In general, bed bugs are considered nocturnal insects, but they don’t come out only at night to feed. They come out whenever their host is active, no matter if it’s a day or night, bright or dark. It is common for people to be bitten in broad daylight.
However, when you are asleep, your blood flow slows down dramatically, so the bed bugs want to take advantage of it while you’re unconscious. This means less time searching for their meal and more time feeding!
Be very wary of any company selling products that claim to repel or eliminate bedbugs – these products can prevent bites but they will not stop these pests from infesting your home. Depending on where you live (and whether or not you still have a few houses nearby to act as bed bug reservoirs), your best course of action is likely to be heat treatment done by a professional pest control company.
Keep reading to learn more about what brings bed bugs out of hiding in your home.
Why And When Do Bed Bugs Come Out?
Since they are attracted to the carbon dioxide that your body makes, bed bugs come out when you exhale, or breathe out. Another reason is that they love warmth. They are attracted to the temperature of the human body. So, if you go into your cozy bed where it’s warm, then that will attract them. They primarily come out at night, usually before dawn, because the sunlight kills them. Their peak feeding time is somewhere between 2 and 5 am.
Bedbugs are mainly nocturnal, but rather than waiting for them to come to you, hunt them down with a bedbug monitor that emits CO2 and lures the creepy crawlers out of hiding. These monitors can be an effective tool for detecting an early bedbug infestation.
Do Bed Bugs Come Out To Feed Every Night?
Bed bugs are known to have nocturnal feeding habits, thus, they mainly come out at night to feed on their hosts. However, there have been documented cases of bed bugs biting during the day as well, so don’t think you can outsmart them by staying up all night and waiting for the daylight to arrive. These pests are opportunists and will occasionally come out throughout the day to look for a blood meal if they are hungry and need to feed or if there is a resting host nearby. They might also come out of their hiding when disturbed by bright lights at night or vibrations (for example, by someone walking past). Also, if you work on a night shift and sleep during the day, they can still come out and feed on you whenever you are asleep.
Bed bugs need to feed a minimum of one time before each molt (i.e. when they shed their outer exoskeleton). However, they can feed as often as once within a 24-hour period. Young nymphs are able to survive without eating for many days, up to several months. Adult forms and older nymphs might survive even longer without sucking blood, up to one year under very favorable conditions. This means that it is not necessary for them to come out to feed on you every night.
Do Bed Bugs Hate Light?
Bed bugs are sneaky parasitic critters that hide away in harborages around the room when it’s bright outside. They are very sensitive to light and do not like coming out of their dark hiding places in the daytime or if the lights are on. There is a common belief that keeping the light on at night will keep them away, however, this is furthest from the truth. While these creatures prefer darkness, sleeping with the light on all night long will not make them suddenly run away from the light and go back to their hiding site. It will also not scare them away from biting you. If they haven’t eaten for a while and there is a resting human host available in their path, they will come out to feed even when lights are on. They do not tolerate sunlight and heat at all. In fact, most forms of UV light will kill them, so exposing your bedsheets to sunlight outside for a few hours every day could help you get rid of them.
There are very few other options on the market that are effective enough in case you want to deal with bed bugs yourself. But since these parasites are very resistant to elimination, the safest and most long-lasting way to rid your home of them is the treatment through an exterminator.
The experienced pros at Peachtree Pest Control can inspect your place, identify any issues that need attention, and implement a plan that will work for you – not against you. Call our team in Atlanta to find out how we can help you and request a free estimate!