Do Spiders Eat Bed Bugs?

Are Bed Bugs Consumed by Ants?

Ants feed on other insects, both living and dead. You’ve likely seen them in a cartoon, lining up to pick up a big piece of food, and carrying it back in unison to their nest. Ants mostly eat sugary/carbohydrate-based foods, like fruits, but still need variety in their diet. However, they do consume insects.

We don’t consider insects to be a food source. You have to eat a lot of them to get nutritional value out of them. But they’re relatively high in protein, just like the other kinds of meat that we eat. To an ant, though, the amount of protein that you can get from another insect the size of a bed bug is enormous.

Ants will usually try to find a dead insect to pick up and take back to their nest. Some species, such as flies and bees, can actually overpower animals, killing or mobbing them. North American ant species are more inclined to scavenge than hunt, however.

In reality, bed bugs won’t be eaten by ants in your home. The bed bugs are too well-hidden, so the ants don’t have any chance of getting to them. And for them to have any real effect on bed bug population numbers, you would need to have a huge ants’ nest, preferably right next to your bed. This is unlikely to ever happen. Ants can’t eat bed bugs so they won’t be eating your bed bugs anytime soon.

As for specifics, most species of ants will eat almost anything. Bed bugs have been targeted by Pharoah Ants. These ants are found across the world, and are one of the significant species known as an indoor pest. European fire ants also eat bed bugs, and they are colonizing North America. This means there will be two main pest species to deal with.

Cockroaches

Several cockroach species are known to feed on bed bugs. The commonest bed bug eating cockroaches are the American and the German cockroaches.

Other species include the brown-banded and oriental cockroaches. These cockroaches will basically eat whatever they come across.

Cockroaches are no better to have in your house. Cockroaches can quickly reproduce and become a problem if they are not checked regularly.

So whenever you spot them, act quickly and do not rely on them to solve your bed bug problem. These pests are as difficult to eradicate as bedbugs.

2. Pharaoh Ants

Ants will eat anything that is in their way. Particularly, it has been shown that bed bugs are a favorite food of the pharaoh Ant over other species.

They are excellent bed bug predators but if they get into your home, it could lead to a catastrophe. These creatures can transmit bacteria like salmonella if they infest your food.

Another known bed bug predator is lizard. They eat any insects they come across. They are cute and innocent in their natural habitat and they’re not nearly as frightening as roaches or ants.

However, having too many lizards can be very bothersome if you have bed bug infestations. They can’t eradicate bed bugs in any way.

There is less to worry about than roaches and ants when there are a few lizards living in your home. They aren’t known to transmit any bacteria. Rarely do they become a true disaster.

Although spiders are known bed bug predators, this method of eliminating bed bugs from your house proves to be very inefficient. It is actually the most efficient method of eliminating bed bugs from your home to stop their reproduction and rapid growth.

In addition, bed bugs will not just expose themselves to potential predators. They hide in small crevices where predators cannot find or reach them.

You will also need to have a large number of spiders in house to feast on bed bugs. Actually this is one mistake you wouldn’t want to make.

So, the best thing to do if you have a bed bug infestation, is to use other feasible remedies or seek the services of professional exterminators.

Spiders

Part mythic, part predator spiders. This depends on how the spider hunts and what size it is. Tiny spiders are often too small to eat bedbugs, while the biggest spiders may ignore bedbugs in favor of larger prey.

T. flavidus does not use a web. Instead, it hunts on the ground for its prey. Unfortunately, it would take somewhere between 20-40 spiders per room to eliminate an average bedbug infestation.

While other spiders (such as wolf spiders, crab walking spiders, and jumping spiders) can be the right size to eat bed bugs and hunt along the ground, they are not necessarily something you would want to cohabitate with. Almost all spider species can bite, and most spider bites are more painful and itchy than bedbug bites.

Do Cats Eat Bed Bugs?

Although cats don’t hunt insects often, they do have the ability to. Insects don’t make up an essential part of their diet, just as can be said for dogs. People who have cats will be familiar with the behavior of their cat when it comes to batting at insects. Although this behavior is considered a fun game, the cat may eat the fly. The same applies to other bugs your cat comes across.

