15 Common Bed Bug Myths
As good for society as the internet is, sometimes it spreads some great false rumors. Places like Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are great platforms but sometimes could spread some serious mis-information. People who find out they have bed bug have their fingers ready to start google searching. This can easily take them down the wrong path and to make these small problems into big ones. That information makes the Pest Control Professionals job much more difficult. Not only do these myths and rumors cause problems to get worse but they cause the clients to spend much more money then they originally should. There are proper steps that should be taken as soon as you have bed bugs and if you do the wrong thing you can really make things very difficult. Today we will post some myths that are completely untrue.
- Bed bugs are not invisible. Although the eggs can be pretty small and the 1st install nymphs can be tiny too they are definitely visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately an unexperienced individual can easily passover a location with bed bugs but once they are pointed out by a professional, they are very visible. Unless you’re supposed to be wearing glasses that is.
- If you’re living in an apartment building bed bugs CAN come from neighboring units. Its best to alert the landlord and have adjoining apartments inspected prior to treatment. This can help lessen the time that you’re dealing with the bed bugs. As with any other pest, bed bugs must be eliminated at their source. You can’t seal them out, they’ll find a way.
- Covering your mattress in a mattress encasement is not going to rid you of your bed bug infestation. If the encasement is good enough it may trap some bugs inside the encasement, but the problem is everywhere else. Bed bugs do not only hide on your mattress seams. They love boxsprings, bed frames, night stands, cracks in your floors, window sills, picture frames..well you get the point. Sealing up the mattress is just going to cause you to spend $40 dollars and delay treatment. The problem will get worse in the mean time.
- Just because you had a mattress encasement and it claimed to be “bed bug proof” doesn’t mean its a bed bug security system. Bed bugs will find a way to thrive. Purchasing a mattress encasement will never guarantee you will not get bed bugs.
- Bed bugs do not fly, they just don’t. Trust us.
- They bite everyone in the bed. Sometimes a couple will express that the husband is all bitten up but the wife hasn’t gotten one bite. They are both being bit, but only the husbands immune system is reacting.
- Can you take a look at my bite and tell me if its bed bugs? No, not even a doctor can do that. Not even a really good dermatologist can ID a bed bug bite. Sorry.
- Self treatment will seldom work. Its not what you use, but how you use it. I wouldn’t trust my mechanic to get rid of my bed bugs and I hope my mechanic wouldn’t trust me to fix his power steering pump. Please never use foggers or any aerosol products. If you treat improperly it will work as a repellant and spread the bed bugs all over the house. The best advice is don’t touch a thing!
- Bed bugs cannot live on you. They will usually feed when you are lying still sleeping in bed. Once they get their fill, they will crawl back into their hiding place. They are not body lice and will not live on you.
- Some clients think that if they move from their bedroom to try to escape from the bed bugs it will eliminate the problem. What this will cause is the problem to spread to all other bedrooms and make the problem worse. After 7-14 days of no meal bed bugs will actively seek a new meal. This can send them into the kitchen, living room and even neighboring apartments. Don’t try sleeping on a hammock either, that won’t work!
- Rubbing Lavender or cedar oil all over your body will repel the bed bugs is just not true. Unless you want to smell nice, this just doesn’t work. Bed bugs prefer blood over lavender.
- If your trying to outsmart a bed bug by sleeping with long pants, a long shirt with socks and gloves on it just won’t work. They will find a way to bite you.
- Depending on your sleeping pattern bed bugs aren’t nocturnal. If you try to change your sleeping patterns, the bed bugs will follow. Don’t think sleeping during the day will cause the bed bugs to pack their bags. It will just cause them to bite you during the day. People have tried and failed.
- Doesn’t matter if you’re dirty or clean bed bugs want your bedroom. Although a cluttered apartment can be much more difficult to detect a problem causing it to worsen and go unnoticed, bed bugs do not have OCD. They are very excepting of your lifestyle actually.
- You heard heat and subzero temperatures can kill bed bugs? Thats actually true, but putting all your belongings out in the winter or summer for a few days will not kill the bugs. Its been tried and it just doesn’t work that way.
Our best advice is to hire a professional when your suspicious of bed bugs. Hire a reputable company and ask them the proper steps you should be taking next. Don’t try to self-treat. Many people fail during self treatment and make the problem much more difficult to get rid of. If you have any bed bug myth questions feel free to email us at [email protected] or Contact us. Educate yourself!
