Bed Bugs Have Favorite Colors and Prefer Dark Red and Black: Study

Bed Bugs Have Favorite Colors and Prefer Dark Red and Black: Study

Traveling with a classy black suitcase? You might want to re-think. Not the idea of a suitcase, but the color.

According to cnn.com, a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology has revealed that bedbugs prefer dark colors like dark red and black and shy away from bright hues like yellow, light green and white.

Why? Scientists aren’t sure of the exact reason the pesky bloodsuckers prefer the ‘classics’ but several theories have been suggested. Some say that bedbugs prefer to stay close to dark colors as they act as protection from predators such as ants and spiders, who may be more apt to hang out where it’s bright and sunny.

Another idea touches on the fact that the more time a bedbug spends in the light, the more water they lose, forcing them to feed more often or die. Or maybe it’s a way for bedbugs to remain camouflaged, an extension of the idea of staying away from natural predators.

How did science come to this handy conclusion? Researchers kept it simple. They put bedbugs in Petri dishes along with little paper tents made from different colors. The bugs scuttled to remain under the red and black tents and kept away from the white, yellow and green ones.

Given these results, buying a new set of bright yellow travel bags may give you added peace of mind for traveling, but be forewarned that experts say bedbugs may still be drawn to the creases, cracks and folds in your bags so it’s not a foolproof solution for keeping things clean.

The best bet? Pack and unpack your bags outside of your home, such as on the porch or in the garage, and store your luggage there. That way the little critters never stand a chance.

Photo credit: Akos Nagy/Shutterstock

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