Bed Bugs are resourceful that is something nobody can deny. With their ability to hide in cracks and crevices and spread they are resourceful. Is this resourcefulness something that is just driven on instinct? When considering the next steps to get rid of bed bugs it is important to know are bed bugs intelligent?
Bed Bugs Can Sense You
Whether we like to think about it or not there are certain scents that victims of bed bugs give off that allows them to sense you. These chemicals are ammonia and your heat as well as the carbon dioxide you emit. Not only do these chemicals help bed bugs find you, but they also tell them information that makes them better predators. They can sense how your breathing is, how much you sweat in sleep, and there only needs to be the slightest trace of you for them to know.
Do They Have Brains
Every insect has a brain, but it is important to know that they aren’t like the human brain. Their brains are obviously smaller in size for one and their brains don’t comprehend the way ours do.
Their nervous system is not as complex and therefore they are not capable of maintaining any sort of advanced thought. While this is reassuring there it is still necessary to remember that they still have the complexity to be able to follow a pattern. This allows them to be able to remember and return to their host and avoid anything that may prey on them.
What Makes Them Intelligent
Bed bugs not only know when to come out and feed on their host, they know when it is safest and will move away if you move in your sleep. They then wait until it is safe to come back and try again. They are excellent at being out of sight during the day, making it difficult to detect them without knowing the right signs to look for.
Studies have been done that show that bed bugs as mentioned above can detect and act on the unique odors that their hosts exude. This smell appeals to them and causes them to be driven to react and they can even sense how anxious a person is by the beat of their heart. This allows them to know when their host is more likely to wake up and allows them to react accordingly.
Can They Have Feelings
Bed bugs and our midbrains are similar however they can typically only feel the basic emotions of pain and when they are hungry and need to find a host. Even though they are capable of these very basic emotions they cannot feel more advanced emotions such as grief. Even with basic emotions they do not have the ability to imagine how their actions will play out and they cannot necessarily plot.
Bed Bugs and Their Intelligence
As you can see bed bugs do have a very basic level of intelligence. They can sense us based on chemical scents, know when to hide, and move if a host is moving. They cannot, however, plot anything, or have advanced emotions that humans are capable of. Understanding the way, they act will help you better plan to look out for their behaviors. This will keep you ahead of the game and able to enjoy life without them!
