How to identify bed bugs
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects that feed on blood, usually at night. They are excellent hitchhikers — travelling in luggage, furniture and clothing — and an infestation can take hold before you ever see a bug. Recognizing the early signs is the key to treating them before they spread room to room.
What they look like
- ●Adults are about 5 mm long — roughly the size of an apple seed — flat, oval, and reddish-brown.
- ●After feeding they swell and darken to a deeper red.
- ●Nymphs (young bed bugs) are smaller and translucent to pale yellow, hard to see with the naked eye.
- ●Eggs are tiny (about 1 mm), pearl-white, and often found in seams and crevices.
Signs of an infestation
- ●Small, itchy bites — often in a line or cluster — on skin exposed while sleeping.
- ●Tiny dark spots (digested blood) on sheets, mattress seams, and box springs.
- ●Rusty or reddish smears on bedding where bugs were crushed.
- ●Shed skins, eggshells, or live bugs in mattress seams, headboards, and baseboards.
- ●A sweet, musty odour in heavily infested rooms.
Why professional treatment matters
Bed bugs hide deep in seams, cracks and furniture voids, and their eggs resist most over-the-counter sprays — which is why DIY attempts often scatter them into new rooms. Professional treatment combines thorough inspection with heat or targeted application to reach every life stage, including the eggs, so the infestation is actually eliminated.
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