Bed Bug Blog at BedBugInfo.com » Myths http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog Bed Bug Information, Stories, FAQs and News Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:56:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 Do bed bugs feed on dead skin? http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/do-bed-bugs-feed-on-dead-skin/ http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/do-bed-bugs-feed-on-dead-skin/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:05:31 +0000 Rob http://www.bedbuginfo.com/bed-bug-blog/?p=174 Not sure where this myth comes from but no, bed bugs do not feed on dead skin — they feed on blood. They are attracted to our heat and the CO2 that we breathe out. They hide in areas in and around the bed and come out just before dawn to feed. If we aren’t available and bed bugs get hard up, they will also feed on household pets.

]]> http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/do-bed-bugs-feed-on-dead-skin/feed/ 0 I think I have bed bugs, do I have to throw out my mattress and box spring? http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/i-think-i-have-bed-bugs-do-i-have-to-throw-out-my-mattress-and-box-spring/ http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/i-think-i-have-bed-bugs-do-i-have-to-throw-out-my-mattress-and-box-spring/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:01:00 +0000 Rob http://www.bedbuginfo.com/bed-bug-blog/?p=170 No you don’t. This is a common myth found in internet bed bug lore.

Bed bugs can hide all over the place, not just in the bed. In general, if it is wooden, paper or fabric and has holes, seams, crevices or cracks — there is a chance they will harbor there and possibly lay eggs. Some hotels have even found that bed bugs hide in remote controls and bed side alarm clocks. Not only that, bed bugs can travel quite a ways to hide. A figure commonly given is 20 feet. We know however that they sometimes travel much farther as bed bug infestations can spread from unit to unit in apartments, condos, hotels and dorms.

So if you throw your mattress and boxspring away, you still have a bed bug problem. If the mattress and boxspring are infested you simply buy encasements for them.

These tough plastic covers completely seal mattresses and boxsprings. Bed bugs can’t get in and they can’t get out. Bed bugs can go quite a while (18 months) without feeding before they will die. So you have to leave the mattress encasements on there for a little longer than that. But they are inexpensive and generally recommended by pest control professionals and entomologists for bed bug control. Mattress Encasements – What does a bed bug mattress cover do? has more information.

]]> http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2010/01/i-think-i-have-bed-bugs-do-i-have-to-throw-out-my-mattress-and-box-spring/feed/ 0 Are bed bugs due to bad hygiene? http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2009/12/are-bed-bugs-due-to-bad-hygiene/ http://www.bedbuginfo.com/blog/2009/12/are-bed-bugs-due-to-bad-hygiene/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:00:52 +0000 Rob http://www.bedbuginfo.com/bed-bug-blog/?p=137 A bed bug will feed on anybody they can get to, regardless of the person’s hygiene habits. Bed bugs are not due to bad hygiene any more than mosquitoes are due to bad hygiene. Bed bugs are tied to the location and not the person. The next question you might ask is if bed bugs are due to poor housekeeping.

Poor housekeeping can make it difficult to identify a bed bug infestation. It can also lead to clutter which gives bed bugs more places to hide. This can make bed bug control, prevention and eradication especially difficult.

This isn’t to say that poor housekeeping is the cause of bed bugs. Even under the best conditions a place can still be infested. Read Home Bed Bug Prevention Tips to learn how to protect your home.

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