Bed bugs are notorious stealthy pests that hide during the day. These nocturnal pests emerge out of hiding during the night, feasting on the blood of unsuspecting sleepers.
But where exactly do these elusive insects conceal themselves when the sun is high and bright?
In this post, I’ll reveal the secret hideouts of bed bugs during the day, equipping you with the knowledge to combat these human parasites.
Keep reading.
Bedroom Hideouts Of Bed Bugs
Mattress And Box Springs
The most obvious places for bed bugs to hide during the day are your mattress and box springs.
They can also be in the pillowcase covers too.
Bed bugs hide in the mattress seams, tufts, and tags of the mattress. You can check for them with the help of a magnifying glass and a flashlight to check for bed bugs.
You can also flip over the mattress and check the mattress’s undersides and the box springs. Bed bugs will slide in these areas during the day after having their bloodmeals at night.
Bed Frames And Headboards
During the day bed bugs will also hide in the cracks on the bed frames and headboards.
Bed bugs are flat and oval. So, their body shape makes it easy for them to slide into thinnest of gaps and cracks.
Furniture And Upholstery
Any furniture in your bedroom that is within 6-8 feet radius from your bed is a hiding place for bed bugs.
So, dresser drawers, closets, wardrobes, couches, armchairs, recliners, nightstands, lamps, and photo frames are the hiding places for bed bugs.
Floor, Baseboard, And Wall Junctions
Many people often ignore the cracks on the hardwood floor, baseboards, and wall junctions while they’re inspecting for bed bugs in their bedrooms.
When the number of bed bugs in your bedroom increases, the bed bugs will spillover from their regular hiding places and hide in those cracks.
Other unsuspecting hiding places for bed bugs are the wall cracks, electrical outlets, and switch plates.
The thinnest hairline gaps on these areas are bed bug hideouts.
Beyond The Bedroom
If you’ve thought that bed bugs will limit themselves only to your bedroom, then it’s a big mistake.
Finding bed bugs in your bedroom should make you look for other areas of your home.
If one room has bed bugs, then there’s a high probability that other rooms of your home can also have bed bugs.
Here are the things and places where you’ll need to look for hiding bed bugs during the day-
Electronic Appliances
Gaming consoles, laptops, televisions, speakers, and even alarm clocks are hiding places for bed bugs.
Books And Magazines
Bed bugs can also hide in paper products like books, magazines, cardboard boxes, and newspapers piles.
Reading areas and bookshelves are often overlooked. But expert bed bug exterminators also inspect these areas to determine the intensity of bed bug infestations.
Curtain, Drapes, Carpets, And Blinds
Home décor like curtains, rugs, and carpets can also accommodate bed bugs in all their lifecycle stages.
You’ll find bed bugs in these decors when the bed bug infestation has spiked up.
Examine the folds, pleats, curtain rods, and valances of bedroom and living room to check for bed bugs.
Luggage And Travel Gear
Bed bugs spread by hitchhiking. You bring bed bugs home if you’ve been to a hotel room or home that has bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs will latch onto your luggage, clothes, and other travel gear and travel with you to your home.
So, inspect the seams, edges, and corners of your luggage for bed bugs.
Can You Check For Bed Bugs During The Day?
It’s rare to see adult bed bugs crawling on the bed during the day. Bed bugs hide during the day after feasting on human blood at night.
But you can check for bed bugs during the day by inspecting bed bug hideouts.
How To Find Bed Bugs During The Day?
Check for bed bug signs in the hideouts of bed bugs.
You’ll notice bed bugs stains (little dark spots), bed bug shells (molted bed bug skin), and live adult bed bugs in these areas.
You can also notice bed bug eggs and bed bug nymphs in the cracks and crevices.
You might want to take a magnifying glass and flashlight to find bed bugs in these areas as some signs of bed bugs can be hard to detect with the naked eye.
Why Are You Seeing Bed Bugs During The Day?
There are two reasons for seeing bed bugs during the day –
Bed Bugs Are Hungry
Most of the time, people notice bed bugs during the day when they move into a new apartment.
Infested homes and apartments that were lying vacant for months have hungry bed bugs.
Starving bed bugs will even come out during the day to get their bloodmeals when new owners or tenants move in.
The Infestation Is Bad
When there are too many bed bugs in the house, bed bugs run out of hiding places.
You start to notice them crawling on the walls, furniture, and even on the floor looking for a place to hide.
Simple tasks like flipping over the bed sheets and removing pillowcases reveal bed bugs and their signs.
What Draws Bed Bugs Out Of Hiding?
Humans draw bed bugs out of hiding. Bed bugs are parasites that feed solely on human blood.
There are no lures that work as effectively as humans to draw out hidden bed bugs.
What You Should Do If You’ve Found Bed Bugs?
Do not use any sprays or bug bombs in your house if you’ve found bed bugs in your home.
It worsens the infestation.
Hire a pest controller asap to get rid of bed bugs.
Bed bug control is an expensive affair. Costs vary depending on the size of the infestation and the area of the house.
If your finances are tight, then follow my guide on getting rid of bed bugs cheaply.
Conclusion
There you have it, the most common areas where you can find bed bugs during the day.
If the bed bug infestation is bad and when it spreads beyond your bedroom, there can be overlap of hiding areas.
For example, you can find bed bugs in the baseboards or floor cracks of your living room too.
So, inspect the entire home for bed bugs to find out how severe the infestation has become.
Dr. Thomas Orbert is a PhD in Entomology with extensive research experience in ectoparasites and microbials. He has also worked in the spaces of ecology conservation and has multiple years of experience in field research and scientific publishing.