Bed bugs: How to spot them, prevent them and protect your home

Bed bugs can cause a lot of stress. But knowing what they look like, where they hide and how they spread can help you avoid bringing them home.

These tiny, bloodfeeding insects have become a growing pest problem in the U.S. over recent decades.

Awareness and a few simple habits are the best ways to avoid them, said Robert Puckett, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist and associate professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology.

Theyre showing up everywhere hotels, theaters, aircraft, buses, trains, he said. Unfortunately, youve probably been around bed bugs before and just didnt know it.

Bed bugs are easier to identify than you might think.

Adult bed bugs are small, flat, wingless and reddish-brown. Theyre about the size, shape and color of an apple seed, Puckett said.

Young bed bugs, called nymphs, are much smaller and lighter in color until they feed.

Bed bugs dont spread disease-causing pathogens, but their bites can cause itchy welts. Bites often appear in a line because of repeated probing while feeding.

For more information, learn about the bed bug life cycle and treatment for bites.

Typical signs that are easy to look for include:

Bed bugs feed at night and typically hide during the day. Common hiding places include mattress seams, headboards or nearby furniture.

They can survive weeks to months without feeding, depending on the temperature.

Travel, especially hotel stays, is the most common way people encounter bed bugs, Puckett said.

They dont cling to your body like lice or ticks. Instead, they hide in places where people sleep or sit for long periods, like mattresses, recliners and upholstered seats. They can crawl into nearby personal belongings and then travel home with their hosts.

Puckett suggests a simple habit when entering a hotel room: keep your luggage off the floor.

Bed bugs have difficulty crawling on smooth vertical surfaces. So, he recommends placing belongings in the bathtub while you inspect the room before settling in.

Pull back bed coverings and look along the seams and rolled edges of the mattress for dark fecal spots, he said. If you see that, dont wonder if its from an old infestation. Just go downstairs, tell them what you found and ask for a different room, or find a different hotel.

Puckett said its best to call an exterminator as soon as bed bugs are discovered and not try to treat an infestation yourself.

Many populations of these insects are resistant to common insecticides. As a result, homeowners often waste time and money and expose their home to chemicals without solving the problem.

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Bed bug management can be very difficult, and products for doing so can be quite expensive, he said. Its probably cheaper in the long run to hire a pest management company.

Puckett also recommends using monitoring devices, such as pheromone-based traps, if youre concerned about bed bugs. Traps that use bed bug aggregation pheromones can detect their presence early. This can be especially helpful in apartments or dorms where bed bugs can easily move between rooms.

Bed bugs are one of those pests for which its best to be safe than sorry, he said. Take precautions when you travel, and its probably smart to monitor for them if you have concerns that they are in your home.

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Bed bugs: How to spot them, prevent them and protect your home