How to Check Your Home for Bed Bugs

Not Sure If You Have Them?

A Simple Room By Room Inspection Guide

Not sure whether those itchy marks mean bed bugs? A short, careful inspection will tell you. Bites alone aren’t enough to go on, so this guide covers what to look for on your skin, in your bedding, and around your home. Confirming the problem comes first, before you decide what to do about it.

How hard they are to find depends on the size of the infestation. A few bugs can be tough to spot, while a larger group leaves plenty of clues. Learn what the signs look like and where bed bugs like to hide, and you will know where to start. If you would like a second opinion on what you find, Bed Bug Heaters Houston is happy to talk it through.

1. Check Your Skin for Bites

At first, you will not feel a thing. Bed bugs inject a numbing substance when they feed, so the bite is painless. The reaction comes later, as raised, itchy red welts. For some people it appears within hours, and for others it can take up to two weeks, depending on how sensitive they are.

Bites often show up in a row or small group of three, which people jokingly call “breakfast, lunch and dinner.” They are easy to mix up with mosquito or flea bites, so do not rely on them alone.

Bites alone can not definitively confirm a bed bug infestation, but they are often the initial sign that warrants further investigation. While bites do not transmit diseases, they can be distressing. Interestingly, up to 30% of people may not exhibit any reaction to bed bug bites, and this non-reactivity is even higher among individuals over 65 years old. It’s possible for multiple people in the same household to experience different reactions to bites, with some showing no symptoms despite being bitten. The duration of bed bug bite reactions varies individually, as it’s an allergic response, not an actual bite. The length of time bed bug bites last can differ greatly.

Where They Usually Appear: Bed bugs favor bare skin that is exposed while you sleep. Common spots are the inner arms, shoulders, neck, back and feet. Bites on the face are also common, since bugs often hide in pillowcases and headboards.

Why Bites are Not Proof: Bites alone cannot confirm an infestation, but they are often the first clue that makes people start looking.

They do not spread disease, though they can be very uncomfortable. Up to 30% of people show no reaction at all, and that figure is higher in people over 65.

Two people in the same home can react differently, and one may not react at all, even though both were bitten. How long a bite lasts varies from person to person, because the itching is an allergic reaction to what the bug injects.

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2. Look for Signs in Your Bedding and Furniture

  • Droppings: Tiny black dots that look like marks from a fine tipped marker. They often bleed into fabric. Look for clusters, especially near spots where bugs gather.
  • Blood Marks: Rusty or reddish smears on sheets, pillowcases, pajamas and mattress seams. They appear when a bug is crushed while you sleep.
  • Shed Skins: Bed bugs shed their skin five times before they are adults. The skins are thin, pale and hollow, and they are usually left in hiding spots like mattress seams and couch cushions, not out in the open.
  • Eggs And Eggshells: Eggs are about 1mm long, shiny and milky white. Females glue them to fabric and wood. Empty eggshells are a sign of an ongoing problem.
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3. Know What Bed Bugs Look Like

  • Young Bed Bugs (Nymphs): They grow through five stages. The youngest are tiny, pale yellow and almost invisible, so a magnifying glass helps. They get larger and darker as they feed.
  • Adults: Adults are flat, with small black eyes, antennae and six legs. Their color changes with feeding, from brownish when they are hungry to a deeper red after a meal. They move quickly across flat surfaces.

4. Know Where to Look

Bed bugs are secretive and mostly active at night. They hide close to where people sleep and rest, such as beds and sofas, and spend most of their time tucked away instead of on a person.

Furniture

  • Check the sheets, the inside of pillowcases, and the mattress, including the corners, seams, tags and box spring.
  • Furniture Nearby: Look in nightstands and dressers, including the drawers, joints and any crevices.
  • Upholstered Pieces: Check seams, zippers and under the cushions, and do not forget the wooden frame underneath.

Around the Room

  • Walls: Look for cracks in plaster or drywall, and behind wallpaper.
  • Door Frames and window coverings: Check blinds and curtains.
  • Electrical Outlets: Look around and inside them, once the cover plates are removed.
  • Moldings: Check the gap between floor moldings and the floor.
  • Carpets: Look along the edges, at the tacking strips, and under area rugs.

Your Belongings

  • Luggage And Bags: Go through every compartment of suitcases, purses and backpacks, paying attention to seams and pockets.
  • Electronics And Small Items: Look around and under laptops, alarm clocks, phones and cable boxes.
  • Wall Hangings: Take down pictures, posters and mirrors, and look behind them.
  • Storage Boxes: Cardboard boxes make good hiding spots, especially near beds or if they are rarely moved.
  • Pet Areas: Check around animal cages and pet bedding. Bed bugs prefer people, but they can live nearby.

Found Signs of Bed Bugs?

If your inspection turns up the signs above, you can start planning what to do next. Please get in touch if you have questions about what you found, and we will help you work out the next step.


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