What are Bed Bugs? Identifying an Infestation and Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
If you spot a bed bug, here’s what you need to know
Highlights
Bed bugs are small, flat, brown insects that feed on blood.
Bed bugs hide in upholstered items and furniture.
Blood spots on furniture and clusters of bites on the skin are signs of bed bugs.
Hiring an exterminator is the best way to get rid of bed bugs.
Even the thought of finding a bed bug in your home can cause panic, especially if you don’t know much about these pests. So what are bed bugs, and how can you tell them apart from other critters, say a carpet beetle or a tick? When it comes to identifying a bed bug—and controlling a potential infestation—here’s everything you need to know.
How To Identify Bed Bugs
So what are bed bugs, and how can you tell them apart from other common pests? Bed bugs, or Cimex lectularius, are brown and oval-shaped as adults and only around 4 to 7 millimeters long, about the size of an apple seed. What makes bed bugs particularly easy to spot is that they have flat bodies, that is, until they’ve fed. After feeding on blood, bed bugs will have a reddish-brown hue and may look swollen.
Bed bugs at the nymph stage are an off-white color or translucent and less than 5 millimeters long. The eggs are about as small as a speck of dust or a pinhead, meaning you may not see them. Bed bugs can lay hundreds of eggs throughout the span of their 10- to 12-month life.
Where Do Bed Bugs Live?
Bed bugs feed on blood and require it to mature, so they need to live close to where they can feed, especially because these pests do not fly. Their tiny size and flattened bodies allow bed bugs to squeeze and crawl into the tightest of spaces.
Bed bugs tend to live in groups and often in the crevices of furniture, such as mattresses (hence the name bed bugs), couches, and even wood drawers. But you can also find bed bugs hiding in floors, walls, and upholstered or fabric surfaces.
Bed bugs are considered a public-health pest, and they can, unfortunately, hitch a ride easily from the seats of a public space, like a lobby, restaurant, taxi, or airplane, into handbags, backpacks, or luggage. You can also bring bed bugs into your home through secondhand furniture, or they can travel from one infested unit to another in multi-unit housing complexes.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
If you’re concerned about bed bugs, it’s important to keep an eye out for some key signs of an infestation. The earlier you spot these signs, the faster you can control the infestation. Check for bed bugs in common hiding spots and look for the following signs.
Visible Bed Bugs
The worst-case scenario: You may spot a bed bug or multiple bed bugs crawling around your mattress, furniture, or other household item. Bed bugs tend to hide away during the day, seeking shelter from light, so you are more likely to spot them at night or in dark areas of the home.
Blood Spots
Since bed bugs feed on blood, you may notice dried blood spots on your sheets or mattress. Don’t forget to check the underside of your mattress. The bed bug will bite the skin and feed, and when it bites, it injects an anticoagulation chemical, meaning the wound may continue to bleed even after the bed bug has fed.
Shedded Skins
The nymph-age bed bugs need to shed their skins five times before adulthood, so you may find the shells on the mattress or other furnishings. Because bed bugs need to feed before they can shed their skins, the skins are likely to be near where you sleep. The molted skins look like bed bugs, except it’s an empty shell.
Bed Bug Droppings
Yes, it’s gross, but bed bug feces is another clear sign of an infestation. The droppings will look like tiny black dots. Check along the edges of the mattress and on your sheets for signs of bed bug droppings.
Bed Bug Odors
Bed bugs emit a musty but sweet odor called alarm pheromones. If you smell this in your bedroom, it is likely a sign of a larger infestation. The smell tends only to be strong enough when the bed bugs are in a big group, and they release the odor when they feel threatened.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
When you see signs of a bed bug infestation, it’s important to start controlling the problem as soon as possible. Otherwise, the infestation can worsen, and you could spread it to others. Here are some common methods to get rid of bed bugs.
Wash Linens in Hot Water
If you spot or suspect bed bugs, strip the beds and pick up any clothing off the floors to clean. You should also clean curtains, shower curtains, pillow covers, and other linens. Wash items in hot water and dry them at a high-heat setting in the dryer.
For items that can’t be washed, put them in the dryer on high heat for a minimum of 30 minutes. The bed bugs need to be enclosed in an environment at 113°F (45°C) to die.
