You’ve noticed blood stains on your pillowcase when you wake in the mornings. The walls around your bed have weird markings. Your skin is itchy, and you don’t know why.

You might have bed bugs in your home, even if you haven’t spotted them yet. Luckily, learning how to make bed bugs come out of hiding is easier than you may think. 

Whether you’re at home and want to see if you need to have the place treated or you’re being cautious when checking in for a hotel stay, we’ll suggest some surefire methods for how to draw out bed bugs. And if you do have bed bugs in your house, we’ll tell you about a safe, non-toxic treatment method to help you get rid of them.

 

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how do you draw bed bugs out of hiding

 

Can You Trick Bed Bugs Into Coming Out?

Yes, you can! 

Bed bugs feed on the blood of warm-blooded mammals, and their number one preference is humans. Since bed bugs are attracted to warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide, they often attack in the night while their human hosts are sleeping.

To create a similar environment, you can use a hairdryer to heat your bed and trick bed bugs out of hiding for a meal. Once you see proof that they’re around, you’ll know you need to have the area treated for your safety.

If you don’t have a heat source readily available, you can use a flashlight to find cracks and crevices in your bed frame and use a credit card or other similar thin, hard object to scrape them out.

If you suspect you have a bed bug issue — or have discovered their existence using one of these methods — it’s best to call the professionals. Pure Environmental specializes in inspecting for bed bugs and can take care of your infestation right away. Contact us today for help.

 

how to make bed bugs come out of hiding

 

Where Do Bed Bugs Like To Hide?

To learn how to draw out bed bugs, you first need to know where they might be hiding. And the most obvious (and disturbing) answer is … well, your bed. They likely aren’t just sitting on top of your sheets waiting for you to hop in, though — although that is possible. They’re most often found in cracks and crevices of your:

  • Mattress
  • Box spring; or
  • Headboard

Check along seams and zippers, behind your headboard, and underneath and in the corners of your box spring to look for them. Use a flashlight to help you see well in dark spaces.

You’re likely to find bed bugs in other places that become warm with body heat like:

  • Couches or chairs
  • Untouched laundry or clothes; or 
  • Your shoes

Perhaps most surprisingly, bed bugs can be hiding in your luggage and backpacks. The little hitchhikers tend to latch onto your clothes, get packed into your suitcase, and make the journey home with you after your trip. To ensure you’re not bringing bed bugs into your house, thoroughly clean your luggage and clothes each time you return from a journey.

 

how do you get bed bugs out of hiding

 

What Brings Bed Bugs Out of Hiding?

We mentioned that creating a heated environment near your bed — or any place you might suspect bed bugs — could bring them out for you to see, but attempting to trick them doesn’t have to be your only solution. 

So, how do you get bed bugs out of hiding? There are proven methods that can work. And when all else fails, call the professionals. You’re going to want us there either way!

Pure Environmental not only works to bring bed bugs out of hiding, but we can also help eliminate your bed bug issue. Our Portland and Tacoma heat treatment services can wipe out bed bugs in one fell swoop without any chemicals involved. 

Here are a few things you can try to make bed bugs come out of hiding.

 

#1: Don’t Go To Sleep

No, that’s not a line from a scary movie (well, maybe it is). But staying up into the night is one way you’re likely to catch bed bugs on the move.

Bed bugs are most active at night when the environment for them to attack is just right. There’s food easily available, and the temperature is perfect. If you suspect bed bugs, keep the room dark, sit nearby, and wait. If you have them, they’re likely to show themselves as the night goes on.

If and when you think you’ve spotted one (or two, or three, or four — you get the picture), inspect your sheets, mattress, and box spring with a flashlight as best as you can and call the professionals the next morning.

 

#2: Use Traps

Using traps, like an insect interceptor, can help you catch bed bugs and determine which direction they might be traveling to help figure out where they’re hiding. 

The insect interceptor forms a barrier between the floor and bed (or whatever furniture you place it underneath) and helps determine where the bed bugs are coming from. If they’re going to the bed, they’ll fall into the outer ring of the trap as they climb up its exterior. If they’re coming from your bed, they’ll land in the inner ring as they travel down the bed leg.

Glue boards are also successful for catching bed bugs when placed where you think they might be traveling. The extra-strength adhesive sticky glue is scented with an attractant to draw bed bugs over and help catch them. 

 

#3: Use Heat

Because bed bugs are attracted to warmth where they’re most likely to find their food source, using various methods to heat the suspected infected areas could be helpful.

Try heating your bed (or any infected area) with a steamer, blow dryer, or heater to bring bugs out of hiding.

Be aware that these heating methods are not hot enough to kill the bed bugs, just warm enough to trick them into thinking a human host is near. To die, bed bugs need to be exposed to temperatures up to 125 degrees or more for an extended period.

Pure Environmental has the tools and technology necessary for this job. Our heat treatment introduces heat to the area with industry heaters that penetrate affected areas. We let temperatures reach 130 degrees and run the treatment for 3 to 4 hours to ensure we’ve killed off every bud bug, plus their larvae and eggs.

 

how to attract bed bugs

 

Bed Bugs When Traveling: Where Do Bed Bugs Hide in a Hotel?

You can regularly inspect your home and do all the necessary things to attempt to keep bed bugs away, but when it comes to hotels, the chances of getting bed bugs are high. Nearly 75% of professional exterminators have reported dealing with bed bugs in hotels and motels.

So you’ve just checked into your hotel and want to inspect it for bed bugs. Here’s where we recommend you look:

  • Check in the corners of mattresses and box springs, especially the plastic corners. Mattresses are manipulated more often as housekeeping cleans and changes bedding, but the box springs are often untouched, creating the perfect environment for bed bugs.
  • Bed bugs love to hide behind hotel headboards. They are often attached to the wall, creating a dark and warm spot for the insects. Try removing the headboard to take a good look behind. If bed bugs are in the hotel room, you’ll likely find them here.
  • Check in the bedding and the bottom skirting of the box spring.

Even if you don’t see physical bed bugs, you can look for evidence that they’re there. Inspect for things like:

  • Bloodstains on walls or bedding
  • Cast skins or shells; or
  • Insect droppings

If you find evidence of bed bugs in your hotel room, check out immediately and go stay somewhere else! And don’t forget to wash all your luggage and clothing as soon as you get home or have access to a laundromat.

 

Call Pure Environmental To Squash Your Bed Bug Problem for Good

Unfortunately, having bed bugs is not an uncommon problem. Whether they’re hiding in your bed, your luggage, or a hotel room you visit, you’ve probably encountered them before — even if you didn’t realize it.

Now you know how to attract bed bugs, but what do you do once you’ve found them? If you want to have your home inspected or you’ve spotted these pesky insects, Pure Environmental uses proven technology and equipment to get the job done. 

Using our heat treatment, we work to draw bed bugs out and kill them at all stages of their life cycle, eliminating the problem in one treatment. And since this option is non-toxic and chemical-free, you can feel good about keeping your family even safer.

Squash your bed bug problem and contact us today.

 

how to make bed bugs come out of hiding