In previous blogs, we detailed what bed bugs are attracted to. It turns out that what you give off—namely, body odor, warmth, and carbon dioxide as you breathe—is the primary way that bed bugs find you.

Of course, it’s also the proximity. Once bed bugs have found you, they stick around in the seams of your mattress and bed frame and then come out to see you again at night.

That’s what attracts bed bugs. Once you have them, following a series of steps is essential, including using a non-toxic, eco-friendly, natural bed bug spray and a mechanical means of destruction such as diatomaceous earth. A vacuum also works wonders to get many less-hidden ones out of your home.

But what repels bed bugs, at least when it comes to your body? Is there anything you can do to make them wary of you? That’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Bed Bugs Don’t Like Hair

Did you know that there are over 90 species of bed bugs? There are bed bugs that feed exclusively on bats (bat bugs, Cimex adjunctus) and ones that feed on animals but aren’t picky about what kind they are.

Cimex lectularius is the only bug that feeds on human beings, and because of that, it is the only one that most of us care about. This one, often called the common bed bug, prefers humans for one reason: our relative lack of hair. While it can feed on other animals if they are starving, it will walk around your dog or cat to get to you, its preferred meal.

Bed bugs will almost always avoid places on the body with hair. While lice require hair and ticks love to hide in it, bed bugs have a hard time traversing the follicles and prefer to bite you in areas that don’t have hair. This includes the face, upper chest, and inner thighs. They’ll go for your lower neck or upper cheeks, even if you have a beard. Maybe your forehead. Goodness, they’re horrible, aren’t they? It’s not only hair that bed bugs don’t like to deal with. You should also know that...

Bed Bugs Don’t Like Clothing

Bed bugs don’t like to be trapped (not many insects do, now that we think about it). But they don’t often crawl under your clothing to bite you. If you start to stir, they want as fast a getaway as possible, and the clothing would hinder them.

At first, you might think, “Okay, bed bugs will really leave me alone in winter when I’m wearing my heavy pajamas.” Unfortunately, bed bugs are pretty mobile and will move from one end of the bed to find exposed skin. When the rest of you is covered from head to toe, it just tends to concentrate the bites on the exposed parts of the body. Your face, neck, and hands are now the only exposed parts, which means they’re more likely to bite you there. This makes leaving the house particularly difficult because now your bites are on the parts of your body that you leave revealed to the public daily. And boy, do bed bugs bite itch.

Bed Bugs Don’t Like It When You’re Restless

Bed bugs are wily little creatures in that they inject you with a painkiller so that you won’t wake up as they seep through your skin. (They also inject you with anticoagulants to make it easier to drink your blood because they’re horrible.)

The painkillers are so that you won’t wake up and smack them while they’re feeding. This is why it takes most people so long to determine that they have bed bugs.

Bed bug traps can help in this verification, but for the longest time, most people think they’re having an allergic reaction to a new soap. Or they blame spiders. Spiders get blamed for every random bite people get. In truth, spiders are your friend because they’re nature’s natural bed bug killer. So, if you have bed bugs, invite some spiders in!

We mentioned above that bed bugs don’t like to feel trapped, and if the host (that’s you) is moving around more, they’re less likely to stick around for long. “Oh good,” you think, “the parasite is no longer sucking my blood.” But it’s actually bad if you interrupt a bed bug because then they’re not satiated. That means they will come back and bite you later, and you’ll have two bites instead of one. Completely horrible.

Bed Bugs Don’t Like Tough Skin

Bed bugs are lazy in one sense. They don’t want to work hard for food, so they often pick the softest places on the body to bite. That includes the neck, the belly, the thighs, and other, shall we say, tender places.

Where won’t you find many bed bug bites? For one, the knees are often dry and rubbed by jeans. Anything that could get callused is usually ignored, including areas of the feet. If a part of the body is challenging and has hair, bed bugs will ignore it, and they travel a couple of feet in either direction to find more tender skin. 

Bed Bugs Are Horrible

We just thought we’d repeat it: bug bugs are horrible. They eat and run, unlike a tick that you can at least pull off. They bite you in your bed, which should be part of your house where you feel most comfortable. You can keep mosquitoes out by closing the door or getting a bug zapper. But how do you deal with bed bugs?

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to get bed bugs in your home, it’s time to find a guaranteed killer. The Bedbug Store’s All-Natural Bed Bug Killing Spray is the first place to start. It’s non-toxic to humans and pets because it’s made from nature’s bed bug killers (spiders). (We’re kidding; it’s mostly made from a proprietary blend of plant-based oils.)

If you’d like a complete rundown on how to get rid of bed bugs, click on this video. It details the best plan of attack to deal with the little vampires, including physical removal, heat treatments, trapping, and the use of a bed bug spray for the mattress. We have experts waiting to talk to you if you have any questions. Contact us here!

Our natural, plant-based Bed Bug Patrol Killer Spray provides an all-natural solution to infestations of bed bugs, as well as fleas, spiders, and other common indoor bugs. Our 100% natural solution is made in the USA. It relies on the power of natural ingredients like citric acid, clove oil, and peppermint oil to naturally deter these bugs from living in your furnishings and upholstery. Just spray our solution on affected surfaces twice per day, and it will get to work on exterminating your bed bugs and preventing their return. To keep you safe from bed bugs on your travels, arm yourself with our Bed Bug Blasting Travel Spray, which comes in a handy, TSA-approved travel-size bottle for your convenience.