How to Tell If Your Home Has a Bed Bug Infestation

If you wake up with itchy bites and notice red or black spots on your bed sheets, you may have a bed bug infestation. Although it is hard to locate bed bugs, you can get a good idea if they are present by looking for shed skins, eggs, blood spots, and fecal spots. Continue reading for tips on how to tell if you have a bed bug infestation.

 Bedroom with Plush Pillows
Concentrated Bites
Waking up with new bites is not sufficient proof that you have a bed bug problem, as it could be a rash or a bite from some other insect. Some people don’t even react to bed bug bites at all. But if you notice a concentration of itching bites on your body, it’s time to look for the other telltale signs of a bed bug infestation.

Spots, Molted Skins, and Blood Spots
Bed bugs leave quite a few signs that they are living in your home. If you have a bed bug infestation, you’ll notice black fecal spots, shed skins, hatched eggs, or blood spots in areas where the bed bugs are living or feeding. Look along the mattress seams and the mattress tag, on the box springs frame, behind the mattress headboard, the edges of carpeting, behind pictures on the wall, on ceiling/wall junctions, and near electrical outlets.

Bed Bug Aggregations
As you look for bed bug eggs, shed skins, and fecal and blood spots, you may also see multiple life stages of live bed bugs. If you notice dark spots on the ceiling or walls, take a closer look: it could be live bed bugs or fecal spotting. Look for bed bug aggregations under and near the mattress and headboard, behind loose wallpaper, behind baseboards, inside baseboard heaters, and in personal belongings, such as books, stuffed animals, and magazines.