Can Bed Bugs Bite Through Leggings?

If you have bed bugs, the first thing you’ll want to know is how to get them to stop biting you. 

And this desire for peace has led many people to wonder if leggings are enough to keep the bed bugs from biting. 

Thankfully, bed bugs can not bite through most leggings because these insects do not have teeth. Instead, they have a tube-like beak similar to that of a mosquito. Therefore, they can only penetrate your clothes if they are made of very, very thin material. 

Will Wearing Leggings Prevent Bed Bug Bites on My Legs?

Yes, wearing leggings will almost certainly prevent bed bugs from biting your legs. 

One reason for this is that bed bugs do not have teeth, meaning they can not chew through fabric. 

Instead, they have a tube-shaped beak similar to that of a mosquito. 

Yet, bed bugs can still sometimes bite through leggings if the material is sparsely woven. 

But, bed bugs don’t like to do this as they prefer exposed skin. 

Generally, only starving bed bugs are desperate enough to try to bite through clothes because bed bugs need to be able to find a vein from which to drink. 

And they can not detect your vein if fabric is in the way, so they’ll have to go through a lot of trial and error before they can feed.  

Another good thing about leggings is that they’re tight. 

Bed bugs are tiny and flat, meaning they can get underneath most clothing. 

However, leggings are almost always tight enough to prevent these insects from getting under them. 

In summary, bed bugs may bite through leggings, but they rarely will. 

What Else Can I Wear to Keep Bed Bugs From Biting?

In general, to keep bed bugs from biting you at night, you should wear tight-fitting clothes that cover a lot of skin. 

Leggings paired with a long sleeve shirt should keep bed bugs away from most of your body as long as the shirt is not too baggy. 

You should also wear long socks to keep the bed bugs from biting your feet and ankles. 

Overall, the more clothes you have on your body, the more skin you’ll protect from bed bug bites. 

Will Wearing A Lot of Clothes to Bed Prevent Bed Bug Bites?

Wearing clothes to bed can help keep bed bugs away from certain parts of your body. 

The problem, though, is that bed bugs are determined creatures. 

And you can’t cover every bit of your skin tightly enough to keep them away. 

Therefore, no matter what clothes you wear to bed, you will still get bed bug bites if there are bed bugs in your room. 

Also, you should be aware that if you wear tight-fitting pajamas that cover most of your body, you will likely have more bites on exposed places, like your face and hands. 

So, instead of trying to prevent bed bug bites, you should do your best to eliminate the problem as quickly as possible. 

Will Bed Bugs Crawl Under a Blanket to Bite Me?

Yes, bed bugs will crawl under a blanket to bite you. 

As I said, bed bugs are tiny and flat, meaning they can almost always find a way inside something. 

So, sleeping with a blanket, even a heavy one, will not keep bed bugs from biting you. 

However, some people have found limited success when wrapping themselves in a sheet before going to sleep. 

This method is doubtful to work, though. 

One problem is that when you sleep, you move around, which will cause the sheet to come loose from your body, allowing the bed bugs to get to you. 

Additionally, since you can’t wrap your entire face in the sheet, the insects will likely just decide to bite you there. 

Do Certain Smells Keep Bed Bugs Away?

You can find lots of advice online telling you to wear certain lotions or scents to keep bed bugs away from you while you’re sleeping. 

And some of these products, like Vicks VapoRub, white vinegar, and lavender, can keep some bed bugs away for a while. 

But, the problem with these solutions is that you would have to apply a lot to your skin to deter bed bugs entirely. 

Plus, even if you did put on enough before bed, much of it will rub off while you sleep. 

How Can I Keep Bed Bugs From Biting Me While I Sleep?

The only true way to get fewer bed bug bites is to have fewer bed bugs living around you. 

So, why not try some of these methods to kill off the bed bugs in your home?

Wash and Dry Your Bedclothes 

One quick and cheap way to kill bed bugs is to wash and dry your blankets, sheets, and pillows as often as possible. 

Bed bugs can not live through the high heat of the washer and dryer. 

Therefore, when you wash and dry your bedclothes, you will kill any bed bugs that may be on them. 

Yet just remember to be careful when moving infested materials through your home or taking them to the laundromat. 

Otherwise, a bed bug or two may slip out and infest another area. 

To prevent this, you should put your bedclothes in sealable plastic bags before taking them out of the infested room. 

Keep the bag shut until you are ready to dump the fabrics in the washer. 

Also, ensure you set the washer and dryer to their highest heat setting to give yourself a better chance of killing all the bed bugs. 

Read Also > How Long Does It Take to Kill Bed Bugs in the Dryer?

Vacuum 

Vacuuming is another fantastic method of cutting down the bed bug colony in your home. 

So, you should make sure to vacuum your floors and mattress a few times a week to suck up as many bed bugs as possible. 

Yet, keep in mind that sucking up bed bugs in a vacuum will not kill them. 

Therefore, you will need to dispose of the captured bed bugs as soon as you have finished vacuuming. 

If your vacuum has a bag, all you need to do to prevent the bed bugs from escaping is tape the bag closed.

Afterward, you can throw it in the trash.  

For vacuums without a bag, you will have to carefully transfer the contents of your vacuum to a plastic bag. 

Then, seal the bag and toss it in the garbage. 

Buy a Mattress Encasement 

A mattress encasement is just a piece of fabric that you zip up around your mattress, but this simple bit of technology can do a lot to combat a bed bug infestation. 

One reason it works so well is that when you put an encasement on your mattress, you are trapping all the bed bugs already living there. 

And since they can’t get out and access a host, they will eventually starve to death. 

Also, mattress encasements prevent new bugs from hiding in your mattress. 

The bed bugs will remain in your room, though, but they can not get inside the mattress, and their new hiding places will typically be easier to access and treat. 

Use Pesticides 

Although potentially dangerous, pesticides are a great way to get rid of bed bugs so that they stop biting you at night. 

Plus, bed bug pesticides are pretty easy to use by yourself and shouldn’t cause any adverse health effects as long as you carefully follow the instructions on the bottle. 

Seal Up Holes and Cracks in Your Walls 

Bed bugs like to hide in walls, almost as much as they love mattresses. 

Thus, sealing up cracks and holes in your walls will not only keep new bed bugs from arriving and making a nest, but it will also kill the ones already living in there. 

Conclusion 

Overall, it is doubtful that bed bugs will bite you through leggings or any other article of clothing. 

However, just wearing more clothes to bed is not an effective way to prevent bed bug bites. 

Instead, you should use different methods to reduce the number of bed bugs in your home so that there are fewer insects around to bite you.