do bed bugs come out? Let’s talk about their life cycle and when bed bugs are active.
At night
Bed bugs like to feed on humans when they sleep at night. They are nocturnal, so they come out in the evening. They hide in cracks in walls, wallpaper, and furniture. When the lights turn off and people are asleep, they emerge from their hiding spots.
Bed bugs usually remain hidden during the day. They search for a safe spot before sunrise by tracking sources of carbon dioxide and heat. They like to hide behind baseboards, beds, mattresses, box springs, wallpaper, trim, and curtains.
Bed bugs feed for several hours. The timing varies with temperature. If it is warmer, they will feed more often, since it is easier to find hosts. A larger population will also lead to more frequent activity, since more individuals need nourishment.
During the day
Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures. They come out more when it’s warm, like when a warm-blooded body is present. In the day they hide in cracks and crevices found in furniture or walls, making them hard to spot.
At night, when temperatures drop, bed bugs come out searching for a host. They crawl up walls and furniture looking for gaps to hide in. Without their food source, bed bugs struggle to survive. That’s why it’s important to check for signs of infestation before it’s too late.
In winter, bed bug activity drops due to the cold and shorter days. Most infestations occur when people travel, bringing foreign specimens in to households. If you travel, check mattresses, linens, and luggage before unpacking. Also inspect rooms if signs of an infestation have been observed. Be on the lookout for poorly maintained dwellings near your destination.
When temperatures are right
Bed bugs love warm, moist and humid climates. And they’re most active at night. Infestations tend to be in bedrooms, as people are a great food source to them. They come out when temperatures are around 70-80°F (21-27°C). But if it gets too cold (below 55°F/13°C), they slow down or become dormant.
In temperate regions with seasonal changes, their activity varies. However, in warm-weather locations, they may be active year-round due to stable temperatures and lots of harborage places. When it’s 70-80°F (21-27°C) again, they’ll seek out a human host for blood meals. So, inspect potential habitats where bedbugs may hide carefully.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are a problem like no other. They attack households, hotels and even places open to the public. Getting rid of them once they’ve invaded is tricky, so it’s best to stay ahead. Knowing when these bugs come out and how to spot them is key. Here’s what you need to know: they’re a menace!
Vacuum and steam clean
Vacuuming and steam cleaning are great to stop bed bugs. Vacuum furniture, floors, baseboards, box springs, and other crevices for 15 minutes weekly. Throw away the vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag. Bed bugs can escape!
Steam cleaning kills eggs and larvae on contact. Commercial or handheld steamers work. Take care when steam cleaning and follow instructions. Steam may not kill all bed bugs, so regular vacuuming is important.
Look for bed bugs in hidden places like behind frames, light fixtures, and outlets. If they are not removed, they will regrow.
Seal cracks and crevices
Sealing cracks and crevices? That’s the key! Bed bugs can be as small as 1-2 millimeters, so they can squeeze through even the tiniest of openings. Check baseboards, floorboards, and walls for any holes. Soft materials like wood, wallpaper – these can be the ideal breeding ground for bed bugs.
To keep them out:
- Inspect secondhand furniture before bringing it home.
- Vacuum upholstery and floors often.
- Caulk up gaps around door frames, windowsills, boxes, etc.
- Cut down on clutter.
- Keep paper bags, upholstered furniture, and clothing away from bedrooms.
Use bed bug-proof covers
One way to prevent bed bugs is to use mattress and box spring covers. These form a barrier between the mattress or box spring and any possible intruders. Bed bugs can’t bite through the cover, so investing in these can help keep them away.
Choose an adequate cover that fits securely around the mattress or box spring. This prevents entry points for the insects. Placing a cover on all places where you sleep is crucial in stopping an infestation.
