Evidence of bedbugs can be hard to find. They are extremely good at hiding, and only come out to feed every several days. One question we get often is what would lead someone to think they may have bedbugs, so we developed this list of potential signs. Keep in mind you can have NONE of the signs on this list and still have bedbugs, or you can have several things on this list and NOT have them. These are just things that we have had customers experience.

• Finding a live or dead bedbug- This is the only thing on this list that is 100% sure sign you have them. Especially if you find one crawling around in the daytime. As strange as it may sound, many people actually miss this sign as they do not know what a bedbug looks like and mistake them for ticks or "just some bug". (There are some images of bedbugs here.) If you see something you are concerned MAY be a bedbug, try your best not to squash it beyond all recognition, despite any natural inclination to do so. We recommend grabbing a large piece of scotch (clear) tape, fold the tape over, and stick it in a ziplock type bag. Then you can either take it to an experienced Pest Control Operator or send it to your county or state extension entomologist for a positive ID. Keep in mind that if you show it to your "bug guy/gal", they may not know what it is if they have not had training on bedbugs.
• Fecal Stains- (this is a nice way of saying bedbug poop)- These are easy to miss, especially if your sheets or furniture are very dark colors. They look almost like someone sprinkled pepper on your sheets or furniture, but it doesn't come off by just brushing at it. If you dab at them with a paper towel soaked in hot water or hydrogen peroxide, they will disolve and streak.
• Blood stains- Sometimes you can roll over on an engorged bedbug right after it has fed. When this happens, the bug will "pop", leaving a smear or spot of blood on the sheets where you crushed it.
• Bites- This one is not as easy as it sounds. Not everyone reacts to bedbug bites. Some people think MOST people don't react to bedbugs bites. What this can mean is say one spouse is looking like they are getting chewed up from head to toe, while the spouse sleeping next to them doesn't have a mark on them. This often leads people to believe they are having some sort of allergic reation to say a detergent, when in reality they are having an allergic reaction to bedbug bites. Add in to this that in some people the bites don't show up for up to TWO WEEKS! So the bug that bit you last Wednesday won't show any marks til next weekend. Some indications that bites may be from bedbugs:
  • Bites that show up in the middle of winter when there are no mosquitos or other biting insects around. (Remember, when you set the thermostat on your heater to 70, the bedbugs snuggled up in your bed thank you)
  • Bites in rows that run along the length of arms and legs, typically in patterns of 3 bites in a row (the bedbugs call them breakfast, lunch and dinner)
  • Bites that only appear on skin exposed during the night, say hands and feet or on your face
  • Bites that are present when you wake up that weren't there when you went to sleep
  • Bites that show up after a very hot shower (we don't know why people report this, but they do)
  • Bites that keep showing up for weeks or months on end