Checking bed bugs is important to eliminate and prevent future growth of bed bugs. The checking includes inspecting common hiding spots and recognizing signs of their presence. Start the inspection with the mattress and bed frame, focusing on seams, crevices, and the bed skirt. Look for blood stains, dark spots, shed skins, tiny eggs, and other common signs on bedding and nearby furniture.
You should also check your personal belongings, such as dirty laundry or travel bags. Bed bugs love to hide in those places. Pay attention to the sweet and musty smell. You can also see live bed bugs or their eggs on mattress seams.
After checking, eliminate them by vacuuming the area, washing the clothes, using heat treatment, and getting professional help.
How to Check for Bed Bugs – Step-by-Step
What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs look like a flat, oval-shaped insect with an apple seed size (4–7 mm). They are brown in color but turn reddish after feeding human blood. Nymphs are comparatively smaller than adult bugs and lighter in color. Eggs are white and about 1 mm in size. They have six legs, small antennae, and no wings.
Understand Bed Bug Behavior
You need to understand the behavior of bed bugs before checking for them. Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feed on human blood during the night. These bugs are drawn to body heat, carbon dioxide, and areas to feed. They hide in dark spaces, cracks, and crevices close to their food sources during the day and come out at night. Their movement is not so fast. However, their ability to hide makes it difficult to find them.
Look for early signs
Detecting early signs is important to prevent full-blown infestation. Early signs include dark spots or blood stains on mattresses, bedding, and nearby furniture, brownish-red stains for crushed bugs, musty odors, shed skins, eggshells, and live adult bedbugs.
How to Check for Bed Bug Bites
Bed bug bites appear as clusters or in a zigzag or random pattern on exposed skin, such as the face, neck, arms, and hands. Check itchy red welts. They even sometimes resemble flea bites.
How to Check for Bed Bug Eggs
Bed bug eggs are 1mm in size, white in color, and oval in shape. Check mattress seams, furniture crevices, and baseboards for clusters of eggs. Try magnification tools since they are hard to see with the naked eye. Other common signs include,
Inspect hiding areas
Once you are sure about bed bugs’ existence, it is time to inspect their hiding areas to take necessary actions.
How to Check Beds for Bed Bugs
Beds are the favorite place for bed bugs. Inspect the mattress seams, bed frame, and bed skirt for live bugs and their eggs or other signs. Try finding them at night by using a flashlight. Remove the mattress quickly and check the frame.
How to Check Couches for Bed Bugs
Couches are a good place for bed bugs due to the availability of food sources. Check cushions, seams, and underneath the couch. Look into the crevices where the fabric meets the frame or near the couch skirt.
How to Check Wood Furniture for Bed Bugs
Apart from the beds and couches, wood furniture is a good hiding place for bed bugs. Check the cracks, drawer joints, and behind picture frames. Inspect the tiny crevices with a flashlight to find them. Remember that bed bugs often hide in dark spaces.
How to Check for Bed Bugs in Carpets
Do not leave the carpet since bed bugs often hide under the carpet. Check the edges of the carpet and underneath the furniture. Try a vacuum cleaner to remove hidden bugs in fibers.
How to Check New Furniture for Bed Bugs
New furniture is not immune to bed bugs. It can harbor bed bugs as well. Inspect all fabric seams, wooden joints, and underneath cushions for signs.
Investigate gaps around electrical outlets and ceiling corners
Bed bugs often hide small, overlooked spaces, including gaps around electrical outlets. Turn off the power and use a flashlight and magnifying glass to examine the bugs.
Use Tools for Detection
Using tools is the best way to detect bed bugs. Here are some common tools to use.
- Flashlights are good for finding bugs since they like to stay in dark places.
- Magnifying glass to find the eggs, cast skins, and smaller bugs.
- Hairdryers or heat guns to bring the bugs out of hiding places using extreme heat.
- Steam cleaners to clean the furniture deeply and kill bugs and eggs.
