Inspection for Bed Bugs

If you believe you have a bed bug infestation, you need to undertake a thorough inspection of the areas where you sleep. Keep in mind that bed bugs can squeeze into the smallest of crevices and cracks. Anywhere that a credit card can easily slide into, bed bugs can too, so they should be checked. Give your pets a thorough examination too, because they will prey on animals too if there is a lack of human hosts available. You should start your search in the tufts and seams of your mattress because that is where an infestation of bed bugs will commence in the early stages. After that, they will move onto any cracks in your bedframe. Then into the baseboards, carpet edges, windows, door casings, wallpaper, pictures, peeling paint and any other similar areas. You should cover a 10 to 20-foot area around your sleeping location. This the average radius that a bed bug will travel from its host. Be on the lookout for blood spots on bed sheets, which will indicate that you have biting bed bugs. Any brownish-black spots are the fecal matter of the bugs; exoskeletal shells may also be evident.

Some areas that you should focus on during your search are:

• Creases, tufts and folds, and seams of your box spring and mattress.
• Headboard and screw holes and any cracks in the bed frame.
• Carpet edges, in particular behind your bed
• The drawers of any nightstand and dresser
• In between any cushions of upholstered furniture.
• In the folds of curtains or other drapery
• Window casings and door surrounds
• Peeling paint, loose wallpaper, posters, and paint, etc
• Plaster cracks
• Radios, clocks, telephones and other similar places

Write down every room that you check and the location of the bed bug signs. Although it is not likely that any infestation will go further than what you are seeing, it is a good idea to have all the information written down so you can provide this to your Pest Control expert so they can deal with it.

Live Bed Bugs

Fecal Stains

Fecal Stains on Mattress

Bed Bug Exoskeleton