FAQ: Is there an insect that will eat bed bugs?

This is a less-frequently asked question than some, but it comes up surprisingly often. Today someone googled into the site via the query “what eats bed bugs?”

Put it out of your head! Um, yes, some insects will eat bed bugs, but it really isn’t a good treatment plan.

House centipedes have been known to enthusiastically eat bed bugs, a fact which endears them to me. If you see one, you might want to let it live, as it may be feasting on your bed bugs. But keep your distance, a disturbed house centipede can sting you.

Masked assassin (masked hunter) bugs also eat bed bugs, and their presence in the home is said to be a sign bed bugs are present. But I don’t know anyone who’s seen one. And watch out, they have a nasty bite of their own.

Fire ants are also said to eat bed bugs. I’ve heard that the traditional cure for bed bugs in the American Southwest is to throw your mattress on a nest of fire ants. They quickly consume the bed bugs, it’s said. I believe people really do this, though am not sure how you then get rid of the fire ants and reclaim your mattress. Again, you don’t want them stinging you.

I do not recommend seeking out predators as a form of treatment. You can’t acquire them in quantity (there’s no centipede mail order), and you can’t get rid of them once you have them in the home. All of them, en masse, could cause you serious problems.

Sorry to disappoint. Read our FAQ for advice on how to get a PCO who knows bed bugs. “Natural solutions” such as freshwater diatomaceous earth are a possible preventative, or useful part of a treatment plan. But predatory insects are not a good idea indoors, and anyone who is being bitten or seeing bed bugs should get a PCO in to treat, repeatedly, until they’re gone. Or they will breed, and your problems will be much worse.

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