Key Takeaways
- Several creatures do eat bed bugs — cockroaches, masked hunters, spiders, house centipedes, some ants, and geckos among them.
- But predators are not a solution. None can reach bed bugs’ hiding spots, match their breeding rate, or destroy the eggs.
- You’d trade one pest for another. Inviting cockroaches or spiders to eat bed bugs just gives you a second infestation.
- Use proven methods instead: heat, encasements, steaming, and monitoring.
Bed bugs do have natural enemies, and it’s a popular idea that one of them might solve your problem. It’s a myth worth understanding — because while these predators are real, relying on them does more harm than good.
What eats bed bugs?
The creatures most often documented feeding on bed bugs include:
- Masked hunters (Reduvius personatus) — an assassin bug that’s the most notable bed bug predator. It also bites people painfully, so it’s no houseguest.
- Cockroaches — they’ll eat bed bugs and eggs they stumble on, but they don’t hunt them out.
- Spiders — some web-builders catch bed bugs that wander by.
- House centipedes — opportunistic predators of small insects, bed bugs included.
- Ants — certain species (pharaoh, Argentine, fire) will raid bed bugs.
- Geckos and other small lizards — eat insects, bed bugs among them, in some climates.
- Mites — a few predatory mites attack bed bug eggs.
Why natural predators don’t control an infestation
It’s a hard no from entomologists, for concrete reasons (University of Kentucky Entomology):
- They can’t reach the hiding spots. Bed bugs shelter deep in seams, frames, and wall voids; predators don’t follow them there.
- They can’t keep up with breeding. A bed bug population grows far faster than any casual predator eats.
- They don’t kill the eggs. Bed bug eggs are protected by a waxy shell, cemented into crevices — out of reach of predators.
- You’d introduce a worse problem. Encouraging cockroaches, spiders, or ants into your home to hunt bed bugs leaves you fighting two infestations instead of one.
What actually works
Predators are a curiosity, not a control method. The reliable approach is physical and methodical: heat and laundering, encasements, steaming, and monitoring — see our step-by-step guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main natural predator of bed bugs?
The masked hunter (Reduvius personatus), an assassin bug, is the most notable. It will eat bed bugs, but it also delivers a painful bite to humans and isn’t a practical control method.
Do cockroaches or spiders eat bed bugs?
Yes, opportunistically — they’ll eat bed bugs they encounter. But they don’t seek them out, can’t keep up with breeding, and inviting them in just creates a second pest problem.
Can I use predators to get rid of bed bugs?
No. No predator can reach bed bug harborage or eggs or match their reproduction. Use heat, encasements, steaming, and monitoring instead.