When it comes to facts and myths about bed bugs, misinformation spreads faster than the pests themselves. At Bed Bug Exterminator Dallas, we talk to families and business owners every day who’ve believed half truths they read online or heard from a neighbor. Unfortunately, those myths often give bed bugs the upper hand, allowing infestations to grow worse in just a few days.
Let’s separate the myths from the truth. Here are 10 bed bug myths debunked—so you can protect your home, your family, and your peace of mind.
Myth #1: Bed Bugs Only Infest Dirty Homes
Truth: Bed bugs don’t care if your home is clean or messy. They aren’t attracted to dirt, they’re attracted to human hosts for feeding. They’ll move into immaculate houses, luxury hotels, and cluttered apartments alike.
While clutter and piles of clothes provide more hiding places, adult bed bugs can survive in spotless rooms just as easily. If they hitchhike in on luggage, furniture, or second hand furniture, they’ll make themselves at home.
Myth #2: Bed Bugs Spread Disease
Truth: Unlike mosquitoes or ticks, bed bugs don’t actually spread disease. That doesn’t mean they’re harmless. Their bites can cause red welts, allergic reactions, secondary infections, and sleepless nights. Bed bugs are considered a serious public health issue because they affect your sleep, stress, and overall wellbeing.
If you’re waking up with bites, it’s not “just an itch.” It’s a bed bug problem that needs professional bed bug control.
Myth #3: You Can’t See Bed Bugs With the Naked Eye
Truth: While bedbugs are small, they aren’t invisible. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed or sesame seed, reddish-brown, and visible to the naked eye. Their eggs and nymphs are smaller, but with a close look you can spot them in bed frames, mattress seams, cracks, and crevices.
If you see dark stains, shed skins, or tiny crawling insects, you’re not imagining things. Those are physical signs of an infestation.
Myth #4: Bed Bugs Prefer Dirt and Grime
Truth: Bed bugs feed solely on blood, not dirt. They don’t care about your cleaning habits. What they do care about is carbon dioxide and body heat—signals that a human meal is nearby.
Yes, bed bugs prefer darkness, but they’ll still bite if you’re napping in the daylight. Whether in beds, furniture, or other items, they’ll find a way to hide close to where humans sleep.
Myth #5: Throw Away Your Mattress to Solve the Problem
Truth: Some people believe tossing their mattress will rid them of bed bugs. Unfortunately, this only spreads the pests around your home. Bed bugs can also hide in bed frames, picture frames, cracks, clothes, clutter, and furniture.
Dragging an infested mattress through your room or hallway only risks moving the bugs to new places. Throwing away beds doesn’t solve the problem—proper treatment does.
Myth #6: Bed Bugs Only Bite at Night
Truth: Bed bugs usually bite when humans sleep at night, but if they’re hungry enough, they’ll bite during the day. They’re masters of patience and survival. If you sit still long enough, whether on a couch at home or in movie theaters, hotels, or public transportation, they’ll come out.
The truth: bed bugs will bite whenever they sense a human body is near—day or night.
Myth #7: A Blow Dryer or Freezing Kills Bed Bugs
Truth: While heat and freezing can kill bed bugs, household tools like a blow dryer or tossing clothes outside in winter don’t cut it. Professional heat treatments use special equipment to raise temperatures high enough—and long enough—to kill every stage, from eggs to adult bed bugs.
Freezing also works under specific conditions, but most Texas homes don’t get cold enough for long enough to be effective. For real results, you need professional pest management.
Myth #8: Bed Bugs Only Live in Beds
Truth: Don’t be fooled by the name. Bed bugs infest beds, but they also hide in furniture, baseboards, picture frames, cracks, luggage, and even clothes. We’ve seen them turn up in movie theaters and office chairs.
They’ll infest other pests’ hiding places too, blending in with cockroach droppings or clutter. If you’re only checking the mattress, you could be missing half the infestation.
Myth #9: Bed Bugs Jump or Fly
Truth: Bed bugs don’t jump like fleas and don’t have wings like flies. They crawl. Slowly. But here’s the catch: they’re expert hitchhikers. They’ll crawl into luggage, clothing, second-hand furniture, or other items, then spread to houses, hotels, and even across the country.
One infested suitcase on public transportation can introduce bed bugs to dozens of new places. That’s why infestations spread so quickly.
Myth #10: Bug Bombs or Pesticides Alone Will Kill Bed Bugs
Truth: Many people turn to bug bombs or sprays, but these often drive bed bugs deeper into cracks and crevices instead of killing them. Some populations have even developed resistance to certain pesticides.
Effective bed bug control requires the proper use of pesticide applications combined with heat treatments, sealing cracks, and integrated pest management. Without a complete plan, the bugs come back, leaving you frustrated and still itching.
Why Believing Bed Bug Myths Costs You More
Each day you wait, the risk grows. Bed bugs can multiply quickly—females lay dozens of eggs in just a few days. The longer you put off professional treatment, the harder and more expensive it becomes to kill bed bugs.
At Bed Bug Exterminator Dallas, we know how to solve infestations the right way—with proven methods like heat treatments, pest management, and targeted pesticide applications that get rid of bed bugs and keep them from coming back.
Stop the Myths. Start the Solution.
Bed bugs aren’t just another nuisance. They’re persistent pests that threaten your family’s comfort, health, and sleep. Don’t let myths and half truths cost you time, money, and peace of mind.
📞 Call Bed Bug Exterminator Dallas today at (214) 220-8835
📧 Email: support@awesomepestexterminators.com
Take back your home. Get rid of the bed bug problem—and start sleeping peacefully again.