Need bed bug advice? Friends, family and the internet mean well, but they often perpetuate bed bug myths. And myths can steer you very wrong when it comes to getting rid of these pests.

To help you make informed decisions, the experts at Pest HQ shared what’s true and false about bed bugs. They have more than 100 years of combined experience controlling the pests.

1.      It’s easy to identify a bed bug.

FALSE. Bed bugs often are confused with other pests. People mistake baby cockroaches, fleas, even dried boogers, with bed bugs, and vice versa.

 >>> Learn how to identify bed bugs

2.      You can feel it when a bed bug bites.

FALSE. It takes about 5 minutes for a bed bug to suck 7 times its weight in blood from your body. You don’t feel it. That’s because bed bugs inject an anesthetic that numbs the area around the bite. Bites are the most common sign you have a bed bug problem.

  >>> Learn how to identify bites from bed bugs

3.      Sleeping with the light on keeps bed bugs away.

FALSE. Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and body heat. Humans generate both. During sleep, you are still, which makes it easier for them to find you. Bed bugs prefer the dark, but hungry ones feed when lights are on and in the daytime.

 >>>Learn how to inspect for bed bugs

4.      Bed bugs live for a long time.

TRUE.  Bed bugs live for nearly a year with access to blood and for several months without it. They hide in cracks, crevices and seams of furniture, mattresses and box springs; behind baseboards, electrical outlet covers and in luggage. Bed bugs quickly beget more bed bugs. One female can lay more than 500 eggs in her lifetime.

  >>> How to keep bed bugs out of your home

5.      You can get rid of bed bugs with DIY methods.

TRUE. Using nature-based do-it-yourself methods, you can successfully eliminate bed bugs. Be thorough, persistent and use professional-grade products from Pest HQ, Ontario’s leading source for DIY pest control supplies. Products include lures, monitors, traps, mattress encasements and insecticide approved for use in Canada.  

>>> Learn how to get rid of bed bugs and make sure they’re gone for good

Questions? Contact Pest HQ.