Why do they bother, though? A cat would be more successful hunting for birds or mice than hunting cats. In the wild, an animal has to take what food it can get. They are governed by their instinct and eat whatever is available to them. That’s why your cat might hunt for mice (or less impressively, flies and bed bugs) even if they’re well fed at home.

Are Cockroaches A Sign Of Bed Bugs?

Cockroaches will only colonize an apartment or house if there’s something there for them to eat. Let’s say that any food they can eat is locked away so they don’t have access to it. They would soon leave. They’re not there because they like your company, they’re there because there’s food for them.

Let’s suppose that bed bugs infest your bedroom and start to live there. It’s possible for the cockroaches to stay, or at least some of them. They’ve got a food source now, and provided they have somewhere to hide, they’ll enjoy being your roommate.

However, that’s not how it works in practice. Bed bugs aren’t a sign of poor housekeeping, as many people seem to think. There’s always food for cockroaches, and it doesn’t matter if the cupboard is left unclosed.

That’s not to mention tiny crumbs you drop from making toast, or tiny drops of sauce that spit out from a pan you used. Cockroaches are so tricky to get rid of precisely because there’s always something for them to eat, bed bugs or no bed bugs.

Bed Bugs and Dogs:

Dogs are natural predators, but they’ll happily snack on tiny insects and similar if they can find them. And, yes, that includes bed bugs. If your dog were to see one scuttling across the floor, then they might decide to eat them. Their natural chasing instinct will kick in, and because bed bugs aren’t fast, your dog is guaranteed to catch them.

Dogs are great at hunting for bed bugs. Bed bug sniffing dogs are a great way to find them. They can detect the bugs even if they are hidden under your bed or in a crack in your wall. By doing so they can help you get rid of your infestation, since you can easily kill all the obvious ones, but the hidden ones will survive and restart the infestation from scratch. You have to find a dog that’s been trained to hunt for bed bugs, though.

Are jumping spiders capable of eating bed bugs?

Our homes are home to jumping spiders, too. The jumping spiders belong to a large family that is found all over the globe. In total, there are more than 6000 species in total across the globe.

They like to stay out of the way in corners and cracks, where they’re unlikely to be noticed. They’re easily recognizable because they have four pairs of eyes, with the middle two being particularly large. They hunt throughout the day because of their keen sense of sight.

Jumping spiders can be slow when they hunt. Their six eyes are used to locate prey, and they can leap quite far to capture it. They can leap a total of 30 times their length, which is incredible when you think about it.

The diets of jumping spiders are varied. If they live outdoors, they will eat insect prey like flies, crickets, and grasshoppers. They can immobilize venom to make their prey smaller than they are. They will eat any insect they find, even bed bugs, if they are at home. They may even eat other spiders, even spiders of the same species or family.

Is my pet ill from eating bed bugs?

Bed bugs aren’t toxic in and of themselves. Even if it makes you feel sick to think of eating bed bugs, that doesn’t mean there’s anything in them that could actually hurt you or your pet.

A bed bug is not likely to cause any harm to your pet. They’re just like any other insect, really, and your cat or dog won’t get sick from eating a regular insect. Bed bugs can only be treated with permethrin, which is an insecticide that’s commonly used to kill them. You can buy bed bug sprays or bedbug bombs containing permethrin.

Permethrin is so important. Because it’s highly toxic for small pets, especially cats. If a cat even comes into contact with permethrin, it can do them severe damage. If they were to eat a bed bug that had been sprayed with permethrin or had touched it, then your cat could die. Tea tree oil sprays are also a potential danger. Essential oils can be irritating to pets, so pet owners should not ingest them.

Not only that, but the issue with bed bugs is that they hide. Most bed bugs will hide under your mattress and box spring. So to allow your pet to eat them, you would have to flip the mattress and watch them scatter around your room.

If you’re going to do that, it’s far more effective to spray them with something that will kill them. But if you haven’t started any treatment yet, it’s perfectly safe for a pet to eat a bed bug.

Do Cockroaches Eat Bed Bugs?

The omnivorous diet of Cockroaches is a hallmark. They will eat sweet and starchy foods, but they can also have meat. They’ll as happily eat crumbs and leftovers as they will fresh food. They will also happily eat any dead cockroaches they can find if they have the chance.

