We all know the childhood saying, “Goodnight, sleep tight—don’t let the bedbugs bite!” But we don’t really consider the implications until we’re much older. Bed bugs, otherwise known as cimex lectularius, are small insects with a taste for blood. Seriously though, they exclusively feast on the blood of mammals and birds and are determined to get some by any means necessary. While they have been known to infest people’s couches and certainly do bite them there, they primarily feast at night and nearly always prefer the bed as their main feeding zone.
You may be asking yourself, how do I keep these awful creatures at bay? If you’ve scoured the Internet for answers and turned up nothing, you’ve come to the right place. Here is a brief explanation about the colors bedbugs are repelled by and what ones they are attracted to.
What Colors Are Bed Bugs Attracted To?
Bed bugs prefer darker colors. So if your primary objective is to keep bed bugs away from your bed, consider decorating it (as well as your room) in bright light colors such as white and yellow.
How Do We Know This?
A recent study saw researchers placing bed bugs in petri dishes with multi-colored tents made from tiny bits of paper. Each tent was constructed from a different color and inspired a different reaction from the bed bugs. As one would expect, the bugs crawled to the tents in search of shelter; however, they specifically chose the darker tents in lieu of the brighter colors.
Researchers suggest this color preference is likely because darker colors offer more efficient protection from predators like spiders and ants. Additionally, these colors may remind them of other bed bugs and entice them to congregate for protection. Additionally, researchers postulate that this preference may be due to the amount of sunlight exposure inflicted by brighter colors. More sunlight means more exposure, less water, less energy, and more reason to feed.
How Do Bed Bugs Enter The Home?
People typically find themselves crawling with bed bugs after staying in a hotel room that has an infestation. More often than not, this is because insects attach themselves to your clothing or luggage, catching a one-way ticket to their new abode. For this reason, researchers also recommend bright colored suitcases. However, they warn that bed bugs still might be enticed by dark portions of the fabric, including cracks and crevices where the colors become obscured.
This is why most experts recommend that travelers purchase suitcases with hard exteriors and refrain from bringing any luggage into their bedrooms or placing it on their furniture. Some even go as far as to recommend not bringing luggage into the house at all.
Exceptions To The Rule
Researchers also uncovered some exceptions in regards to baby bed bugs. These transparent insects apparently did not develop a color preference and gravitated to both light and dark colors. However, they are still slightly easier to spot on brighter colors than dark ones.
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