Bed bugs are caused by introducing these "hitchhikers" into your home, usually by traveling (hotels, planes) and bringing them back in luggage, clothing, or purses, or by acquiring infested used furniture, mattresses, or even from neighbors in multi-unit buildings. They aren't a sign of poor hygiene but are attracted to warmth, carbon dioxide, and blood, spreading through human activity by hiding in luggage, bedding, furniture cracks, and walls.
What causes bed bugs? Bed bugs are typically spread through human activity, such as traveling, bringing infested items into homes, or moving to new residences. As expert hitchhikers, bed bugs latch onto clothing, shoes, or luggage during travel.
Bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home or poor personal hygiene. Bed bugs are hitchhikers - they travel to new places by hiding in furniture, suitcases, or other objects that get moved around.
Bed bugs can enter a home without traveling by attaching to secondhand items, clothing, or furniture brought inside. Guests, neighbors, or moving belongings can unknowingly carry them. Bed bugs also spread through shared walls, vents, or during transportation in vehicles and luggage.
Natural scents like tea tree oil and peppermint oil can help repel bed bugs when used around sleeping areas. Some oils, like neem and orange oil, may help kill bed bugs or slow down their ability to spread.
Early signs of bed bugs include itchy bites in lines or clusters, rusty or dark spots on bedding (fecal stains), tiny pale eggs or shed skins in mattress seams, and a sweet, musty odor; you need to inspect mattress seams, bed frames, and furniture for these physical clues, as bites alone aren't always definitive.
Bed bugs, for all their reliance on human hosts for their blood meals, don't tend to make homes for themselves on human bodies. Unlike lice and other similar insects, bed bugs lack the proper anatomy to effectively cling to hair.
The adults can easily be seen with the naked eye. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, wingless, and are about the size of an apple seed. Immature bed bugs (there are 5 immature or nymphal instar stages) can also be seen with the naked eye but they are smaller than adults, and translucent whitish-yellow in color.
Many people cannot feel bed bugs crawling due to their quiet, swift movement and small size. Skin sensitivity varies; some individuals might notice a slight tickling or itching, while others may feel nothing. Bed bugs are nocturnal, often hiding during the day, making detection by crawling sensation less likely.
Squishing bed bugs spreads eggs, larvae, blood, and waste, making the infestation harder to control.
If a bed bug finds its way onto your clothing while you're wearing it, it may stay on the fabric for several hours—potentially even a full day. However, it's important to understand their behavior: They prefer still environments: Bed bugs tend to avoid movement.
The 7 most effective essential oils for bed bugs
Their flat shape enables them to readily hide in cracks and crevices. Bed bugs cannot fly. Bed bugs hide during the day in dark, protected sites. They seem to prefer fabric, wood, and paper surfaces.
Bed bugs are resilient pests that can infest more than just your mattress—they can also find refuge in your carpets. These pests don't burrow deep into carpet fibers but instead remain near the surface, making it possible to eliminate them with the right techniques.
Bed bugs do not go away on their own. They rely on human blood and hide in tight spaces, making natural elimination impossible. Without treatment, infestations usually get worse over time. They can't escape or leave by themselves, and their populations grow quickly.
Bed bugs dislike strong scents like lavender, peppermint, tea tree oil, and eucalyptus. These natural aromas can deter bed bugs by creating an environment they find unpleasant, though they're not guaranteed to eliminate an infestation. Using essential oil sprays or sachets can help as a preventive measure.
Biting zones
They don't usually walk on the body, but bite from sheets or mattresses. The areas accessible to bedbugs, and where most bites can be found, are mainly the back of the arms, the hips, the back of the legs, the lower back…
Because bed bugs are attracted to warmth where they're most likely to find their food source, using various methods to heat the suspected infected areas could be helpful. Try heating your bed (or any infected area) with a steamer, blow dryer, or heater to bring bugs out of hiding.
However, they become active at night, between midnight and 5:00 am. It is during this time, when the human host is typically in their deepest sleep, that bed bugs like to feed. Bed bugs are known to travel many yards to reach their human host.
Inspect Pillow Seams and Crevices
Bed bugs love to reside in tight, dark spaces. This makes pillowcase seams and crevices inviting hideouts.
➡️ Bed bugs mainly hide in mattresses, bed bases, cracks, skirting boards and furniture near the bed. ➡️ To find a nest, inspect bedding, furniture and dark corners with a torch and magnifying glass, ideally at night when they are active.
You should not throw away your mattress after it has been infested by bed bugs. This is discouraged because getting rid of your infested items can contribute to the spread of bed bugs. Some of the best ways to get rid of bed bugs in your mattress include: Take the linens off and wash them in hot water.
Bed bugs bite each person differently, but the most common appearances of bed bug bites include:
Bed bugs are not generally attracted to specific smells like some other insects are. Instead, they are drawn to the scent of human skin and breath.