Conduct Post-Travel Inspections
Traveling and coming home with baggage, suitcases, and clothes are the best ways to give the bugs access to your home. Vacuum suitcases and store them away from your room. Wash your clothing, even unworn items, in hot water and dry them on high heat. Inspect shoes and other belongings to find bed bugs.
Take professional help
Take professional help to meticulously find bugs from secret places. Pest control experts are specialized in modern tools to find hidden colonies.
How to check for bed bugs in a hotel
1. Wait to Unpack
Do not unpack your luggage right after getting into the hotel room. Place the luggage on a hard surface, such as a luggage rack, away from the bed, carpet, or upholstered furniture. Bed bugs hide in fabric items and can easily transfer to your belongings.
2. Thoroughly Examine the Mattress and Bed
Check the mattress seams, bed frame, and bed skirt for telltale signs of infestation, such as black stains, blood spots, or live adult bedbugs. Use a flashlight to inspect hiding places, such as crevices and corners.
3. Inspect Walls, Ceilings, and Baseboards
Inspect the walls, ceiling, and dark spaces. Look for signs, such as black stains or random patterns of dark spots near baseboards, outlet covers, and wall fixtures.
4. Check Furniture and Upholstered Items
Inspect all upholstered furniture. Check cushions, seams, and the underside. Look into the drawer joints, picture frames, and desks for bugs. Don’t overlook carpet edges or the legs of furniture.
5. Store Clothes Safely
Clothes are the best place for bed bugs to transmit from hotel to house. Use sealed plastic bags for your clean clothes and keep them separate from hotel furniture.
6. Check Luggage Before Leaving
Finally, check your luggage before repacking. Inspect every item for evidence of bed bugs. Clean your suitcase and used clothes with soapy water before leaving to eliminate hidden pests.
Close-up pictures of bed bug bites – add pictures
How to get rid of bed bugs
- Clean and wash your infested fabric with hot soap water and dry them on high heat.
- Vacuum mattresses, furniture, and carpets properly, especially crevices and seams.
- Use a steam cleaner to kill bugs and eggs.
- Cover the mattresses and box springs with bug-proof bed covers.
- Reduce clutter as much as possible to limit hiding places.
- Seal gaps in walls, baseboards, and around electrical outlets.
- Call pest control professionals for heat treatments or advanced solutions for severe infestation.
Places bed bugs live
- Mattress seams and edges
- Box springs and bed frames
- Upholstered furniture and cushions
- Shelters
- Carpet edges and under rugs
- Drawer joints and dresser corners
- Cracks in walls and baseboards
- Electrical outlets and light switches
- Dorm rooms
- Cruise ships
- Behind picture frames and wall hangings
- Curtain folds and drapery edges
- Under bed skirts and bedding folds
- Hotels
- Rooming houses
- Inside luggage, backpacks, and handbags
- In cluttered areas or piles of clothing
- Apartments
- Buses
- Trains
FAQ
Do bed bug bites itch?
Yes, bed bugs bite itch. Sometimes, they can cause allergic reactions in some people.
What kills bedbugs permanently?
Pesticides, soap water, and extreme heat can kill bedbugs permanently.
What smell do bedbugs hate?
Lavender, tea tree, and peppermint oil are some common smells that bedbugs do not like.
What is bed bug weakness?
Bright light, extreme heat or cold, and open areas are the weakness of bed bugs.
Can bed bugs fly?
No, bed bugs cannot fly. But since they stay near the hiding places, they can easily hide when you find them.
Can bed bugs live in your hair?
No, bed bugs cannot live in your hair.
Where do bed bugs come from?
Bed bugs come from infested spaces like hotels, used furniture, public transportation, and shared housing through luggage, second-hand items, and personal belongings.
Need professional Help?
Contact Termite Specialist for a bed bug examination. We pride ourselves on taking care of your bed bug issues as a priority to solve them. Call us at +65 6910 3776 or contact us. You can visit our office to get more info. Get direction.
