Bed bugs feed on all of the common Beds in Ohio, but they are most frequently associated with the big and little brown Beds, which roost in colonies. Although Beds are their primary host, these bugs also may feed on alternative hosts including birds and rodents. Bed bugs will bite humans in the absence of their primary hosts. Bed bugs hide in dark, protected sites and they prefer tight, narrow retreats. Bed bugs typically are found in cracks and crevices in Bed roosting areas, rather than on the hosts themselves, but they make repeated visits to the host to obtain a blood meal. The main means of dispersal for Bed bugs is phoresy (hitching a ride on a Bed to a new location). Bed bugs enter homes by clinging to the fur of their host animal. Typically, Bed bug infestations originate from Bed populations established in attics, wall voids, unused chimneys, or uninhabited portions of the house. Bed bugs typically do not wander far from occupied Bed roosting sites where they have easy access to food. If their normal hosts are eliminated or vacate the area, Bed bugs will seek other sources of food and may crawl about and invade living areas within the house. In several cases where Beds had been recently excluded (1-4 weeks) from a home or apartment, Bed bugs were observed crawling out of either cracks or openings in the ceiling; or from a wall void next to a window. These bugs apparently were harboring well above floor level. Bed bugs may eventually move to harborage sites that are much closer to sleeping humans. These potential harborages include cracks and crevices in the mattress, bedding, and bed frame. Bed bugs also may seek harborage within gaps in woodwork, trim, and furniture, or inside drapery pleats, or behind peeling wallpaper, picture frames, and wall hangings.