But will cockroaches eat bed bugs? They will eat bed bugs if given the opportunity, although they are not often allowed to do so. They are skilled at hiding in the folds and crevices under your mattress. It would be difficult for cockroaches to get under your mattress in order to eat them. If bed bugs hide in places that are more easily accessible or scuttling about, however, they will be eaten by cockroaches.

Many different types of cockroaches will happily eat bed bug. Common American cockroaches and German cockroaches (the two most common species here) eat bed bugs. Bed bugs are also a favorite food of brown-banded and oriental cockroaches.

Do Centipedes Eat Bed Bugs?

Centipedes are one kind of insect pest eating another type. Specifically, house centipedes will feed on bed bugs, if you have any. House centipedes are the kind with lots of long legs and a sausage-like, long body. They’ll eat any insect that they find, which includes bed bugs.

Centipedes can be a better choice than bed bugs if you aren’t tolerant of ‘disgusting bugs’. If you’ve never seen one before, the way they move can be pretty creepy. Since they have so many legs (‘centipede’ coming from the Latin for ‘hundred feet’), it’s disconcerting to see them scuttling towards you. But contrary to common knowledge, they won’t bite you, unless you pick them up and threaten them.

Do Lizards Eat Bed Bugs?

It is well-known that lizards love to eat insects. You’ll be able to tell if you know anyone who owns a lizard or if they have a pet. They love insects and will eat grasshoppers.

Although lizards will happily eat bedbugs, they don’t want to hunt them. If you kept a pet chameleon, for example, then you would likely be able to feed them bed bugs in their enclosure. Problem is, you will need to capture them and then keep them for your pet to give them later.

There is a possibility that bed bugs could infest your tropical home if you are living there. You just need to allow them to access the bottom of your mattress. Of course, that’s easier said than done considering that the lizard will run away at the sight of you doing so.

Does Anything Kill Bed Bugs But Not Eat Them?

There aren’t any animals that kill bed bugs without wanting to eat them. The only reasons something might kill them are to make a meal out of them, and the only alternative way to kill them is to outcompete them for, or take away, their food source.

But other things can kill them. The bed bug spray Aprehend is made with a kind of fungus that only kills insects. Its spores sprout when they come into contact with bed bugs, and slowly leech the bed bug of energy and nutrients until it’s dead. The dead bed bug, since it probably went back to its harborage, will then spread the fungus to the rest of the bed bugs there.

Aside from that, there’s only one other animal that kills bed bugs but doesn’t eat them. And it’s us.

Even though pets like dogs and cats have been around for a while, their instincts are still intact. Outdoor cats may bring dead birds for you to look at in the early morning. It’s also why both cats and dogs love to chase, whether after a toy or an insect. However, they do eat any bugs that they find.

Does The Cobweb Spider Eat Bed Bugs?

Cobweb spiders also known as the tangle-web or snorting spiders are one among the most common spider families. These spiders are the most commonly found in homes. They’re incredibly diverse, all different shapes and sizes, and there are over 2000 species in total.

Their name is related to their behavior. Cobweb spiders are responsible for the cobwebs you wave away (or get caught up in) if you head up to the attic or down to the basement. These webs are used to entrap food (usually flies) that is too close to the spider. Once the spider has immobilized their prey they will either eat it right away or wrap it in silk so it can be saved for later.

As for whether they eat bed bugs, however, that’s highly unlikely. Any spider that spins a web is less likely to catch them, because bed bugs will only infrequently go anywhere near the kinds of places they might find a web. You won’t find bed bugs in the highest corners of the room, which is where cobweb spiders normally put their webs. But if a low-down web were to catch a bed bug, there’s a chance that a cobweb spider that’s big enough might eat it.

Do All Spiders Eat Bed Bugs?

Only select species of spiders will eat bed bugs, and there are many reasons for that. First, their hunting method limits the number of bed bugs that spiders can eat. Cobweb spiders typically leave their webs somewhere that flies are likely to land in them, rather than bed bugs.

Not only that, but hunting spiders won’t search out bed bug harborages (the places where many bed bugs live). Instead, they’ll see if they can find any bed bug that’s out and about to try and catch them. Since bed bugs spend almost all their time hiding and digesting, that means that almost all bed bugs will be safe from spiders or any other predator.

