How to Check for Bed Bugs – Bed Bug Guide

Are you suspecting you have bed bugs, but do not know how or where to start? Even what exactly to look for?

Youve come to the right place. After reading this article you will be able to perform a home bed bug investigation by yourself. You will learn how they look like, where to find them and what to do about them.

A bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is a small, wingless insect of the family Cimicidae. It has an oval-shaped body that is reddish-brown in color. Distinctive are also their two-segmented antennas, 6 legs, and a three-part body consisting of the head, thorax, and abdomen.

Adult bed bugs are small, typically inch in length. About the size of an apple seed. In total, they are flat from top to bottom. This enables them to hide in the narrowest cracks and crevices.

After the blood meal, their body swells and turns reddish. They feed on human blood using piercing-sucking 3-segmented beaks. Bed bugs are most active at night and are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide that humans give off.

Apart from this, they are not considered dangerous since they do not carry any diseases. Contrary to popular belief bed bugs also cannot fly.

Female bed bugs only need to be inseminated once to produce eggs throughout their entire lifespan. This can be up to one year in ideal circumstances. Once an adult, a female can lay up to eight eggs per day. You will usually find eggs in clusters of up to fifty units.

After eggs hatch, the bed bugs have to undergo five nymph stages before maturing into adult bed bugs. Each bed bug will feed every 5 10 days and their entire lifecycle from egg to adult takes 5-10 weeks in ideal circumstances.

Bed bugs are a significant pest problem in the USA, especially in highly populated areas. They are known for their ability to survive and thrive in a range of environments, and combined with their small size, elusive nightly behavior, and ability to survive several months without a blood meal makes them a difficult pest to detect and eliminate.

If you have a bed bug infestation, it is best to find it early, before the infestation becomes established or spreads. Treating a minor infestation may be an inconvenience, but is far cheaper and easier than treating a widespread infestation.

How to quickly check for bed bugs? Undress your mattress and open the seams and folds on all sides of the mattress. Check the baseboard. If you have infestation chances are very high you will find a bed bug or at least their Signs.

Regrettably, bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation. Although there are some potential commonalities (e.g. biting areas on the face, neck, arms, shoulders; cluster/sequences/zigzag patterns of bites, etc) there can be many other reasons for redness on the skin beside bed bugs. Besides other insects (e.g. mosquitoes or chiggers), there are also skin rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even skin problems (e.g. hives). Some people do not react to bed bug bites at all.

So where does that leave you? Bed bugs are mainly active during the night and hide during the day. This, together with their small size and great hiding skills makes them hard to find. Especially if the infestation is small or in its infancy, where only a few bugs roam your room. A better way is to search for the traces, or signs they leave behind. These are:

The more signs you find, the higher the chances of an infestation.

These signs are most commonly found in bed, but often even in its direct 10-20ft surrounding. Since there are no rules exactly where you could find them, we have prepared an exhaustive list of common and even uncommon areas you should check.

You should prepare. Grab a:

Once you have the tools at hand proceed to check the following bed bug hiding spots.

Regardless of the location, remember to always inspect every Crack, Crevice, Corner, Joint, Hole, and Side of or on the inspected element. Do not only glance over them, but use your hands or tools to widen the gap or remove the surfaces, and investigate the insides or underneath. If you see signs of bed bugs or suspect they are in an element, do not hesitate to disassemble it and inspect its interior. Make sure to take care of safety while conducting the investigation.

If you have checked all those areas and found neither bed bugs, nor their signs, then you most likely do not have them.

On the other hand, continue with the investigation if have found their signs. If you are treating the room you should investigate the following location as well, as even a single fertilized female bed bug can reinfest your apartment.

The chances of finding a bed bug in these locations are smaller than in the locations mentioned above. Nevertheless, verification is recommended, since bed bugs have been found in all of these locations.

If you have electrical outlets, lights, detectors, or other electrical equipment you need to consult with a professional about a safe disassembly and inspection.

With their size so small and many bugs looking alike, one may often confuse other bugs for bed bugs. You may resort to comparing your bug with other photos of bed bugs or you can simply use This automatic online tool where you upload your photo and it will tell you if it is a bed bug or not. It is a one-of-a-kind Online Tool that will help you identify Bed Bugs anytime and anywhere, completely free of charge with a snap of a button. You can check the tool here: identify.bedbugguide.com.

Once it is confirmed you have found a bed bug, proceed to the article 6 Steps to Take Immediately after Discovering Bed Bugs. Do not delay, as every additional day only gives the pest a chance to spread at a speed of up to 8 eggs/day per one inseminated adult female bed bug!

If however, you have been investigating the areas for treatment we recommend proceeding to select a treatment type. Consider SayByeBugs for minor and controlled home infestations. Its proven effectiveness and versatile applicability to all water-safe surfaces will ensure you can kill them in almost every situation. Being non-toxic and untraceable will ensure you need not worry about smell, stains, and your health. Just be weary around electricity and never spray it on elements with electrical current in them.

If, however, you need more help deciding which type of treatment is best for you may check the next article: How to Choose the Right Bed Bug Treatment?.

If you already know the basics about selecting a treatment type you may jump directly to this comprehensive treatment comparison tool.

Check this 2 min video below that explains the basics and how you can Easily Get Rid of them by Yourself.

Click on the links below to learn more.

Click on the links below to learn more.

If you really want to get rid of bed bugs today try SayByeBugs! It was developed as a safe and highly effective alternative among a sea of products that rarely deliver on their promises.

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How to Check for Bed Bugs - Bed Bug Guide