Think you might have bed bugs? Don’t panic.
Finding a bug in your home or waking up with bites you can’t explain doesn’t automatically equate to a bed bug infestation. Other bugs, like fleas, ticks, and carpet beetles, look similar to bed bugs, and there are plenty of reasons you might wake up with itchy or irritated skin. The first step is figuring out what you’re actually dealing with.
Knowing how to check for bed bugs can help you find the evidence you need to make an informed decision about what to do next.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that survive by feeding on blood. They don’t build nests or colonies like ants or bees. Instead, they hide in small cracks and crevices and come out to feed, typically when their hosts are resting or sleeping.
Adult bed bugs are approximately a quarter inch long, have six legs, and are reddish-brown in color. They have flat, oval-shaped bodies when they haven’t recently fed and become more elongated and swollen after feeding. They also go through several stages of development. Newly hatched nymphs are extremely small and pale before becoming darker and larger as they mature.
How to Identify Bed Bugs
So, can you see bed bugs? Yes. Adult bed bugs can be spotted with the naked eye, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to find.
Their small size, coloring, and tendency to hide can make them surprisingly difficult to spot. If you see a small, reddish-brown insect crawling across your mattress, don’t automatically assume you’ve found a bed bug. Other insects can look similar, and proper identification is important before deciding you have an infestation.
Bed Bug Nymphs
Nymphs are young bed bugs that haven’t yet matured. They go through several stages before becoming adults, getting larger and darker with each stage. The youngest nymphs can be particularly difficult to see because they’re very small and pale. If you find tiny translucent or yellowish insects around your bed, they could be nymphs.
Bed Bug Eggs
Bed bug eggs are tiny and pale or whitish in color and are often found in cracks, crevices, and other protected areas.
Because they’re so small, eggs can be easy to overlook during a quick inspection. Look closely around mattress seams, bed frames, furniture joints, and other areas where bed bugs may be hiding.
You may also find eggshells or shed skins around an infestation.
Shed Skins
As bed bug nymphs grow, they shed their outer skin. These are light-colored and can sometimes be easier to spot than the bugs themselves. Finding shed skins, eggs, or other evidence can help indicate that bed bugs have been present in an area even if you don’t find a live insect.
If you find an insect that you think might be a bed bug, don’t immediately assume the worst. If possible, safely capture the insect or take a clear photograph. Having the insect properly identified can save you from unnecessary treatment—and the stress that comes with thinking you have an infestation when you don’t.
Common Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
You may not find a live bed bug during your first inspection. Looking for other evidence can help point you toward a more definitive answer.
Bed Bug Droppings
Bed bug eggs, blood smears, and fecal stains are all signs of a potential infestation.
Bed bug droppings are small dark spots that can look like tiny black or brown stains. They’re essentially digested blood and may appear on bedding, mattresses, bed frames, or nearby furniture. Look closely around mattress seams and other areas where bed bugs may hide. If you see small dark spots that appear to be clustered around potential hiding places, take a closer look.
Blood Spots
Small reddish or rusty-colored spots on sheets and bedding can sometimes be associated with bed bugs. These spots can occur when a bed bug is crushed after feeding while someone is sleeping. However, blood spots can have plenty of other explanations, so they shouldn’t be considered proof of an infestation on their own.
Shed Skins and Eggs
These shed skins, also known as exoskeletons, can be a sign of bed bugs.
Finding shed skins or bed bug eggs is another possible sign of bed bug activity. Because bed bugs go through multiple stages of development, an established infestation may leave behind evidence from different stages of the life cycle when checking for bed bugs. While eggs can sometimes be difficult to spot, as bed bug nymphs grow, they shed their outer skin. These shed skins are light-colored and can sometimes be easier to spot than the eggs or bugs themselves.
Live Bed Bugs
Finding a live bed bug is one of the strongest signs you may have an infestation, but finding one bug doesn’t necessarily tell you how extensive the problem is. There may be additional bugs hiding nearby, or the insect may have been introduced to the space recently.
When you find a single bug, this should prompt a closer inspection rather than an immediate assumption about how widespread the problem is.
Musty Odor
Large or established infestations can sometimes produce a distinctive musty or sweet odor. This is generally not one of the first signs homeowners notice, and an odor by itself isn’t enough to identify bed bugs. Think of it as another piece of information to consider alongside physical evidence.
Bites
Bites are often one of the reasons people begin looking for bed bugs, but they’re also one of the least reliable ways to confirm an infestation. Some people develop noticeable reactions to bed bug bites. Others don’t react at all. If you’re waking up with unexplained bites, use them as a reason to check for bed bugs—not as proof that you have them.
Where Should You Check for Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs typically want to stay relatively close to their food source, especially during the early stages of an infestation. When you’re figuring out how to find bed bugs, start with the most obvious places: spots where people sleep or spend prolonged periods.
Mattress
The mattress is a logical place to start when checking for bed bugs. Inspect the seams, piping, tags, folds, and edges, and use a flashlight while you move slowly so you can see into small spaces. Look for live bugs, dark spotting, eggs, shed skins, and other unusual evidence.
Box Spring
While your mattress is the obvious place to look, your box spring can also provide plenty of hiding places. Inspect the seams, edges, underside, and areas around supports. If your box spring has a fabric covering, pay particular attention to areas where the fabric is loose or where there are openings.
Bed Frame and Headboard
Check joints, cracks, screw holes, and areas where different pieces of the bed frame connect. Check behind and around your headboard, especially if it’s attached to the wall. Bed bugs don’t necessarily stay on the mattress when there are other protected hiding places nearby.
