Are bed bugs caused by poor hygiene?
There is a common perception that bed bugs infest dirty or unhygienic homes. Bed bug are most commonly found in these homes not because bed bug like it, but lower income housing generally has more trouble getting rid of them. Heat treatments are the only way to fully get eliminate a bed bug infestation. These treatments however costs in the thousands. Lower income housing generally cannot afford this type of a treatment. The longer a bed bug infestation goes on for the worst the it will get. A higher income household will likely take greater steps to eliminate their bed bug infestation compared to lower income housing. At Bed Bug Heat Relief we have heat treated homes worth millions of dollars. Let’s find out, are bed bugs caused by poor hygiene?
How do bed bugs enter our home?
Bed bugs have the nickname “the traveling bug.” They having this latching ability to tightly travel on clothes or personal belongs. The bed bugs goal is to infest where they can fed. They are attracted to the CO2 we exhale and the CO2 on our belongings. They know what to latch onto to buy how much CO2 it has. Once latched on to something they can be difficult to flick off, that’s how tight bed bugs can stay on. Once in the home the will hid very where they cannot be found and generally come out during the night when it’s safe. Our beds have the most CO2 and for that reason they almost always go to the bed. Not only that but when we are sleeping they can find us just by the CO2 we exhale. Bed bugs primary food source is human blood, which is not depended on hygiene.
Are bed bugs caused by poor hygiene? Why is this a common perception?
As mentioned above, it’s harder for low incoming housing to spend the money on treatments. Even if they spend a few hundred dollars on a chemical treatment, this rarely eliminates the infestation completely. This takes multiple sessions, still without the guarantee of complete elimination. We here a lot of chemical exterminators say “sorry that the best we could do.” This is unfortunate especially for a low income household. Bed bugs can double within a couple of weeks making chemical treatments largely useless. Heat treatments are the only way to eliminate bed bugs all at once. Warranty is usually offered with this treatment. This treatment type can cost anywhere from $1500-4000 making it hard for a low income household to offered. This is the reason why bed bugs are found more commonly in low income housing. Apart from cost, being cluttered or messy makes it harder to remove bed bugs by giving them more hiding spots. Not to say all low incoming housing is messy or unhygienic but this is generally the case in comparison to a higher income household.
What is poor hygiene and are bed bugs attracted to it?
When people think of poor hygiene they think of body odor from not showering regularly, unwashed or disheveled hair, bad breath, food between teeth, signs of tooth decay and gingivitis, wearing soiled clothing, dirty/untrimmed fingernails, and toenails. The reality is bed bugs are not attracted to poor hygiene, they are attracted to the CO2 we produce. Bed bugs are attracted to humans, not dirt.
Bed bugs don’t discriminate between clean and unclean homes. This is a common misperception people have with bed bugs. They are a parasite: they cannot survive without feeding off another living creature. To be more precise, bed bugs drink blood. Though they can feed on other animals if necessary, they much prefer human blood to other food sources. Over years of evolution, bed bugs have developed the ability to sense environmental cues that indicate the presence of humans. They can detect our body heat, carbon dioxide and other chemicals that our bodies naturally give off. Though bed bugs don’t live on or in our bodies, they must stay close to us at all times, so that they can feed when necessary. This is why bed bugs make themselves at home in bedrooms, living areas, and anywhere that humans spend a lot of time.
Are Bed Bugs Caused by Uncleanliness
The myth that bed bugs are attracted to dirty homes is widespread. In fact, it’s one of the most commonly perpetuated misconceptions. If it’s not true, though, where did it originate from? Nobody knows for sure. However, there are two potential reasons why this myth developed.
Low Income Housing
It is more common for a low income household to have bed bugs. Many think it’s because bed bug like dirt and unclean homes. The reality is all human blood is treated equal. The reason why they are in lower income housing is because bed bugs are expensive to kill. Heat treatments are the only guaranteed way to eliminate bed bugs all at once. When a bed bug infestation is left, they multiple extremely fast and take over a space completely. When someone cannot afford an exterminator the infestation just gets worse and worse. For this reason, we see more and larger bed bug infestations in lower income housing.
Cheap hotels
Hotels and motels are notorious for getting bed bugs. They are the traveling bug and latch onto clothes and personal items to invest other homes. So many people come in and out of hotels so its inevitable to see bed bugs here. Higher end hotels will generally exterminate as soon as they can to protect their reputation and not let the bed bugs spread throughout the whole hotel. Cheap hotels on the other hand cannot necessarily afford a treatment or choose the cheaper option. It’s more likely for a cheap hotel to choose a chemical treatment over a heat treatment.
Heat treatments can cost in the thousands and chemical treatments are in the hundreds. The unfortunate reality is that chemical treatments can rarely eliminate an entire infestation. It can lessen the number of bed bugs but does not stop the ones that are alive from reproducing quickly. This is why bed bug are more commonly found in cheap hotels compare to higher end hotels.
Bottom line: Are bed bugs caused by poor hygiene?
As discussed above, bed bug are not caused by poor hygiene. The perception exists because it’s typically more difficult to eliminate them in low income housing due to cost. If these pests are not exterminated swiftly with a heat treatment, the infestation can get to an absurd degree making it even harder to eliminate in the future. Not only that but the unit around will likely be infected to. Exterminating bed bugs has a lot to do with how fast you recognize them and how quickly you eliminate them. This can especially be hard for low income who do not have the funds. If you have any questions about bed bugs please visit our website at https://bedbugheatrelief.ca/
