To know if there are bed bugs, check for these signs:
- Small itchy bites on skin, often appearing in clusters on face, neck, arms, or hands after waking from sleep. Some people may not react or show bite marks, so bites alone are not a definitive indicator.
- Live bed bugs, which are small (about the size of an apple seed), reddish-brown, flat, and wingless.
- Rusty or reddish blood spots on bedding, which come from crushed bed bugs.
- Tiny pale yellow eggs or eggshells about the size of a pinhead found near mattress seams and crevices.
- Small black dots (fecal spots) the size of a period, which are bed bug excrement usually found in clusters.
- Shed skins from bed bugs.
- A sweet, musty odor near the sleeping areas sometimes produced by the bugs.
For thorough inspection, look carefully at:
- Mattress seams, tags, box spring, and bed frame especially in cracks, crevices, and joints.
- Nearby furniture, upholstery seams, and under cushions.
- Baseboards, electrical outlets, light switch covers, and cracks in walls.
Using a flashlight, magnifying glass, and a flat tool to inspect small spaces helps spot them. Bed bug interceptors or traps placed under furniture legs can also catch bed bugs. Since identifying bed bugs can be tricky, focus on multiple signs together rather than just bites alone.
