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Even if you’ve never had a bed bug problem, you should know the early warning signs in order to be able to take appropriate action. Even brand-new furniture can be infested! Here’s everything you need to know about how to find the early signs of bed bugs. We’ve included lots of photos that will hopefully help you recognize this problem as soon as it arrives.
7 Common Early Signs of Bed Bugs
The seven common signs of bed bugs are:
- bed bug bites on your skin
- blood stains on your sheets
- dark specks on your sheets
- finding live bed bugs
- finding a bed bug casing
- bed bug eggs
- musty smell on mattress
Bear in mind that some of these signs might be misleading. For example, bite marks on your skin could come from different types of insects and could only be a one-time thing.
This is why if you notice something, you should look for other signs to confirm that you actually have a bed bug problem before you go all out and fumigate your mattress.
Statistics say that bed bugs are more common in some states and less common in others. So depending on where you live, you might be at a higher or lower chance of getting them. That being said, let’s look at each of these signs up close.
Bed bug bites on your skin
Bed bug bites are typically in a zig-zag or linear pattern, but they might also appear as clusters of red dots.
If your skin is sensitive, you could get swollen patches, but normally, bed bug bites look like pinkish dots. Surprisingly, about 30% of people don’t get any reactions to bed bug bites.
You’ll know that these aren’t just some random insect bites from ants in bed or something similar if they appear in the morning (or overnight). Bed bugs feed on your blood while you’re sleeping and that’s why the marks will be the most visible after you wake up.
People who are very sensitive might even get sleep disruptions and may not be aware of them. These tiny bites could wake them up several times a night, after which they would turn over and continue to sleep only to be bitten on the other side.
Blood stains on your sheets
Once a bed bug unlatches, the skin of its host might bleed for a bit longer. While eating, bed bugs release a chemical that prevents blood from clotting and forming a scab. This allows them to keep sucking liquid blood for a longer period of time, but it also means that after the bed bugs leave, the host will lose some more blood.
Another cause for blood stains is if a sleeper accidentally crushes some of the bugs while turning over.
Bed sheets covered in blood stains often point to bed bugs. Those 30% of people who don’t feel or see the bites on their skin will surely notice red spots all over the sheets.
This is just one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to sleep on white sheets! And don’t worry about the dried blood stains on your mattress or sheets – they are removable.
Dark specks on your sheets
Random dark spots on your sheets are usually a result of bed bug droppings. Digested blood has a brown or black color.
Bed bug excrement is typically found on every surface where bed bugs are crawling. This includes sheets, the mattress surface, around mattress seams, and even on bed frames. You might find it on headboards, curtains, pajamas, and any other thing that came in contact with bed bugs.
Human blood contains iron, and if the infestation is left unchecked, the accumulated fecal matter starts emitting a faint rusty smell.
Finding live bed bugs
Finding them alive is the most obvious sign of these pests – you just need to identify bed bugs correctly.
If you find actual, living bugs around, you have a bed bug problem. You might not see them straight away in the daytime because they tend to stay in their hiding places and come out at night.
This is why it’s important to check all the cracks in, on, and around the mattress and the bed. You might even go to bed one night as if you were actually going to sleep, and get up after a few hours – hoping that they crawled out – turn on the lights and look at your sheets and under the sheets for any signs of live bed bugs.
When bed bug infestation is out of control, it’s really easy to find live bed bugs or any other signs of bed bugs. It’s only when the infestation has just started that you should be witty enough to find the little pests.
Finding a bed bug casing
Juvenile bed bugs leave shell casings behind as they grow bigger. People who don’t know that some insects leave skins behind might think that they are looking at a dead insect. You’ve probably seen something that looks like a dead spider, just lighter in color, hanging in a web. That’s actually a spider’s shell – the actual spider shed it because it grew too big for it.
Bed bugs shed skin the same way. You might find skins of various sizes – bed bugs have five stages of growth and shed while they are still nymphs (not mature).
Bed bug casings look yellowish, whitish, or brownish in color and have the shape of bed bugs.
Bed bug eggs
Eggs of bed bugs look like tiny grains of rice. They are about 1/32” (less than a millimeter) long and it takes 7-10 days for them to hatch. Luckily, female bed bugs don’t carry too many eggs – it’s between one and seven at a time.
Bed bugs lay eggs in crevices, seams, between cushions, and any other safe place for little bugs to hatch.
Musty smell on the mattress
Musty odor is not really one of the early signs of bed bugs because it appears later on and gets stronger after a long time. The musty smell might come from other sources, like mold somewhere in the house, or a mattress that you haven’t dried properly and is now growing mildew.
The musty odor from bed bugs is a result of:
- the fecal matter buildup,
- bed bug pheromones (the “alarm” chemicals they emit when threatened),
- dead bed bugs and shell skins.
Some people would compare the smell to rust, wet towels, or dirty laundry. This smell spreads out in severe cases so you shouldn’t rely on smell alone if you suspect bed bugs.
Places Where Bed Bugs Hide
Most bed bugs prefer hiding places where they are “tucked in”. This means any cracks and crevices, whether they are between two cushions, in the joints of furniture, or inside of the electrical outlets.
Your mattress
Bed bugs tend to hide and lay eggs in mattress seams and you should inspect all sides of the mattress, including the bottom side. You should also thoroughly inspect all mattress accessories for any signs of bed bugs.
Look through pillows, pillowcases, bed sheets, and comforters. Check out the bed frame (up and down), box spring, and headboard.
Near your bed
Bed surroundings are common bed bug hiding spots because they tend to travel – or fall – onto various surfaces.
Fecal stains might be the first sign you’ll notice, but even if you don’t see them right away, you should check nightstands – including drawer joints, dressers, rugs, storage boxes, and lamps.
