Know Where Bedbugs Hide: They Prefer Red and Black Colors

There's another way to keep the bedbugs away. A new study found that bedbugs, just like flies and other insects, are attracted to certain colors: dark red and black.

Researchers from the University of Florida and Union College in Lincoln, NE explored the idea if bedbugs are attracted to certain colors. In a simple experiment, the researchers put the bedbugs in Petri dishes that contained small tent-like hiding places that were made from varying colored papers, CNN reports.

The bedbugs were given time to choose and most of them moved towards the black and red tents. There were also yellow, white and green tents to choose from. The test was carried out in different sets: in groups and individuals, in various life stages, different sexes, hungry and well-fed bugs, Science Daily reports.

The Problem with Bedbugs

Washington Post notes that bedbugs have developed an increased resistance to some pesticides which makes eradication difficult. These insects like to hide in cracks and crevices known as their harborage. Like most insects, they spend 90 percent of their lives hiding in their shelters. In order to eradicate them, you have to understand how they choose their harborage. This inspired the researchers to conduct the study.

Results of the Study

After the experiment, researchers found that bedbugs seemed to favor red and black colors compared to green and yellow. The results published in the Journal of Medical Entomology on Monday could provide fresh insights on how to control the infuriating insects. "We joked that we are all going to buy bright yellow luggage bags because the bedbugs seem not to prefer them, or not to prefer laying eggs on them," said Roberto Pereira, an urban entomology research scientist at the University of Florida.

White Monitors Vs Black Monitor

Previous studies have shown that bedbugs cannot determine color in the dark. So the researchers decided to light the tents to know if bedbugs would choose randomly or would have any preference.

"It was speculated that a bed bug would go to any harborage in an attempt to hide," the researchers were quoted by Washington Post. "However, these color experiments show that bed bugs do not hide in just any harborage; rather, they will select a harborage based on its color when moving in the light."

Given these results, researchers recommend to use the black traps and avoid the lighter colors. Currently, two common monitors are available in the market which comes in black and white color.

Rationale

Researchers speculate that bedbugs favor the black and red ones because they offer better protection than the white or yellow ones. More so, bright colors can expose the insects to light, which will make them lose water. The bedbugs may eventually die because of the fluid loss. The results were all uniform across different sets except for bedbug babies, which have not developed their eyesight fully.