The Color Of Your Sheets May Attract Bedbugs Because Life Isn’t Fair

Do bedbugs prefer their hiding places to be a certain color? Researchers conducted a series of tests in a lab to see if bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) would favor different-colored harborages, or places where pests seek shelter. The scientists found that bedbugs strongly prefer red and black, and typically avoid colors like green and yellow. But don't rush out to replace all of your linens just yet. "I always joke with people, 'Make sure you get yellow sheets!'" study co-author Corraine McNeill, an assistant professor of biology at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, said in a statement. "But to be very honest, I think that would be stretching the results a little too much." The researchers suggest the findings could assist in controlling and trapping the pests. "We are thinking about how you can enhance bedbug traps by using monitoring tools that act as a harborage and are a specific color that is attractive to the bug," McNeill said. The color preference could be added to the pest control tool kit, paired with other traps like pheromones or carbon dioxide, McNeill suggested. In lab tests, the bedbugs' color preference depended on their age, sex and hunger, and whether they were alone or in a group, the researchers said. Generally, however, the preference toward red and black was prevalent. "We originally thought the bedbugs might prefer red because blood is red and that's what they feed on," McNeill said. "However, after doing the study, the main reason we think they preferred...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news