Walls
Inspect all walls around the bed. Wallpaper, any wall hangings, baseboards, frames of windows and doors, outlets, and practically any place bed bugs might have reached.
You don’t have to stop searching a few feet away from the bed. If the infestation has spread out a lot, you might find bed bugs anywhere in the room.
Other furniture
Bed bugs are likely to get into upholstered furniture but they might also end up on any shelves, desks, chairs, and pet beds.
How to Find Bed Bugs
Here I’ll explain how exactly to inspect for bed bugs. You’ll need a flashlight and an old credit card.
Step 1: Examine your mattress and bedding
The first step is to look for blood and fecal stains on pillows and sheets.
Step 2: Check the edges and seams of your mattress
After that, remove the sheets and inspect every edge and seam of the mattress.
Look for bed bugs, shed skins, and eggs. Lift up the mattress and look at the bottom side as well.
Step 3: Remove mattress and check bedframe
Remove the mattress completely and use a flashlight to inspect every crevice and corner.
If there are any cracks so narrow that you can’t see inside, slide the card in and watch for any bed bug debris as you pull it out.
Step 4: Inspect other bedroom furniture
Check all other furniture using the flashlight and the card. Look at dressers, nightstands, and other things, especially wooden and upholstered furniture.
Remove any cushions and cushion covers on couches and armchairs and inspect them carefully.
Pay special attention to any – and I mean any – piece of furniture that you bought second-hand or dumpster-dived for. Such pieces of furniture often carry eggs of various insects and are the main culprit of many home infestations. This isn’t a heads-up for bed bugs only, but also for cockroaches, carpet beetles, lice, mattress worms, and other pests.
Step 5: Move furniture and check baseboards
Pull all furniture away from the walls and check the wall, carpets and corners, as well as any electric outlets.
Identifying Bed Bugs
Bed bugs have an oval body of a reddish-brown color. They have six legs and antennae. Their upper body is covered with tiny hairs.
Before feeding, bed bugs are 1/4–3/8” long and their size increases drastically once they’re fully fed.
Newly hatched bed bugs are much lighter in color but they practically have the shape of adult bed bugs.
Their white eggs are about the size of a grain of salt (1/32” long), but they look like tiny rice grains.
Can You Bring Bed Bugs Home?
Yes. If you stay at a place that is ridden with bed bugs, there’s a chance you’ll bring a few of them home.
Bed bugs can hide in your clothes or bags. This is why you need to wash all your belongings as soon as you get home from a trip.
Can bed bugs come from a hotel?
Yes. It doesn’t mean that the hotel is bad per se, but you should be careful at peak travel season as many people use the same hotel room within a short time frame. As a result, tiny bugs or their eggs might end up in some places that the hotel staff hasn’t thoroughly cleaned.
For example, if one of the hotel mattresses was obviously unused and still made, they will not be changing those sheets. But a previous guest might have placed their own clothing on that very bed and that’s when bed bug eggs might have fallen out. The next unsuspecting guest who uses it will come into contact with those eggs or hatched nymphs.
Can pets bring bed bugs into your home?
It’s highly unlikely, but in a weird twist of events, a pet could bring bed bugs into your home. However, bed bugs don’t live in animal fur like fleas or ticks, so you shouldn’t worry about this scenario.
When will I know if I brought bed bugs home?
It’s hard to know the exact time of the infestation, so it’ll be a few weeks by the time you notice anything.
It takes 7-10 days for bed bugs to hatch, and if you brought adult bed bugs home, you probably didn’t bring a lot of them. This is why it takes time – you’re likely to notice a bed bug problem only after they increase in number.
FAQs
New infestations show few blood stains (if any), minimal skin irritation from bites, minimal fecal staining and cast skins, with only a few visible eggs. Infestations usually start in one or two areas that are “hot spots” of the home and spread out from there. It might be hard to find hot spots in the first stage because of how few bed bugs are present, but following fecal matter can point towards that area.
You’ll find traces of their activity – black fecal matter, white eggs, pale shell casings, or young nymphs. Finally, you might see actual bed bugs.
They look like pink dots. It’s usually not just one dot, but several of them in a line, a zig-zag pattern, or even a cluster. Some people don’t have any skin reactions, and some might get swollen patches.
Let’s just say that mattress stores and storage facilities hire pest control professionals to spray against bed bugs. So, yes, even brand-new mattresses can be infested, although it’s unlikely and shouldn’t be a cause for concern. It’s wise to inspect any and every new piece of furniture, and that especially goes for beds.
Yes. You could have a bed bug infestation without any traces, especially at the beginning. If you have dark bed sheets, you probably won’t notice any blood stains or fecal matter. Finally, the actual bugs come out at night to feed, so they’ll be hiding during the daytime.
Conclusion
Bed bugs tend to hide from sight, but they leave traces all over the place. From skin irritation and blood stains on sheets, to black dots, eggs, and shells on your bed frame and mattress. You can even see live bed bugs crawling around.
It’s important to inspect the whole room carefully, but first, you should know where bed bugs are most likely to be found. Whether you brought them in from a trip or you got some second-hand furniture, it might take weeks before you notice the infestation.
Make sure you clean and inspect every piece of furniture that comes into your apartment, whether it’s from a store or a friend’s place.
Next step: Read our Nolah mattress review. If your bed bug infestation is completely out of control, it might be time for a new mattress. Nolah is by far the most durable and comfortable brand we’ve tried. If you aren’t sure which mattress to get, go with Nolah.
With over 5 years experience writing about sleep and mattresses, she's considered one of the go-to experts on the topic.
She likes cycling, nature, art, and languages. She pays special attention to providing you with accurate and useful information when it comes to your sleep quality.
After solving her personal sleep and tiredness problems, she is on to help others by sharing this invaluable information.
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