Furniture
Nightstands, dressers, drawers, and other furniture close to the bed are also places you’ll want to check. If the furniture is upholstered, inspect seams, folds, and underneath cushions. Couches and upholstered chairs can also become hiding places if bed bugs have spread beyond the bedroom.
Baseboards and Cracks
Bed bugs can hide in cracks along baseboards, walls, and other structural areas. If you’ve already found evidence around the bed, expand your inspection outward to determine whether bed bug activity has spread.
Luggage and Personal Belongings
If you’ve recently traveled, check your luggage, backpacks, purses, and other belongings. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. They can make their way home in luggage, clothing, and other personal items after exposure elsewhere.
How to Check for Bed Bugs
Ready to inspect your home? Grab a flashlight and take your time. A careful inspection is much more useful than quickly looking at the top of your mattress and calling it done.
Start with your bedding. Remove your sheets, blankets, and other bedding, then look for small blood spots, dark stains, or live insects. Check the edges of the bed and the areas where your bedding comes into contact with the mattress. If you find something suspicious, don’t disturb it unnecessarily. Take a photo or safely capture it if possible.
Move to the mattress. Run your flashlight slowly along the mattress seams, piping, folds, and tags. Don’t just look at the center of the mattress. Bed bugs prefer protected areas, so the edges and seams are much more important places to inspect. Look for bugs, eggs, shed skins, dark spotting, and other unusual evidence.
Next, check the box spring. Inspect underneath it, around its edges, and anywhere the fabric or materials create a small hiding space. Then check the bed frame, including joints, screw holes, and cracks. If you have a headboard, inspect both sides and the area behind it.
Once you’ve inspected the bed, move into the surrounding area. Check nightstands, dressers, upholstered furniture, baseboards, and other nearby hiding places. The idea is to work outward systematically rather than randomly checking different areas of the room.
Lastly, if you’ve recently stayed in a hotel or another location where you may have encountered bed bugs, inspect your luggage and belongings. Pay particular attention to seams, pockets, and folds in luggage and bags. Don’t forget that bed bugs can also hitchhike on clothing and other personal items.
Common Inspection Mistakes
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is checking only the mattress for bed bugs. Another is relying entirely on bites. What do bed bug bites look like? There isn’t one answer that applies to everyone, and many other things can cause similar skin reactions.
It’s also a mistake to immediately start throwing away furniture or spraying pesticides before confirming you actually have bed bugs. Take a methodical approach. Look for physical evidence, document what you find, and get help identifying anything you’re unsure about.
When Should You Call a Professional?
If you think you’ve found a bed bug, you’re seeing multiple signs, or you simply can’t figure out what’s going on, a professional inspection can give you some answers.
You may want to consider a professional inspection if:
- You’ve found a live insect that you believe is a bed bug.
- You’re repeatedly finding dark spots, bed bug eggs, or shed skins.
- You’ve noticed signs in multiple areas of your home.
- You’re getting unexplained bites and can’t identify the cause.
- You’ve inspected your home but still aren’t sure what you’re seeing.
- You’ve tried to address the problem yourself but continue finding evidence.
What Happens During a Professional Inspection?
A professional bed bug inspection should involve more than someone taking a quick look at your mattress. An experienced technician can look for evidence in common hiding places, determine whether the insect or evidence you’ve found is consistent with bed bugs, and help identify the potential extent of an infestation.
Depending on the situation, specialized detection methods such as trained bed bug detection dogs may also be used.
You Don’t Always Need Treatment
The goal of an inspection should be to figure out what’s actually happening—not automatically sell you a treatment. Sometimes there is an infestation that needs to be addressed. Sometimes there isn’t. Getting an accurate answer from a professional first can help you avoid unnecessary treatments and give you a better understanding of what to do next.
Bed bugs are stressful enough without having to spend hours wondering whether a bug, bite, or stain means you have an infestation. If you think you may have bed bugs, start by looking for evidence. Check your bed, inspect the surrounding area, and pay attention to the signs we’ve covered here. And remember: One unexplained bite isn’t proof of bed bugs, and one suspicious-looking bug isn’t necessarily a bed bug.
If you’re still not sure what you’re looking at, that’s where a professional inspection can help. At Debug Your Bed, our goal is to help you figure out what’s actually going on and determine the appropriate next step. Sometimes that means treatment. Sometimes it means a more thorough inspection. And sometimes it means confirming that what you’re seeing isn’t bed bugs at all.
FAQs
Can You See Bed Bugs?
Yes. Adult bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, but they are small and excellent at hiding. They’re often found in seams, cracks, crevices, and other protected areas, which means you may need a flashlight and a careful inspection to find them.
Can You Have Bed Bugs Without Seeing Them?
Yes. Small or early bed bug infestations can be especially difficult to detect because there may be very few bugs and they can be hiding in areas that are easy to overlook. That’s why looking for other evidence, such as droppings, eggs, and shed skins, is important.
Do All Bed Bugs Leave Bites?
No. Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites, and some people may have little or no visible reaction. This is one reason bites shouldn’t be used as the only indication that bed bugs are present.
Where Do Bed Bugs Usually Hide?
Bed bugs commonly hide in and around beds, including mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, and headboards. They can also hide in nightstands, furniture, baseboards, cracks, and other protected spaces. As an infestation grows, they can spread farther from the bed and into other areas of your home.
What Should I Do If I Find a Bed Bug?
Don’t panic. If you can safely capture the insect, keep it in a sealed container or take a clear photograph so it can be identified. Then, inspect the surrounding area for additional evidence. Finding one bed bug is a reason to investigate further, but it doesn’t automatically mean your entire home is infested.