How to Check for Bed Bugs: A Complete Overview of Signs, Symptoms, and DIY Inspection!

If you see itchy bite marks in clusters or a zig-zag pattern on your body, and they appear quite frequently, chances are you have bed bugs in your house. Other signs to check for bed bugs include dark spots on bedding and mattress seams, along with blood stains, and molted skins in furniture joints, and cracks in walls. Catching them early is pivotal to preventing the infestation from growing bigger. As bed bugs reproduce rapidly and spread fast, knowing how to check for bed bugs helps you detect the problem early.

Find out how and where to look for bed bugs in this quick and easy read.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bugs exhibit distinct appearances at various life stages. You can get a better idea of what to look for with the help of this table:

Life Stage	Size	Color	Shape
Eggs	1mm (pinpoint)	Pearly white	Oval-shaped and flat in appearance
Nymphs	1-4mm (pinhead to the size of rice grain)	Translucent white and turn darker when they feed	Flat and oval-shaped like adults, but smaller in size
Adults	1-4mm (pinhead to the size of a rice grain)	Pale brown when empty stomach and turn reddish brown after feeding	Elongated, more like a grain

Where to Look for Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are excellent at hiding. As they survive by sucking blood and prefer humans over all other living beings, it is important to look for them in the tight, dark spaces near and around places you sleep and hang out. That said, they multiply at an alarming rate, so they’re likely to spread throughout your home. Inspecting your place thoroughly is critical because missing even a few of them can result in a massive infestation.

We have broken down their common harborage (hiding spots), so you know exactly where to check for bed bugs.

Common Hiding Places of Bed Bugs in the Bedroom

Bed bugs seek any opportunity to get closer to their favorite food source, humans, which is why they are commonly found in bedrooms. They are likely to nest in the following spots:

• Mattress Seams: Mattresses are cozy and present the perfect breeding ground for bugs, so be sure to check the folds, crevices, and stitching carefully.
• Tags: Check the tags of sheets, pillows, and mattresses for eggs and nymphs.
• Bed Frames And Box Springs: Inspect the joints and corners of the bed frame. Also, check underneath it for bug colonies.
• Bed Legs And Headboards: Bugs are often found on the headboards and bed legs, so be sure to inspect them, especially if your bed is attached to the wall.
• Bed Linen and Pillows: If you spot dark fecal stains or blood spots on the sheets, spreads, and pillows, they are likely infected with bed bugs.
• Dressers, Drawers, And Nightstands: Examine the underside of dressers, nightstands, and drawer chests. Also, check any cracks and crevices in them.

A magnifying glass and a powerful flashlight will come in handy to spot the notorious bloodsuckers.

Common Hiding Places of Bed Bugs in Furniture & Other Areas

Bed bugs love bedrooms, but they also prefer dark and cozy spaces. You’ll find them in cluttered spaces and furniture. Here are some more places to look for bed bugs:

• Recliners and Couches: Check the cushions, seams, stitching, and sides of couches, recliners, and sofas. Don’t forget to look under them as well.
• Curtains and Chairs: Examine the fabric, folds, and stitching, as well as the point where the fabric meets the walls, when inspecting curtains.
• Baseboards, Electrical Outlets, and Wall Cracks: Bed bugs can squeeze into gaps as thin as your credit card, so be sure to check the tiniest of cracks in the walls, baseboards, and electrical outlets. Also, inspect around the baseboards and electrical outlets.
• Picture Frames and Wall Art: Carefully examine every picture frame, wall art, and ornamental piece you have attached to the walls. When bugs infect walls, odds are high that they’ll contaminate anything on it, too.
• Backpacks, Luggage, and Travel Bags: Many people become infected with bed bugs while traveling. If you have traveled recently, check your backpacks, luggage, travel bags, and any items you carried on your travel, including your clothes.
• Cluttered Spaces: Check every cluttered space and corner in your house, as bed bugs tend to flourish in undisturbed areas. Look for them on the cluttered spot on your desk, the pile of clothes lying for days on that ‘infamous’ chair in your room, the stuff in the garage you have collected over the years but have never touched, and similar spots.

Commercial & Office Spaces

Bed bugs hitchhike into hotels, commercial spaces, and offices. If you have traveled, check every place you’ve been to after returning home. Additionally, inspect all the places you regularly visit.

• Office Space: Check your work desk, drawers, cabinets, files, chairs, couches, curtains, seams, upholstery, and every possible area where you sit and that you use. And look underneath every item as well.
• Carpets and Cubicle Panels: Don’t forget to inspect carpets, rugs, and cubicle panels thoroughly.
• Public Transit: Examine public transport such as trains, taxis, and buses. Check the headrests, seats, crevices in the seats, and underneath them.
• Hostels and Hotels: Inspect all the headboards, beds, bedding items, mattress seams, cabinets, drawer sets, shelves, and luggage racks in these places.

How to Check for Bed Bugs at Home All by Yourself?

If you are suspicious that bed bugs have infested your home, it is natural to have the temptation to spot them yourself. DIY inspections, especially when done early, can catch an infestation in a timely manner, but they might miss out on some of these creepy crawlies. It is always a wise move to opt for a professional inspection. That said, if you want to check for bed bugs at home on your home, here’s how to do that.

