How to Find Bed Bugs | US EPA (2024)

FAQs

What is the easiest way to find bed bugs? ›

Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard. If the room is heavily infested, you may find bed bugs: In the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains.

Your first obvious sign might be a bed bug bite. If you have a bite and want to verify if you have bed bugs, check for signs of an infestation including: A sweet, musty odor. Reddish or rust-colored stains on bed sheets, sleepwear or nearby objects.

Remember, bed bugs can come from anywhere. These tiny creatures latch themselves onto anything, from suitcases to coats to scarfs. They travel well-hidden, and once they reach an area that works for them, they make themselves at home and start reproducing using dead skin cells as an energy source.

Tests in apartments indicate that a dry ice trap or sugar-yeast trap is equally or more effective than the non-baited pitfall-style bed bug monitors. Compared to non-baited pitfall traps, dry ice or sugar-yeast traps can detect bed bugs more quickly.

Home infestations typically occur in mattresses or couches. Bed bug hiding places can also include clothing and linens, under clutter, in wall voids, and around window and door moldings.

Can you have bed bugs without seeing bugs? You can have bedbug bites even if you do not see the bedbugs or feel their bites. But you may be able to find signs of bedbug infestation. Bedbug bites can also look similar to other bug bites.

Bedbugs don't make nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. They don't fly, but they can move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings.

The first clue suggesting that you may have a bed bug infestation is often the presence of itching bites. However, bites reactions are quite variable and may not be due to bed bugs at all. Be aware of the other signs that bed bugs leave behind: fecal spots, molted skins, and aggregations.

If you suspect that you might have bedbugs, it's a good idea to check your mattress and bedding for rust-colored spots — this is what bed bug excrement looks like. Another sign could be shed exoskeletons that look like coffee grounds.

Bed bugs are found in all 50 U.S. states.

How do you guarantee no bed bugs? ›

Regularly wash and heat-dry your bed sheets, blankets, bedspreads and any clothing that touches the floor. This reduces the number of bed bugs. Bed bugs and their eggs can hide in laundry containers/hampers Remember to clean them when you do the laundry.

If the house is completely empty, bed bugs could be hiding between cracks in the wall, they could be sneaking into small hideout areas in the gaps between light switch sockets and the wall, or they could be hiding behind loose trim or molding.

The Bed Bug ALERT™ monitor has a clear view window so the user can easily check to see if bed bugs have been detected and trapped.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

However, evidence of a bed bug infestation may be found in bedding and on mattresses. Live bed bugs leave clusters of dark brown or black spots of dried excrement on infested surfaces. Bed bugs also exude a subtle, sweet, musty odor.

Place a source of heat in the room. Since body heat attracts bed bugs, it would be a nice trick to lure them out with a device set at the same temperature. Release some carbon dioxide near their hiding spots. Bed bugs find this gas irresistible, as it signifies that a person is sleeping nearby.

The adults can easily be seen with the naked eye. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, wingless, and are about the size of an apple seed. Immature bed bugs (there are 5 immature or nymphal instar stages) can also be seen with the naked eye but they are smaller than adults, and translucent whitish-yellow in color.

If you think you may have bed bugs in your couch, do a check around the cushions. Lift each section and inspect the corners for signs of these small critters. If bed bugs are present, you'll see thin black streaks, molted skins, small blood stains, or the flat, oval bugs themselves.