In any war with bed bugs it is crucial to spot the bed bug invaders as soon as possible if you don’t they will multiply quickly and inflict many bites on you and make it increasingly expensive for treatment from a certified pest control exterminator.

Your first indication will probably be bites; bed bug bites usually come in groups of threes. People react differently to the bites. Some people have the bites swell up badly and others hardly get any kind of reaction.

Bed Bugs don’t like hair so the bites will be in places on your body where there is less hair.

Bed really are nocturnal and you will likely only see them between 2 AM and 4 AM, but if the infestation is large you may see them at other times.

Bed bugs themselves are wingless insects with reddish brown tint, larvae and younger bed bugs are usually translucent becoming white or gold till they feed. (After all bed bugs feed they will have a more reddish appearance).Adults are small in size 4-5 mm in length and 1.5 mm in width and are oval and flat.

However, they are expert at hiding. You are much more likely to see blood smears on the sheets, their fecal matter(looks like a pepper spray) or the bed bug casings and skin that they have shedded. They shed their skin 5 times before reaching full size. Bed bug eggs are pretty much invisible to the human eye but very sticky and help explain why bed bugs spread so efficiently.

The fecal matter spray, shedded skin and blood smears are the signs you must focus on. Peel back the sheets on your bed and look in the crevices of your mattress at the head of bed, specifically the crevice between the box spring and the mattress. This is a primary hiding place as bed bugs like to be close to their food source.

Also check around the head board, it cannot be repeated enough how adept they are a hiding in notches of the head board and bed frame. You almost have to conclude that to find them you will need to disassemble the head board and frame as they almost intrinsically know what needs to be unscrewed to see them.

Bed Bugs can hide almost anywhere under baseboards and carpets, behind the plastic of electrical outlets and picture frames, underneath loose wall paper, inside clocks, phones, televisions.

Also don’t assume you have only one colony.

It is highly recommended that you get bed bug certified mattress and box spring covers which prevent the bed bugs from getting out or in of your mattress and box spring, thus saving your bed and protecting you.

The best way to find them is with a highly trained bed bug dog. A properly trained dog and their superb sense of smell can detect bed bug eggs which the human eye can barely see and bed bugs.

Defining the scope and location of the bed bug infestation quickly will save you time, money and mental trauma. Bed bug trained detection dogs do this better than anything else.

Another great way to expose bed bugs is the Bed Bug Beacon Active CO2 Monitor And Trap. The beacon is popular for individuals and pest control operators wanting to know if bed bugs are present.

We also highly recommend bed bug interceptors. These are the first line of defense from bed bugs getting to your bed. This can be a great way to stop bed bug bites, or just a way to detect the bed bugs.

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Bed bugs are really nasty little creatures, and as pesky as they are, they’re also stealthy. Here are some cool tips to detect those irritating bugs.

Search for their waste

Search yourself for bites

One of the biggest evidences of bed bug infestation is bed bug bites. Bed bug bites symptoms are very hard to identify because it takes a while before you feel the itchy sensation. They are also very hard to compare with other insect bites because they are closely identical. Even though it is usually an itchy bite that we ignore, there are some cases wherein it reaches a large magnitude. There are some cases when bed bugs bite baby infants and transfer diseases like hepatitis b and Chagas disease.

Search for their lairs

If there are bugs, then they must be hiding somewhere. Their hiding places include crevices in the mattress, holes, the folds in the linens, nearby carpets and furniture, curtains and many more. Seeing a live one may be unlikely but seeing a dead one is a first sign that bed bugs are really present in the area.

Catch them red handed

If you still want solid proof that there are bed bugs around, then you may want to stay up late and see them for yourself. Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures, so have a flashlight with you in your sleep. Turn the lights off and wake up at around dawn. With the flashlight, watch the bedbugs slowly creep through your sheets. This, however, does not guarantee a 100% sighting especially if you only have a few.

Climb Up Detectors

If you really want solid evidence that there are bed bugs around then you may want to try the climb up interceptors/detectors.   Deceptively simple these devices with their two capture areas can protect you but in some ways more importantly will give you samples to confirm that you have bed bugs.   And secondly determine if the bed bugs are coming from areas away from or off the bed or on the bed and attempting to leave the bed.  One capture area is for bed bugs coming from a nest off the bed and the other  capture receptacle from bed bugs on the bed.  This will  givie valuable information to find their lair and if they are off the bed protect you at night as  you weight the decision to opt for pest extermination. These climb up interceptors are a good investment.

Bed Bug Dogs

Dogs ability to smell is 10,000 times superior to humans.  Specially trained dogs that have completed a 6 month course are the best  way to determine if you have bed bugs and where they are hiding.  These dogs can also smell and detect bed bug eggs.  They are in the high 90% of accuracy.  Many pest control companies have them available and although they are expensive; the peace of mind if they do not find them is often worth it and conversely the pest control companies will frequently apply at least a portion of the dog inspection charge against the cost of treatment.   I have seen pest control dog handlers come in first and do a visual inspection themselves and not charge you for the dog inspection in cases where the bed bug infestation is obvious.  Find local pest control companies with bed bug dogs.