Bed bugs being bullied?

Many don’t think of bed bugs beyond those bloodsucking bites, but these pests are actually part of Mother Nature’s food chain, and therefore have natural predators, besides pest control companies.

While bed bug predators aren’t nearly as effective as exterminators, they can help homeowners when a problem arises. The only problem is that many of these predators are unwanted creepy-crawly pests themselves. Here are a few examples from Mother Nature Network:

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  Masked hunters are one of the most common bed bug predators. From Entomology.Wisc.Edu.

  House centipedes eat various insects, including bed bugs. While they don’t normally sting humans, these pests are usually unwanted in the home.

• Masked hunters often sting humans, and it’s described as feeling like a bee sting. If masked hunters are present it’s likely that bed bugs are nearby.
• Fire ants also prey on bed bugs, but since their stings can be painful, they’re as unwelcome as bed bugs.

Other bed bug enemies include spiders, cockroaches, centipedes and mites.

If you’re like most homeowners, using one pest to control another pest is not a viable option. Instead, it’s more effective to use a professional (human) exterminator. Here’s a list of exterminators near you.

It’s also important to catch bed bugs early, before the nuisance turns into an infestation. Protect-A-Bed offers a Bed Bug 101 Early Detection Guide to help you identify bed bug problems in your home before they spread.