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Signs of bed bugs
Most people look at their skin first. The EPA's advice is to look at the bed instead.
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The short version
- The reliable signs
- Stains, dark spots, eggs and live bugs on the mattress and bed frame.
- Not reliable
- Bites. The EPA calls them a poor indicator.
- Call a company when
- You find any of the physical signs.
Where to look
- Mattress and box spring seams, piping and tags.
- Cracks in the bed frame and headboard.
- Seams of chairs and couches near the bed.
- Drawer joints and behind loose wallpaper.
What you are looking for
- Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattress.
- Dark spots that bleed into fabric like a marker.
- Tiny pale eggs, eggshells and shed skins.
- Live bugs.
What the EPA says
- Stains"Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed."
- Dark spotsBed bug excrement, which "may bleed on the fabric like a marker would."
- Eggs and skinsEggs and eggshells are about 1 mm, along with the pale yellow skins nymphs shed as they grow.
- Bites"Bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation." Some people do not react to bites at all.
What a pest control company will do
- Inspect the bed, the furniture around it and adjoining rooms.
- Confirm the insect before recommending treatment.
- Explain the treatment and what you need to prepare.
- Return to check, because one visit rarely finishes the job.
Do not move the mattress or bedding to another room while you wait. In a heavily infested room the EPA notes bugs spread to furniture, drawer joints and even electrical outlets, and moving things carries them further.
Related guides
Pest control: what you are paying for
Fleas in the houseSources
- US Environmental Protection Agency: bed bugs