Nobody wants to think about bed bugs crawling around their home, but these tiny pests are more common than most people realize. The good news is that catching them early makes getting rid of them much easier and less expensive. Learning how to check for bed bugs is an essential skill that can save time, money, and a lot of sleepless nights.
This guide walks through everything needed to inspect a home for bed bugs like a professional. By following these steps and knowing what to look for, anyone can spot these sneaky insects before they turn into a major problem.
1. Gather Your Inspection Tools
Before starting the search, it’s important to have the right equipment ready. These simple tools make checking for bed bugs much more effective and help spot even the smallest signs of an infestation.
A bright flashlight is absolutely essential. Bed bugs love dark hiding spots, so a powerful LED flashlight helps illuminate all those shadowy cracks and crevices where they might be lurking.
A magnifying glass makes a huge difference when looking for the tiniest clues. Bed bug eggs are only about 1 millimeter long, and newly hatched bugs are nearly transparent. Without magnification, these tiny signs are easy to miss.
A credit card or flat-edged tool works perfectly for probing into tight spaces. An old business card, paint scraper, or putty knife can slide into narrow gaps and push bed bugs out into the open.
Plastic bags or small containers are needed to collect any evidence. If something suspicious is found, it can be sealed up and shown to a pest control professional for proper identification.
Protective gloves are a smart addition to the toolkit. Bed bugs leave behind stains and waste, so gloves keep hands clean during the inspection.
Optional items that can help include clear tape for capturing specimens and a camera or phone for documenting any findings.
2. Know What You’re Looking For
The key to successfully checking for bed bugs is knowing exactly what signs to watch for. Bed bugs themselves are small and sneaky, but they leave behind plenty of clues that give away their presence.
Live bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, reddish-brown in color, and have flat, oval bodies. After feeding, they swell up and become more reddish. Young bed bugs, called nymphs, are much smaller and can be nearly see-through, especially if they haven’t eaten recently.
Bed bug eggs look like tiny grains of white rice. They’re only about 1 millimeter long, pearly white or slightly tan in color, and have an oval shape. The eggs are usually stuck to surfaces in clusters.
Shell casings or molted skins are another telltale sign. As bed bugs grow, they shed their outer skin five times before reaching adulthood. These empty skins look like lighter-colored, hollow versions of the bugs themselves.
Fecal spots are probably the most common evidence people find. These appear as small dark spots or streaks, roughly the size of a period on a page. On fabric, these spots may bleed and spread slightly, similar to how a marker would.
Blood stains on sheets, pillowcases, or mattresses appear as small rusty or reddish marks. These happen when bed bugs are accidentally crushed while feeding or shortly after.
A musty odor can sometimes indicate a larger infestation. Bed bugs produce pheromones that create a sweet, musty smell, though not everyone can detect this odor.
3. Inspect Your Mattress and Box Spring
The bed is the number one spot for bed bugs to hide, which makes sense since they prefer to stay close to their food source. This is where any inspection should start.
Begin by stripping the bed completely. Remove all sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and mattress pads. As the bedding comes off, look carefully for any small dark spots, bugs, or blood stains.
Focus on the bare mattress. The seams are prime real estate for bed bugs. Run fingers along every seam slowly, using the flashlight to illuminate the area. Pay special attention to the piping, any tags, and the tufted areas. Use the credit card tool to gently probe into the seams and folds.
Check all four corners of the mattress thoroughly. Look for any tears or damage in the fabric, as bugs often hide inside these areas. Flip the mattress over and repeat the entire process on the underside.
The box spring deserves just as much attention. Start with the top surface, checking all the seams and folds. Look at the corners carefully, especially where the fabric is tacked or stapled to the frame.
If possible, turn the box spring over. Many box springs have a thin fabric covering on the bottom that can be carefully removed to inspect inside. Use the flashlight to peer into any openings and use the credit card tool to probe between the wooden slats.
4. Examine the Bed Frame and Headboard
After checking the mattress and box spring, the next step when checking for bed bugs is to thoroughly inspect the bed frame and headboard. These areas offer countless hiding spots that bed bugs absolutely love.
Start with the bed frame itself. Look at every joint where pieces of wood or metal connect. Bed bugs can squeeze into incredibly tight spaces, so any crack or crevice is fair game. Use the flashlight to shine light into these areas from different angles.
