Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown and approximately 5-6mm in length.
They look round or fat, not thin. They're fatter and redder and bigger right after feeding, possibly up to 10mm.
Bedbugs don’t have wings. If you see a bug with wings, that isn’t a bedbug.
Obviously, it’s best to find an infestation early, but that’s hard to do. Finding bedbugs early makes it much, much easier to deal with the. So if you or your family have an unusual, itchy red mark on your skin in the morning, check for bedbugs right away. (But don’t worry quite yet – there are many types of bugs that leave similar bites.)
Here is what to look for:
Small reddish stains on bedsheets. This is an indication of bedbugs being crushed as you sleep, or a little extra blood from you after they feed.
Dark spots on your bedsheets, about the size of this asterisk *. That could be bedbug poop.
Look for eggs
Look for eggshells
Finally, there may be nymphs or juveniles. There are several stages of nymphs but they all look similar to each other. To us just looking, they vary mostly in size.
Remember to watch for live bedbugs, too. Although they are nocturnal and mostly come out at night, you will sometimes see them scurrying around. Keep an eye out next to walls especially.
If the infestation is large, there will be a sweetish, musty scent.
What Does An Infestation Of Bedbugs Look Like?
Where Do Bedbugs Hide?
In mattresses
The most common place to find bedbugs is on and in the mattresses you and your family sleep on.
Look carefully at your mattress. Look at the piping, in seams, along sewn-in features. Turn the mattress over and inspect the bottom. Remember the sides as well.
In box springs
Just as mattresses are common, so is the box spring underneath.
In the bedhead
Inspect the bedframe. You may want to take it apart if it’s complex and has lots of detail. Look especially in any cracks or seams where parts of the bedhead and bedframe are attached together.
Treat nightstands as though they are part of the bed.
In other furniture
Don’t stop with just your beds. Bedbugs also harbor in other furniture, like nightstands, chairs, sofas and couches, chests of drawers, ottomans, and any other furnishings.
Look hard around seams, piping of cushions and chairs, between cushions, and at the bottom surfaces as well.
In electrical outlets and appliances
Sometimes, bedbugs will infest electrical outlets. It’s warm there. Remember to inspect electrical appliances, too, like bedside lamps, humidifiers and toaster ovens.
Also check around loose wallpaper, wall-hangings, and any cloth-based art that may be lower to the floor.
Draperies can be infested, too, but that usually happens only in large infestations.
Remember, bedbugs are small and can squeeze themselves smaller. So any crack or crevice a credit card will fit, can also hide a bedbug.
It’s a tough task to find and inspect every possible hiding place for a bedbug. Luckily, almost every household infestation includes bedbugs in your bed. The other places are usually secondary.
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