Bed bugs are small, flat and good at hiding, so most people spot the marks before the insects. Here is what to check on the bed and how to avoid mixing them up with other bugs.
An unfed adult bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple pip: oval, flat and reddish-brown, roughly four to five millimetres long. After feeding it becomes longer, darker and more swollen. It has no wings and cannot jump or fly, which is the quickest way to rule out fleas. Nymphs are smaller and paler, and the eggs are tiny, whitish and stuck in cracks, so they are easy to miss without a torch.
Smell and sound are poor guides, but lighting is a great help. A bright torch held at a low angle makes tiny eggs and shed skins stand out in the grain of wood. Searching in the evening, with the bed stripped and the light behind you, gives a good chance of seeing movement along the mattress seams.
Use a torch and an old plastic card to run along crevices. Live insects are most likely close to the sleeping area, since they only need to travel a short distance to feed.
Look for tiny dark spots like pen dots, which are droppings, and small rusty smears on sheets where a feeding insect has been crushed. Pale shed skins collect in the same crevices as the live bugs. Some heavy infestations give off a sweet, musty smell, although many people never notice one. Bites alone are not proof, since reactions differ widely between people and some people do not react at all.
Carpet beetle larvae are bristly and shed pale skins that can be mistaken for bed bug skins. Fleas jump and are usually found around pets and carpets, with bites clustered around the ankles. Bat bugs look almost identical but are associated with roosting bats. Booklice and mites are far smaller. If you catch a specimen, stick it to clear tape and send a photograph, which makes identification much easier.
Timing of the bites can also offer hints. Bed bugs usually feed in the early hours, taking only a few minutes, so you rarely feel it happen. Marks are often found on the arms, neck and face of someone who sleeps with those areas uncovered. Keep a note of when bites appear and where, which will help a technician later.
Do not move bedding or furniture to other rooms, because that can spread the bugs. Wash fabric on a hot cycle, bag it and wait for advice. If you would like a professional to confirm what you have found, call 0113 347 0014 or message on WhatsApp for a free survey and quote.
Yes. Adults are about the size of an apple pip and nymphs are smaller but visible, especially on pale bedding. Eggs are tiny and pale, so a torch and magnification help. They hide during the day, so you might see marks before insects.
Not reliably. Bites can appear as red, itchy marks in rows or clusters, but flea, mosquito and mite bites can look similar. Some people have no reaction. Finding the insects or their droppings is the only dependable confirmation.
Yes. Once numbers grow they spread to sofas, wardrobes, bedside furniture, skirting and behind electrical sockets. They stay near the sleeping area at first, but a long-running problem can reach other rooms.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. There are no call-out charges and surveys are free for homes and businesses.