Tools You’ll Need

You’ll need a few core tools for a proper inspection:

• Flashlight: A good quality, powerful one to spot the bugs in dark nooks and crevices.
• Magnifying glass: To identify the tiny nymphs and eggs, which the naked eye can often miss.
• Gloves: Wear them to keep your hands safe while examining the contaminated spots.
• Sticky Traps: To better monitor the movement of bugs.
• Credit Card or Thin Tool: To easily scrape along and inside cracks and seams.

Key Areas to Inspect

Pay special attention to the favorite hiding spots of bed bugs. Typically, these include:

• Tags, box springs, and mattress seams
• Headboards and bed frames
• Bedding items such as pillows, sheets, spreads
• Wall cracks, electrical outlets, and baseboards
• Cushions, chairs, couches, rugs, carpets, and curtains
• Dressers, drawer chests, nightstands, closets, and cabinets

Ensure to check the screw holes, joints, gaps, crevices, seams, and undersides of all the places and items mentioned above.

What Bed Bug Signs to Look For?

Check for the telltale signs when searching for bed bugs in your space:

• Itchy Bites: Itchy bug bites and marks in a zig-zag pattern or in clusters on your body, especially on the legs, arms, and back.
• Fecal Spots: Brown or black stains on fabrics, including sheets, curtains, and clothes.
• Live Bugs: Reddish brown insects the size of apple seeds.
• Eggs: Tiny, pearly white eggs stuck in crevices and joints..
• Shed Skins: Translucent shells and shed skins around electrical outlets and baseboards.
• Blood Stains: Rust and red colored blood stains on pillows, sheets, clothes, and mattress.
• Musty Odor: Infestations are accompanied by an unpleasant smell with a sweet tinge.

When you notice these signs regularly, it is time to take immediate action.

Should You Call a Professional?

DIY inspections are undoubtedly helpful, but they can never be 100% thorough and foolproof like professional inspections. If you DIY, inspections are helpful but not foolproof. Call a licensed bed bug exterminator to inspect your space if: 

• You observe recurring bites on your body, and that of your family, and other inhabitants of the house or commercial property
• See multiple signs of bed bugs as stated above, and observe them repeatedly for days
• You cannot reach the tough bed bug harbors, such as inside the walls, mattress seams, electrical outlets, etc.

Ensure to bring an expert pest control service provider on board, like Heat Solution. One of the best things about them is that they offer a FREE bed bug inspection so you can identify the infestation early and take appropriate measures to eliminate it.

How to Differentiate Bed Bugs from Other Insects?

Quite often, people confuse bed bugs with other pests such as fleas, lice, and carpet beetles, which leads to misidentification and ineffective treatment. Use the quick comparison below to differentiate bed bugs from other similar insects easily.

Feature	Bed Bugs	Fleas	Carpet Beetles	Lice
Appearance	Oval and flat-shaped. Turn reddish brown upon feeding.	Tiny, dark brown colored insects that jump on getting disturbed.	Small and round in shape, with yellow, white, or black speckles.	Pale white or grey colored, tiny pests that cling to fibers and hair.
Size	Adult bugs are 5-7 mm or 3/16 – 1/4 inch long in size.	1mm to 4mm in size.	2mm to 4mm in size.	1mm to 3mm in size.
Bites	Red and itchy. They are clustered in zig zig-zag form.	Small, red-colored bites that you’ll usually spot around your ankles.	Don’t really bite, but their larvae irritate the skin.	Causes intense itching on the body hair or scalp.
Habitat	Cracks, furniture, mattress, and bedding.	Upholstery, pets, pet beddings, and carpets.	Fabrics, carpets, and stored items.	Hair, bedding, and clothing seams.
Movement	Crawl very slowly.	Can jump quite long distances.	Larvae crawl, and the adult beetles fly.	They crawl as they cannot fly or jump.
Signs	Fecap spots, blood stains, bite marks, molted skins, and musty odor.	The existence of black specks known as flea dirt. Also, check if your pets start scratching themselves like crazy.	Fabric damage and shed skins.	Visible lice and the nits (eggs) are tightly attached to hair.

What’s Next After Detection?

If you have spotted signs of bed bugs and even detected them in specific spaces, avoid moving any item or placing it with a clean item, as that can spread the infestation. The right approach to move forward is to immediately contact a certified professional to inspect your space. They will verify if an infestation exists, identify its type, determine the problem’s full scope, and advise a suitable treatment accordingly.

Heat Solution is an expert and licensed pest control service provider that serves the Greater Toronto Area and 100 miles around it with top-rated treatment options such as:

• Heat Treatment: Safe, chemical-free, eco-friendly, and powerful treatment option that uses advanced heating techniques and high temperatures to kill bed bugs at every life stage in only 6 to 8 hours.
• Aprehend® Biopesticide: An eco-friendly barrier solution that offers long-term relief from bed bugs and other pests.

Remember, early detection is crucial to keep your home safe from bed bugs. Call Heat Solution to schedule your FREE, no-obligation inspection today.

Final Verdict

Inspect your place regularly, as this is your best defense against all types of pests, including bed bugs. Early detection is critical to keep the infestation from spreading. Plus, it saves money, time, and energy. The instant you suspect a bed bug crawling in your space, schedule your FREE inspection with Heat Solution right away.

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