How to Identify Bed Bugs: Early Signs and Symptoms

Are bed bugs keeping you up at night? These tiny, blood-sucking pests can easily make their way into your home and turn your peaceful nights into a nightmare. But the earlier you catch them, the easier it is to stop them from multiplying. Let’s take a closer look at six early signs of bed bugs that can help you detect an infestation before it spirals out of control.

How to Identify Bed Bugs: Early Signs and Symptoms

Are bed bugs keeping you up at night? These tiny, blood-sucking pests can easily make their way into your home and turn peaceful nights into a nightmare. But the earlier you catch them, the easier it is to stop them from multiplying. Let’s take a closer look at the early signs of bed bugs that can help you detect an infestation before it spirals out of control.

Early Signs and Symptoms of Bed Bugs:

Unexplained Bites

One of the most common signs is waking up with small, itchy bites. Bed bugs usually bite in clusters or lines, often on exposed areas like your arms, neck, or legs. The bites are red, raised bumps that may become swollen or itchy. If you’re getting these bites at night without seeing any culprit, bed bugs could be the reason.

Bloodstains on Your Bedding

After feeding, bed bugs may leave tiny bloodstains on your sheets or pillowcases. These stains can appear as rust-coloured or reddish spots. Inspect your mattress and surrounding areas if you notice any.

Dark, Rusty Spots (Excrement)

Bed bug droppings are tiny dark spots, typically found on mattresses, bed frames, walls, or furniture. If you see these rusty spots, it’s a strong indicator that bed bugs are nearby.

Musty Odour

A sweet, musty odour in the bedroom could signal bed bugs. As their infestation grows, they emit this distinctive smell, sometimes likened to raspberries or old wood.

Shed Skins or Eggs

As bed bugs grow, they shed their outer skins, leaving behind small, translucent shells. Additionally, their tiny white eggs can be found in hidden areas such as mattress seams or cracks.

Live Bed Bugs

The clearest sign is spotting a live bed bug. They are small, reddish-brown, and about the size of an apple seed. Their flat, oval bodies make it easy for them to squeeze into tiny hiding spots.

How to Check for Bed Bugs: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you suspect that you have bed bugs in your home, conducting a thorough inspection is key to identifying an infestation early. These pests are experts at hiding, so it’s important to be diligent and check all the places they might be lurking. Here’s a detailed guide to help you inspect your home for bed bugs.

1. Start with Your Bed

Since bed bugs are most active at night and feed on humans while they sleep, your bed is the first place to inspect.

• Mattress: Carefully remove all bedding and inspect your mattress. Pay special attention to the seams, edges, and folds, where bed bugs love to hide. Look for tiny dark spots (excrement), rust-coloured blood stains, or bed bug skins that have been shed. Bed bugs themselves are small and reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed.
• Box Spring: Don’t forget to check the box spring. Bed bugs frequently hide in the wooden frame and joints of the box spring, as well as inside any tears or cracks in the fabric. Flip the box spring over to inspect underneath, especially along the edges and corners.
• Bed Frame and Headboard: Examine the entire bed frame, particularly around joints, screw holes, and cracks in the wood. Bed bugs can also hide behind headboards, especially if they’re attached to the wall. Move the headboard if possible to check behind it, as well as any gaps where it connects to the wall.

2. Expand Your Search to Nearby Furniture

Bed bugs can easily move beyond your bed. After checking the bed, inspect other furniture close to it.

• Nightstands and Dressers: Pull out drawers and inspect the inside and underside of nightstands and dressers. Bed bugs can hide in the joints, behind drawer tracks, and inside cracks in wooden furniture.
• Couches and Chairs: If you have a couch or upholstered chair in your bedroom or living space, inspect it thoroughly. Bed bugs can nest in the seams, folds, and crevices of upholstered furniture. Turn the furniture upside down if necessary and check beneath cushions, along seams, and in any creases or folds.

3. Don’t Forget the Walls and Outlets

Bed bugs don’t limit themselves to just furniture. They can also hide in various places around your room.

