How to Kill Bed Bugs

Contrary to social stigma, a bed bug infestation does not have to do with cleanliness or filth. Bed bugs feed on blood, and do not have any attraction to messiness. Household clutter can give bed bugs more places to hide, but they are just as likely to infest a 5-star hotel as a squalid dwelling.

Bed bugs do not have nests, like some other pests. They do tend to live in groups, but their habitats are more determined by their proximity to their hosts—the warm-blooded animals that they feed on.

Though they’re mostly nocturnal insects, bed bugs can also feed during the day if they haven’t fed in a long time and have the opportunity to take advantage of a nearby victim.