Finally, not all spiders are big enough to eat bed bugs. And most spider species tend to specialize in one kind of prey, like flies, mites or other spiders. No spider species is restricted to eating bed bugs. So even though they’re one of the main bed bug predators, spiders don’t eat that many of them.

What do Spiders Eat Usually?

For example, they’ll eat mosquitos, cockroaches, moths, and other pests that commonly show up in your home. As mentioned, bed bugs can also be found in homes if they are given the chance.

Since bed bugs and spiders are both the most active during the evening and nighttime, it’s probable that they will have some run-ins with one another if you have bed bugs in your house. This is the time bed bugs are most likely to get caught in the web of a common household spider.

RELATED: Are Wolf Spiders Dangerous?

More giant spiders still consume insects as part of their primary diet. But, some species of larger spiders have been known to worms, frogs, lizards, and even birds and bats.

Other Bed Bug Predators

Along with spiders, there are a number of other insects that will eat bed bugs. However, do not get too excited by this prospect. Many of the bed bugs predators also fall under the category of house pest, so will only add to your problems.

Do Spiders Eat Bed Bugs?

Read on for more information to know ‘do spiders kill bed bugs and what spiders eat bed bugs?’ This article will explore the many natural predators of bed bugs, specifically the relationship of spiders vs. bed bugs. What is the difference between flea bite dust mite bed bug bites?

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs can be found pretty much anywhere where people gather, which adds to their distastefulness. They can be in hotels, hostels, community centers, schools, stores, you name it. These small, blood-sucking insects can easily infest your home if you’re not careful.

RELATED: Do Spiders Eat Silverfish?

When staying at a hotel, hostel, or new place, be sure you check the mattress for any signs of bed bugs before sleeping in it or setting your luggage down on it.

The Masked Hunter Bug

This is probably the most talked about natural predator of bedbugs out of all the ones on the list. Though they do eat bedbugs regularly and likely evolved to eat bedbugs and their relatives, there is no evidence that you can use masked hunter bugs to eradicate an infestation.

If you find a lot of masked hunters bugs in your home, it is likely that they have a food source. If you find bedbugs, it is worth checking for them.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches can survive on garbage, dead plant matter, and all sorts of other meals that are much easier to obtain in the average household. Furthermore, cockroaches like a moist environment, such as those around a sink or in a bathroom. In a bedroom, a cockroach may quickly dehydrate and die. So, cockroaches are not really bedbug predators even if they do sometimes consume a bedbug or two.

Do natural pesticides exist that kill or prevent bedbugs?

Fortunately, there are a few different naturally occurring substances that can kill bedbugs. Diatomaceous earth (DE), a mineral compound that is naturally found in the shells marine microorganisms, is one of the best bedbug remedies. For more details on DE, see the following section.

There are few natural substances, other than DE that can be effective against bedbugs. One of these, the chrysanthemum flower, produces substances called pyrethrins that are effective and the basis of many pesticides used today.

Bed Bugs: The Most Common Predators

The food chain is very well known. But if you were to ask somebody “what eats bed bugs?”, it’s unlikely they could name anything.

There are only a few different species that go out of their way to eat bed bugs. These species are typically found around the home, which makes sense. That’s where bed bugs live, after all.

The most common creatures that eat bed bugs are spiders and cockroaches, of various species. Other species may eat occasional bed bugs, but they are not a regular occurrence.

Moths

Think this is a myth? You might be wrong! Although 99.9% of moth species have absolutely no effect on bedbugs, there is one species that has been shown to eat both bedbugs and their eggs.

These tiny insects may be a natural method of controlling bedbugs, although this is not yet tested in scientific settings.

Do Bed Bugs Have Other Predators?

Bed bugs do have other predators apart from spiders. But you will realize that many of these predators happen to be the common house pests you will not want in your house.

Pharaoh Ants

The pharaoh ants, which are light brownish-yellow in color, are an extremely common household pest. These insects are just like bed bugs in that they reproduce quickly and can spread very fast. Proceed with caution if you find pharaoh ants in your home.

To try to control one pest, it is futile. If anything, these ants may be worse than bed bugs. They can spread bacteria like salmonella, especially if they infest your food.