– Bed bug feeding habits can vary and because these pests are typically nocturnal (becoming active at nighttime) they have a maximum attack phase around an hour or two, usually prior to sunrise. However, they might attempt to feed during alternative periods throughout the day. Bedbugs will essentially adjust their feeding habits to match the sleeping habits of the host – you! Lured by warmth as well as the occurrence of carbon dioxide, the pest penetrates your skin with a pair of hollow injector tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while the other tube withdraws the blood from your body.

Bed bugs generally take 5 – 10 minutes to complete a meal and the quantity of blood taken can be several times the weight of the bug. Afterward, the bug returns to its hiding area. During non-feeding periods, bedbugs will hide in cracks and crevices nearby (mattress seams, bed frame, headboard, box spring, behind pictures, on baseboards, inside torn wall paper, etc.) If you try sleeping in another room, they will simply follow you to the new location. The bites aren’t usually felt until a few minutes or even hours later. Although bed bugs can survive for over a year without feeding, they typically search for blood around once a week.

Bedbugs are sometimes falsely tied in with with filth. Since it is CO2 that they are attracted to, not filth or garbage, and because they feed on blood, the cleanliness of their surroundings has no effect on these bugs. People oftentimes associate bedbugs with seedy motel rooms or borderline-condemned households, with tenants living in complete squalor … this is usually not the case. Bed bug feeding habits are purely biological and do not discriminate, especially against messy apartments.

If you have a bed bug problem take action quickly to prevent the problem from getting even bigger. Our team is standing by and ready to answer any questions you have, provide consultation and a quote for resolving your bed bug problem.  Give us a call today and sleep better knowing your problem is resolved for good!