Yes, bed bugs can live in wood floors. They like to squeeze inside the cracks between floorboards. They are able to hide and possibly lay eggs in these areas, especially under your bed.
Even if bed bugs can live in your wood floors, they still prefer living in your mattress and boxspring because this allows them to be closer to their host. Also, bed bugs in floor cracks are quite easy to spot, thus easier to get rid of as well.
Are bed bugs attracted to wood?
The qualities that attract a bed bug to a host or a dwelling is the presence of carbon dioxide, warmth given off by the human body, and the smell of the sweat on human skin. These three things are not really apparent in wood, but bed bugs do seem to like it.
Wood is dry and warm. It also contracts and expands due to the changes in seasons. This causes cracks to appear in wood. Bed bugs are always looking for the next best harborage, so the cracks in wood are very appealing to them. They can squeeze into it and possibly lay their eggs in it.
Can bed bugs infest wood floors?
Yes, bed bugs can infest wood floors, as long as their host is still easily accessible should they need to feed.
A bed bug infestation can start with a single pregnant female bed bug. When it is in a new place, it will search for a harborage that is hidden and dark, this is so she and her eggs will be safe. Normally, bed bugs choose to live under your mattress or box spring to be close to where their human host sleeps, but if the infestation has become too large, the newer bed bugs may opt for the floorboards under the bed. It may take the bed bug a longer time to climb the bed to get to the host, but it is still close enough that it is not much of a hassle.
Can bed bugs crawl on the floor?
Yes, bed bugs can crawl on the floor but if they had a choice, they probably would not. The floor is too open and exposed. Bed bugs do not like feeling exposed to possible danger, that is why they run away everytime something bigger than them comes into the room. They like to come out in the dark and when they know people are asleep and less likely to be awake and kill them.
Bed bugs spend most of their time hiding away in your mattress, box spring, or bed frame. They will only come out to eat for several minutes, then go right back into hiding to start digesting their food.
If you spot bed bugs on the floor these are probably bugs that have just been introduced to your home, bed bugs that live outside your bedding, or female bed bugs that are looking for a new place to lay their eggs.
Why do bed bugs live on wood floors?
Because bed bugs are insects, people often dismiss them as not being intelligent creatures, but bed bugs are very smart despite their size.
Bed bugs choose their harborages if it is reasonably close to their human hosts. They want to be within six feet of the bed, and this includes the floor under it
Bed bugs also like dark colored areas like blacks or reds because it camouflages them. The spaces between floorboards are also quite dark.
Bed bugs are quick to run away and hide when a bright light is shone on them. If they are in a hurry, the cracks between floorboards will make for a good hiding place.
How can I spot bed bugs hiding in wood floors?
Bed bugs are quite small, roughly around the size of an apple seed. They are reddish-brown in color and they have flat bodies.
First, seal their exit point with a simple physical barrier. This will keep the agitated bed bugs from scattering.
Get down on your knees. You can use a magnifying glass and a flashlight to see better. Check each crack on your floorboards. Use an old credit card or a knife to run through the crack. This will disturb the bed bugs and encourage them to come out.
How do I get rid of bed bugs from my wood floors?
Bed bug floor barrier
An easy way to avoid getting bed bugs on your floors is to lay a carpet or linoleum instead. It will not look as nice as a wood floor, but bed bugs will not be able to live in it. If you do not want to remove or cover your wooden floor, try filling the cracks and gaps between the floorboards. Inspect and clean first to remove all bed bugs and eggs and then fill it in with wood putty.
To keep bed bugs from your bed, you can try using bed bug interceptors. These are placed around the feet of your bed. They are designed for the bed bugs to climb into but not out of. The bed bugs will be trapped in the interceptor which you can also fill with water to drown the bed bugs.
Pesticide spray
An easy way to take care of bed bugs in your floorboards is by using pesticide spray. Wooden floors are easy to spray, especially along the cracks and crevices. Even if you do not directly spray each bug, the chemicals lingering in the area will be enough to kill them. Sprays are also effective on baby bed bugs, or nymphs.
Heat treatment
If you can afford it, hire a professional pest control service that does bed bug heat treatment. This is when industrial heaters are brought into an infected room to raise the temperature to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Bed bugs and their eggs will all die due to the heat. The heat will permeate all the furniture and surfaces and kill even the bed bugs that are hidden. This is the method that, if done correctly will have a 100% success rate at eliminating all the bed bugs.
Conclusion
Yes, bed bugs can live in wood floors because they have cracks that they can easily squeeze into.
Bed bugs do not typically choose to live on the wood floor. They like to be as close as possible to their human host so the mattress and box spring are their favorite places to live. But if an infestation has become too big, the bed bugs will start looking for homes away from the bed but still relatively close to the host, hence the floorboards.
You can change your flooring to carpet or linoleum because bed bugs cannot live in those. You can also spray pesticide in the cracks between the floorboards.
If you have the budget for it, hire a professional to do a heat treatment. This way you can take care of the bed bugs in your floor as well as all the bed bugs in your room.
Image: istockphoto.com / Asergieiev