Keep in Mind
- Bed bug inspections are tedious and can take 1-2 hours for a standard size bedroom
- Bed bugs are exceedingly wary and cautious and their hiding places tax the patience and ingenuity of all in search of their presence
- Do not bring extra items into infested rooms
What to look for while inspecting
- Bed bugs
- Blood spots, fecal stains
- Cast exoskeleton skins
- A sweet or musty odor
Identifying Bed Bugs
- Adult Bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed
- Hungry bed bugs are flat with a circle shaped abdomen
- Blood fed bed bugs are elongated with a long, tapered abdomen
Bed Bug Exoskeletons
- Bed bugs shed their skin to grow – cast skins or exoskeletons
-
Egg
Nymph
(5 Molts)
Adult
Rusty Blood Spots / Fecal Stains
- Try to feed every 3-7 days
- Most bed bugs double their weight with every blood meal
- ½ of blood meal is lost through the anus in the first 5 hours after feeding
Bedbug "Brood Center"
- Fecal matter, egg shells, and cast exoskeletons accumulate in brood centers
Bed Bug Odor
- Bed bugs emit a unique sweet, musty odor
Population Density
- In 70°F temperature conditions, if 40 bed bugs are in a room May 2, by November 2 the population would reach 5,905 bugs!
Inspection Tips
- Do not remove anything from the infested room before inspection / treatment
- Assume all clutter around bed is infested
-
Inspect likely hiding spots first (5-10 feet around sleeping area)
- Mattress
- Box springs
- Bed Frame / Headboard
- Night stand
Bed Bug Inspection Sites
- Bed bugs prefer to feed at night. During the day they are found hiding in cracks and crevices.
-
Likely hiding places may include, but are not limited to:
- Seams in mattresses
- Cracks in bed frames and head boards
- Crevices in box springs
- Behind loose wallpaper
- Any clutter around or under the bed
