Can Bed Bugs Eat Wood?
Bedbugs love wood surfaces, but they cannot eat wood. While these creatures can live in cracks or holes in a wood floor or wall, they will only feed on human blood. The reason why wood cannot be eaten by bedbugs is because they lack the jaws necessary to break wood. Instead, they use a long, straw-like mouth to draw blood from your skin.
The wooden furniture in your home may also harbor bedbugs. These insects can hide in folds and seams, so it is important to examine these areas closely. Also, be especially cautious if you buy used furniture. If you do buy used furniture, you may be introducing these pests into your home.
It is crucial that you get rid of these bedbugs as soon as you notice signs of infestation. You can use a bed bug treatment that targets the pest’s eggs and larvae. You can also use caulk or other materials to plug up the holes where these bugs are able to enter the wood. This can be difficult to do yourself, but it will help minimize the number of bedbugs in your home.
If you do find these bugs in your home, it is important to know their life cycle. Female bedbugs lay up to 200 eggs in their lifetime. They lay two or five eggs each day on rough surfaces near their host. The eggs hatch in about ten to fifteen days if the environment is temperature-controlled. During this time, the insects grow through five progressively larger stages. The nymphs require a blood meal before they can become adult. The full life cycle of bedbugs can take five weeks or even four months.