Some myths are fun. Like when you hear: “When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn’t push himself up, he pushes the world down,” or “Chuck Norris is so fast, he can run around the world and punch himself in the back of the head.” Some myths are not so fun. Today, we’re going to talk about some not-so-fun myths. Here are four commonly believed myths about bed bugs that every Chandler, AZ resident should know.
- Bed Bugs Only Live In Dirty Homes
This one is probably as old as bed bugs themselves. It may have started because mattresses from beds that have bed bugs hiding in them can start to have dirty and unsightly black or brown stains on them. Bed bugs excrete blood and black excrement, which soak into the fabric of mattresses. But these dirty stains aren’t obvious, especially at first. Bed bugs hide in tight or compressed spaces. It isn’t until long after bed bugs have been biting that people carry their mattresses out and attempt to throw them away. But an onlooker wouldn’t have known that the stains were created by the bed bugs or that they were hidden. Do you see how the myth could have started?
The truth is that bed bugs don’t choose to live with you for any reason. These indoor pests are carried from one location to another, passively. Once they arrive at a new location, they make do with whatever environment they’re given. If conditions are not ideal, they’re not going to go outside to find a place to live. For this reason, they can live in the cleanest of homes. All they need for survival is access to blood.
- Bed Bugs Only Live In Beds
When bed bug bites start to appear, and folks realize that they have a problem, some try to throw their beds out, as we described above. This does little or nothing to arrest a bed bug infestation because bed bugs don’t just live in beds. They can live in many places. Some might surprise you.
- Bed bugs can live in bed frames. Throwing your mattress or box spring out won’t get rid of them.
- Bed bugs can live in your nightstand, alarm clock, and other furniture in your room. Throwing out your mattress, box spring, and bed frame won’t get rid of them.
- Bed bugs can live in duffel bags, book bags, pocketbooks, luggage, and other portable items. You can throw all the furniture in your room out and still have bed bugs.
- Bed bugs can live behind the baseboard and crown molding, underneath carpets, inside wall outlets, and within your wall voids. You can throw everything in your home out and still have a bed bug infestation.
- Bed Bugs Are Too Small To See
When bed bugs get into a home, you might think that they’re microscopic insects. But don’t believe this myth. If you uncover a bed bug, you’ll be able to see it. Here are a few reasons why people think bed bugs are too small to see:
- A newly hatched bed bug is only 1mm long and it only grows to be 4.5 mm. That’s pretty small, and it makes these bugs easy to miss when you go looking for them.
- A newly hatched bed bug has slightly transparent skin. This helps it blend in with its surroundings, especially light-colored surroundings. But you can see these pale-colored, slightly transparent insects. They’re not chameleons.
- Bed bugs prefer tight or compressed spaces. You can have dozens living in your mattress and not see them because they like to hide in mattress seams. You can bring them to the surface by dragging a butter knife or debit card along the seams.
- Bed bugs prefer to come out at night. It is rare to find bed bugs in the light. These insects are photosensitive. They also are active by an increase in carbon dioxide, which happens when humans sleep.
- Bed Bugs Are Easy To Get Rid Of
There are many suggestions for bed bug control on the internet. Some of them can sound like an easy fix for your bed bug woes. Heat is a good example. While you can kill bed bugs with heat, it is extremely difficult to raise the temperature of your home to a level that kills bed bugs. These insects can find “cold spots” to hide from the extreme temperatures that would exterminate them. They may already be in a protected space or “cold spot” because they hide in tight spaces and compressed areas. You’re not going to have success eliminating bed bugs by putting space heaters in every room of your home.
Chandler Bed Bug Control
When you find evidence of bed bugs in your Chandler home, contact Green Home Pest Control. We use well-established bed bug control protocols to eliminate these pests.
 21 years of pest control experience
 Founder and Owner of Green Home Pest Control
 13 year resident of Arizona