Check every single screw hole. These small, dark spaces are perfect hideouts for bed bugs. The credit card tool works great for gently probing into screw holes to see if anything is hiding inside.
For wooden bed frames, look carefully at any cracks in the wood. Natural cracks and splits in wood provide excellent harborage for bed bugs. Metal bed frames need attention too. Check where different metal pieces are welded or bolted together.
Now move to the headboard. If the headboard is attached to the wall, pull the bed away from the wall to get access to the back. Many bed bug infestations hide behind headboards where they’re rarely disturbed.
For upholstered headboards, examine the seams carefully, just like checking the mattress. Look where the fabric is stapled or tacked to the frame. Don’t forget to check the very top edge of the headboard and any flat surfaces where dust might collect.
5. Search Nearby Furniture
Bed bugs don’t limit themselves to just the bed. They often spread to furniture near sleeping areas, especially pieces within about 6 feet of the bed. Nightstands, dressers, and any other bedroom furniture need to be checked carefully.
Start with nightstands. Empty out all the drawers completely and place the contents in sealed bags. With the drawers empty, pull each one all the way out. Check every corner and joint inside the drawer. Look at the bottom of each drawer and examine where the bottom panel meets the sides.
Flip each drawer over and inspect the underside. Check where any hardware is attached and look along the drawer slides and guides.
Inside the nightstand itself, use the flashlight to illuminate the empty spaces where the drawers were. Check the back panel, the sides, and any dividers.
Move on to dressers using the same thorough approach. Check each drawer individually, inside and out. Pay attention to the top of the dresser too. If there are items sitting on top like lamps or picture frames, carefully inspect around and under them.
Pull larger pieces away from the wall enough to check the back panel. Bed bugs sometimes hide in the space between furniture and walls.
Any other furniture in the bedroom should get the same treatment. The key is to be thorough and methodical, checking each piece completely before moving to the next.
6. Check Upholstered Furniture
Upholstered furniture like couches, recliners, and padded chairs are favorite hiding spots for bed bugs. These pieces offer warm, dark spaces close to where people sit and rest for long periods.
Start with the cushions. Remove all seat cushions and back cushions from the furniture. Inspect each cushion individually, checking along every seam where fabric pieces are sewn together. Look at the corners especially carefully.
If the cushions have zippers, unzip them and look inside the covers. Pay attention to any tufted areas or buttons on the cushions, as these create small gaps where bugs can hide.
Now focus on the furniture frame itself. Look along all the seams where the upholstery fabric meets the frame. Use the credit card tool to gently probe into these seams.
Check under the furniture by tipping it back or flipping it completely over if possible. Many couches and chairs have a thin fabric covering on the bottom. Look where this fabric is stapled or tacked to the frame.
Inspect any exposed wood on the furniture legs and frame. Check joints, corners, and any cracks in the wood. For recliners, check the mechanical parts and any gaps in the reclining mechanism.
Office chairs and other padded chairs need inspection too. Check where the seat cushion attaches to the base and along any seams in the upholstery.
7. Inspect the Room’s Perimeter
After checking the bed and furniture, it’s time to examine the edges of the room. As bed bug populations grow, they spread outward from sleeping areas toward the perimeter walls.
Start with the baseboards. Run the flashlight along the entire length of every baseboard, looking for any dark spots, bugs, or shed skins. Use the credit card tool to gently probe along the top edge where it meets the wall.
Where carpet meets the baseboard is another spot to examine closely. Lift up the edge of the carpet slightly if possible to look underneath.
Electrical outlets and light switch plates are common hiding spots that many people forget to check. Look closely at the edges of outlet covers and switch plates for any dark spots or stains. For a really thorough inspection, consider removing the cover plates with a screwdriver to look inside.
Check behind anything hanging on the walls. Take down picture frames, mirrors, and wall decorations. Look at the back of each item and examine the wall behind it.
Look for any loose wallpaper or peeling paint. Bed bugs can slip under these loose areas and hide against the wall surface.
Examine door frames carefully. Check along the sides where the frame meets the wall and look at the hinges. Look up at the ceiling where it meets the walls. In severe infestations, bed bugs may climb walls and hide along ceiling moldings.
Don’t forget window frames and sills. Check along the edges of the window frame and in the track where windows slide open and close.
8. Search Wall Hangings and Fixtures
Items attached to or hanging on walls can provide additional hiding spots for bed bugs, especially in rooms where infestations have had time to spread.
