Signs of Bed Bugs in a Room, Mattresses, Sheets, Furniture & More…

check-bed-bugs

As tiny as bed bugs are they are practically impossible to notice if you don’t know the signs. It takes a group of things to occur before you will realize that it’s caused by bed bugs. One sign doesn’t necessarily mean you have these nasty creatures. They can be caused by several things that include mostly traveling. Bed bugs can hitch a rid on outside pets, suitcases, and used mattresses among other things.

Even if your home is messy it doesn’t mean you will get these bugs. Your mess will enhance the areas that the bugs hide and allow them to infest that much longer, but it doesn’t cause the bed bugs to be in your home. Here are some signs to look for when trying to figure out if you have bed bugs.

Video showing top five warning signs of bed bug infestations

Top Signs of Bed Bug Activity or Infestations

Having red stains on your mattress and bedding is a sure sign that you have bed bugs. If you see a few or a lot of little spots of red will mean that you may have rolled over and squashed one or more and since they feed on pet and human blood they produce redness when killed.

Bed Bug Waste

Bed bugs produce a lot of waste from feces to their tiny hard shells to dead skin. With an infestation, you will notice this rather quickly all over your bedding and even in your mattress crevices and box spring. It will appear like a pile of tiny cockroaches. Some of it will appear dark and will even show up as dark spots on your bed.

Bites

You will have a few to a lot of bite marks all over your body and face. Depending on your reaction to the itching and scratching will determine how much your bites will swell. You will need to use an anti-itch cream to help protect yourself from scratching too much. These bite marks could be caused by other types of insects, but along with waste and other signs, you will know whether or not these bites are from bed bugs.

Place carpet tape

Use carpet tape in strategic areas of around your bed to know for sure if you have bed bugs. Leave them there for several days and you will see at least a few of these bugs if you have them at all. Place the double-sided tape around the mattress or between the mattress and box spring. They will be captured when they begin to venture out to feed on your blood. They come out in the early morning and only need to feed once a week. If you don’t have an infestation then you will not have many bites or stains on your sheets.

Look in key areas

By searching around your room you may also be able to tell if you have bed bugs. They tend to hide behind baseboards, behind hanging pictures, in creases of your mattress, and anywhere that is dark and lacks movement. Even if you move a lot during your sleep they will not come towards you as much as another sleeper who is completely still.

Video showing how to inspect for bed buy nymphs (aka baby bed bugs).

Check for movement

As bed bugs are practically microscopic it can be extremely difficult to see them walking around. However, if you have white bedding and sheets you may be able to see them walking around your bed if you are not in it. Their bodies are small and clear and when they feed on blood they turn red. Search for extremely small red dots that are moving and if you don’t see any look for clear bodies bugs.

To know for sure if you have bed bugs may take a long time and before you know it you will end up with an infestation of these creatures. Therefore, follow the following steps to help you determine as early as possible.

  1. Look for red stains on the bedding and mattress
  2. Look for small bites on your body
  3. Check key areas where bed bugs typically hide
    1. Also check outside bedrooms (people find bed bugs in bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other unusual places)
  4. Analyze for any movement.
  5. Place double-sided tape around your bed to make a final conclusion.
Published
Categorized as Bed Bugs

By David Jackson

I enjoy learning about new pest control strategies and sharing what I learn at NeverPest.com. I aim to create a reliable resource for people dealing with all sorts of pest issues.

4 comments

  1. After getting unusual insect bites lately, I started to suspect that my mattress is infested with bed bugs. Thanks for listing the signs of a bed bug invasion. I had no idea that another sign could be the dark spots on my bed. With that considered, I shall then follow your advice to inspect the areas where they usually hide. But for effective results, I must consider hiring pest control services for proper removal.

    1. Victoria, I’m glad you found the article helpful and, yes, I would recommend having a bed bug professional come take a look. Some pests are pretty easy to address on your own, but bed bugs are something it’s usually best to let them handle.

  2. I have a good friend that had a bad problem with bed bugs for a while. They are nasty little guys and very hard to get rid of! So now I am being a little over cautious about bed bugs. Thanks for going over the warning signs of bed bugs so that I can be looking out for them. Based on what you said, I think I am clean so far. Thanks!

    1. Nathan, Glad to hear the article helped. A lot of people don’t know the signs of bed bugs that we talked about above and a little knowledge can really help you out especially when traveling to help identify a hotel room with signs of bed bug activity for example. Prevention is much easier than dealing with a problem when it arrives, when it comes to bed bugs, but also nearly every other type of pest problem, as well as other areas in life like health, relationships, and taking care of your vehicle.

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