Vacuum Everything
You can use a vacuum along mattresses, sofa cushions, drawers, curtains, and other furnishings to help remove a bed bug infestation. After vacuuming, make sure to empty and replace the bag or filter. Toss the old bag or filter in a trash bag or other container that you can tightly seal and dispose of immediately.
Apply Steam
If you want to kill bed bugs instantly, you can use steam at 212°F (100°C) on the pests. The high heat will kill off the bed bugs, but be careful. The steam can cause burns if mishandled, and it could damage your furniture or linens and any nearby electronics. Use extreme caution when executing this removal method.
Use Commercial Bed Bug Spray
You can find commercial bed bug sprays at major home improvement stores and online retailers. Look for non-toxic varieties that don’t contain chemicals that will negatively affect the health of household members and pets. Be sure to wear protective gear, like goggles and gloves, and follow the manufacturers’ instructions for application. You will likely need to evacuate people and pets from the home for a certain amount of time described on the label, since these products may be toxic to humans and animals.
Hire an Exterminator
The most effective way to get rid of bed bugs is to hire an exterminator near you. A professional will be able to determine the extent of the infestation and use the best methods to get rid of bed bugs, from steam or heat treatments to pesticides to fumigation. Plus, the exterminator will ensure the infestation is removed safely and efficiently.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Whether you recently eradicated a bed bug problem or you’re hoping to avoid the hassle, there are several tactics you can use to keep these pests out of your home. Follow these bed bug prevention tips.
Add a Mattress Protector
A mattress protector doesn’t actually fend off bed bugs, but it makes them much easier to spot earlier. You can add a mattress protector and check it frequently for early signs of bed bugs, which will help you stop a major infestation before it spreads.
Check Beds When Traveling
You may be tempted to flop onto the inviting hotel bed after a long day of travel, but don’t. Lift the sheets and check the mattress protector and the mattress seams for signs of bed bugs, like feces or blood stains.
Keep Luggage Elevated
Similarly, it’s easy to toss your suitcase on the carpeted floor of your hotel or rental home, but instead, prop it up on the desk or luggage stand. Although bed bugs can climb, they are more likely to hang out around the floor. Also, store your dirty clothing away in a sealed bag rather than in the suitcase to avoid attracting the bugs.
Minimize Clutter
The more clutter you have, whether stacks of newspapers and books or messy piles of dirty clothes, the more places bed bugs have to hide. Declutter your space by getting rid of excess items and keeping linens stored away in airtight containers or hanging up in a closet and off of the floors.
Inspect Furniture Purchases
Before bringing a new accent chair or sofa into your home, be sure to inspect it closely, especially between cushions or along seams. Look for the signs of bed bugs to avoid bringing these pests inside.
Clean New and Secondhand Clothing
Your new thrift-store find or bargain-bin steal may have been a major deal, but it may come with some unwanted visitors: bed bugs. Make sure to wash new and used clothing items in hot water and dry on high heat before putting them in your closet or wearing them.
Cost to Hire a Bed Bug Exterminator
Bed bug extermination costs about $1,000 to $2,500 to treat an entire home, or up to $50,000 to treat a widespread infestation in a large multi-unit building. Typically, you’ll need at least a couple of visits, around $415 to $625 each, to get rid of the bed bugs, but a major infestation may require regular treatments every few weeks, every month, or each season. Consult multiple bed bug exterminators near you to get an accurate quote based on the infestation size.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bed bugs bite your body to feed on blood. When they bite, they inject an anticoagulant, which is why you may see blood stains on your sheets if you have an infestation. The bed bugs tend to bite in clusters, so the bite marks will look like itchy, red spots in zigzagging lines of three to five bites per cluster on your skin.
The bites are itchy, but for most people, they do not cause serious or long-term health complications. Itching the wound excessively could lead to an infection, and some people are allergic to bed bugs.
There are a few main causes of bed bugs. You can pick up bed bugs through traveling since these pests can hide in the seats of buses, taxis, airplanes, and other vehicles as well as seats at restaurants, hotels, and other public places. Bed bugs can also travel on purses, backpacks, luggage, and other bags. Another main cause of bed bugs is multi-unit housing, such as apartment complexes or college dorms.
Bed bugs typically will not go away on their own. If there are no humans or animals around, they will need to leave to find a host for feeding. But otherwise, bed bugs can live for several months to a year, and the adult females can lay hundreds more eggs in their lifetime. An infestation is only likely to get worse without hiring an exterminator.