Curtains and drapes deserve a thorough look. Take down the curtains and examine them carefully. Check along the top where the curtains hang from the rod, looking in the folds and pleats. Inspect any seams or hems, especially at the bottom.
The curtain rod itself needs attention. Take it down if possible and check inside the hollow rod by shining the flashlight into the open ends. Look at the hardware that holds the rod to the wall.
Picture frames, especially those near the bed, can harbor bed bugs. Remove each frame from the wall and check the back carefully. If bed bugs or signs of them are found nearby, consider opening the frame to look inside.
Wall-mounted lamps and sconces should be inspected. Look where the fixture attaches to the wall for any gaps. Check any decorative elements or shades on the lamp.
Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors mounted on walls or ceilings can hide bed bugs in severe infestations. Look around the edges of these devices.
Any shelving attached to walls needs inspection. Check where the shelf brackets or supports attach and look along the back edge of shelves where they meet the wall.
9. Use Bed Bug Interceptor Traps
Interceptor traps are simple but effective tools for detecting and monitoring bed bugs. These devices work even when bugs are hard to spot with the naked eye, making them valuable for early detection.
Bed bug interceptors look like small plastic dishes with a double-walled design. They create a pitfall trap that bed bugs can climb into but can’t escape from. The outer surface is textured so bugs can easily climb up, but the inner walls are smooth and slippery.
To use interceptor traps properly, place one under each leg of the bed. The bed leg should sit in the center well of the interceptor. This means using four interceptors for a typical bed with four legs.
For the interceptors to work effectively, the bed needs to be isolated. Pull the bed a few inches away from the wall so bed bugs can’t use the wall as an alternative path. Make sure no bedding or blankets are touching the floor, as these create bridges that allow bugs to bypass the traps completely.
Interceptors can also be placed under the legs of other furniture like couches and recliners in rooms where bed bugs might be present.
Once the traps are in place, leave them alone for at least one to two weeks. Check the interceptors every few days, ideally in the morning. To check a trap, carefully pick it up and look inside the pitfall area.
Keep the interceptors clean for best results. Clean them out every few weeks, and consider dusting the inside with a light coating of talcum powder to make the surface even more slippery.
Research has shown that interceptor traps are significantly more accurate than visual inspections alone for detecting low-level infestations.
10. Document and Take Action
Finding evidence of bed bugs can be stressful, but taking the right steps immediately helps resolve the problem faster and more effectively.
If any signs of bed bugs are discovered during the inspection, documentation is important. Take clear photos of anything suspicious. Capture images of any bugs found, fecal spots, blood stains, shed skins, or eggs.
Write down exactly where each sign was found. Note the date, specific location, and what was discovered. This record helps track the extent of the problem and provides useful information for pest control professionals.
If any actual bugs are found, try to collect a specimen or two. Use the clear tape to capture a bug and stick it to a piece of white paper, or place bugs in a small sealed container or plastic bag.
Contact a professional pest control company or exterminator. While this article helps with learning to check for bed bugs, actually getting rid of them requires professional expertise in most cases. Describe what was found during the inspection and show the photos and specimens.
Resist the urge to start moving things around or changing sleeping locations. If someone starts sleeping in a different room to avoid bed bugs, the bugs will eventually follow them there, spreading the infestation to new areas.
While waiting for professional help, wash all bedding, linens, and clothing in hot water and dry on the highest heat setting. The heat kills bed bugs and eggs. Vacuum thoroughly around the areas where bugs were found, but immediately empty the vacuum into a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it outside.
After professional treatment, continue to monitor for bed bugs using the inspection techniques learned here. Keep checking regularly for at least a year to make sure the infestation is completely gone.
Conclusion
Learning how to check for bed bugs is an essential skill that helps catch these pests early before they become a major problem. By following these ten steps and knowing what signs to look for, anyone can conduct a thorough inspection of their home.
Remember that the key to success is being methodical and patient. Take time to check each area carefully, use the proper tools, and don’t skip any spots. Bed bugs are small and sneaky, but they leave behind plenty of evidence if someone knows where to look.
If bed bugs are found, don’t panic. While these pests are certainly unwelcome, they can be eliminated with professional treatment. The early detection made possible by regular checking makes treatment faster, easier, and less expensive.
Taking the time to check for bed bugs regularly is one of the best ways to protect a home and family from these persistent pests. With the knowledge and techniques from this guide, anyone can become their own bed bug detective.
