What Are Bed Bug Kairomones? The Science Behind Exhale

If you've ever wondered why bed bugs are so hard to find and why standard monitors so often miss them, the answer lies in a single word: kairomones. Understanding what they are, and how bed bugs use them, is the key to smarter detection. It's also the science at the heart of Exhale.

What Is a Kairomone?

A kairomone is a chemical signal released by one organism that benefits the receiver rather than the sender. For bed bugs, the most powerful kairomone is carbon dioxide, the gas we exhale with every breath. When a person sleeps, they release roughly 200 ml of CO₂ per breath, and bed bugs detect this plume from several meters away, using it to navigate toward their host. Alongside CO₂, they also respond to body heat, skin volatiles, and lactic acid from perspiration. Together, these signals form a complete sensory profile of a sleeping human and evolution has wired bed bugs to follow it.

Why This Matters for Monitoring

Traditional bed bug monitors are passive, they sit on the floor and wait for a bug to walk into them by chance. That works, but it's slow, and it misses infestations in their early stages when activity is low and bugs rarely venture far from harborage. A kairomone-based approach is fundamentally different: instead of waiting, you actively attract. By releasing CO₂ and complementary scent compounds that mimic a sleeping person, you pull bed bugs out of hiding and toward the monitor. Detection is faster, results are more reliable, and you get a clearer picture of where the infestation is concentrated, even in rooms that appear clear on a standard inspection.

How Exhale Uses This Science

Exhale is Skatek's CO₂-based bed bug activator, engineered to recreate the kairomone profile of a sleeping human. The formula releases CO₂ and human-scent compounds at the right rate to trigger foraging behaviour, and it does this without any pesticides, harmful chemicals, or residues. There's nothing toxic in the dispenser. It works with bed bugs' own biology, using the signals evolution has wired them to follow, rather than trying to overpower them with chemical warfare. The result is faster detection, more reliable monitoring before and after treatment, and an environment that's safe for families, children, pets, and the PCOs doing the work.

Backed by Independent Research

The kairomone approach behind Exhale has been independently validated in two peer-reviewed studies: one by Dr. Richard Naylor, and one conducted at the Department of Entomology at the University of California under Professor Dong-Hwan Choe. Both confirm that Exhale significantly increases bed bug activity and improves detection rates in real-world conditions. You can read the full research summaries on our Research page.