How to check for bedbugs: Signs and hiding places

When traveling or staying away from home, it is a good idea to check bedrooms for bedbugs. This can reduce the chances of accidentally taking bedbugs home in a suitcase and developing an infestation at home.

A person may suspect they already have bedbugs if they develop zigzag patterns of bites on their body, particularly if they appear overnight.

Bedbugs are tiny insects that feed on blood. They are around 1 to 7 millimeters (mm) long and the width of a credit card. Because of their size, people often never see them. However, there may be signs of a bedbug infestation if someone knows what to look for.

Bedbugs hide in dark crevices, usually near where they can get a guaranteed blood meal. They are also attracted by body heat and the carbon dioxide that humans exhale.

To check for bedbugs, it is useful to have a flashlight and magnifying glass. It is also best to check for them at night, when they are most active.

Begin by taking the sheets and pillowcases off the bed and checking the corners of the pillows and the seams running along all four sides of the mattress.

Look under the mattress at the bed frame and box spring. Pay attention to any joints and crevices, shining the flashlight into dark areas.

Work outward from the bed, checking picture frames, bedside cabinets, floorboards, and carpets.

If a person finds signs of bedbugs, it is best to call pest control, which will use heat treatment to kill all traces of bedbugs. Alternatively, slowly passing a steamer device over affected furnishings may eradicate them.

A person can wash bedsheets and clothing at a high temperature and use a steam iron or handheld steamer to remove all traces of bedbugs. A tumble dryer may also help to kill any live insects or eggs.