• Electrical Outlets and Switch Plates: Bed bugs are small enough to fit inside electrical outlets and switch plates. Remove the cover plates and use a flashlight to check for any signs of bugs or eggs. Be cautious and turn off the electricity to the room if needed before removing plates.
• Wall Cracks and Baseboards: Inspect any cracks in your walls, particularly along baseboards or near where the wall meets the floor. Bed bugs can squeeze into very small spaces, so even hairline cracks can serve as hiding spots.
• Curtains and Wall Hangings: Bed bugs can hide in curtains and behind picture frames or wall hangings. Take down any curtains and inspect the folds and seams. Remove pictures or other décor from the wall to check behind them.

4. Check Luggage and Clothing

Bed bugs are often brought into homes via luggage or clothing after travel.

• Luggage: If you’ve recently travelled, thoroughly inspect your suitcases, backpacks, and bags. Check all pockets, zippers, and seams where bed bugs could hide. Pay extra attention to any bags you may have placed near the bed or other furniture.
• Clothing: Bed bugs can hide in the folds of clothes or inside hampers. Inspect your clothing carefully, especially items stored near your bed or any clothes you brought home from a trip. If necessary, wash and dry them on high heat to kill any bed bugs or eggs.

5. Use Tools to Assist Your Inspection

A few tools can help make your inspection more thorough:

• Flashlight: Bed bugs are tiny and can be hard to spot, especially in dark crevices. A flashlight will help you illuminate those hard-to-see areas.
• Magnifying Glass: Bed bug eggs and skins can be difficult to see with the naked eye. A magnifying glass can help you take a closer look at anything suspicious.
• Sticky Tape or Card: To check cracks and seams more effectively, you can run a sticky piece of tape or a thin card (like a credit card) along the seams to catch bed bugs hiding inside.

What to Do If You Find Bed Bugs: Methods for Getting Rid of Them

If you find bed bugs in your home, acting quickly is essential to prevent the infestation from spreading. While professional pest control is highly recommended for thorough elimination, there are steps you can take to address the issue. Here are effective methods for getting rid of bed bugs:

1. Clean and Declutter

• Remove clutter: Bed bugs hide in small cracks and crevices, so clearing clutter helps limit their hiding spots.
• Bag infested items: Seal infested bedding, clothes, and items in plastic bags to prevent bed bugs from spreading to other areas.

2. Launder Bedding and Clothes

• Wash and dry on high heat: Place all affected bedding, clothing, and soft furnishings in a washing machine. Use the highest heat setting for both washing and drying, as heat kills bed bugs and their eggs.

3. Vacuum Thoroughly

• Vacuum all surfaces: Use a vacuum cleaner with strong suction to clean mattresses, furniture, floors, and carpets. Pay attention to seams, cracks, and tight spaces where bed bugs hide.
• Dispose of vacuum contents: Immediately empty the vacuum into a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it outside to prevent bed bugs from escaping back into your home.

4. Steam Cleaning

• Use steam on infested areas: Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive at high temperatures. A steam cleaner set to at least 130°F (54°C) can be used on mattresses, couches, curtains, and other soft furnishings.

5. Use Bed Bug Covers

• Encase mattresses and box springs: Use bed bug-proof covers to encase your mattress and box spring. These prevent bed bugs from entering or escaping, effectively trapping them inside until they die.

6. Set Traps

• Use bed bug interceptors: Place bed bug interceptors under the legs of your bed and furniture. These traps help capture bed bugs and prevent them from crawling up onto your bed or couch.

7. Diatomaceous Earth

• Apply diatomaceous earth: This natural, non-toxic powder can be sprinkled around your home in cracks, along baseboards, and around furniture. It works by dehydrating and killing bed bugs upon contact.

8. Insecticides

• Use approved insecticides: There are insecticides designed specifically for bed bugs. Apply them to crevices, baseboards, and other infested areas. Always follow instructions carefully and use products that are safe for indoor use.

9. Professional Pest Control

• Hire pest control experts: Bed bugs are extremely difficult to eliminate completely without professional help. Pest control services use specialised treatments, such as heat treatments, chemical solutions, and fumigation, to effectively eradicate the infestation.

In conclusion, identifying and addressing a bed bug infestation early is key to preventing it from worsening. By recognizing the early signs such as unexplained bites, bloodstains, and musty odours, and conducting a thorough inspection, you can catch these pests before they spread. If bed bugs are found, prompt action is essential, cleaning, using heat treatments, vacuuming, and applying insecticides are all effective methods. However, for severe infestations, professional pest control is often the best solution to fully eliminate the problem and restore peace to your home.