Common Signs Bed Bugs Leave Behind

Do you think you might have bed bugs? Have you been on a trip recently and heard that bed bug infestations often occur when people return home from a trip? Do you have college-age kids who came home for the holidays, and made the connection that this is one of the ways bed bug infestations begin? Or is it worse? Have you started getting bites or finding bugs in your home that you think may be bed bugs?

No matter what your situation, the following guide should help you to figure out if you have bed bugs in your home, and give you some helpful advice if you do.

Bed bugs can't help but be bed bugs. Because bed bugs all act the same way, you can expect the following signs to appear in your home if you have a bed bug infestation:

Shed Skins

These insects go through 5 stages of development. As a bed bug passes from one stage to the next, it sheds its skin. This shed skin will appear pale in color if it is shed by a bed bug that has recently hatched from its egg. As a bed bug develops, its shed skins will become more tan in color and eventually brownish red.

Wherever bed bugs infest, you can expect to see shed skins. The larger the infestation, the more skins will be present. They will be clinging to the fabrics of upholstered furniture. They will be littered on the edge of carpets. They will be stuck on mattresses and box spring. They may also be found clinging to sheets, pillowcases, and bedding.

Bed bugs are reclusive insects so the majority of shed skins will be found inside creases, recesses, pockets, holes, between mattresses and box springs, under couch cushions, and other secluded locations.

When you find shed skins, it is likely you'll see other bed bug signs present. The more signs you see, the more likely you are looking at an area of infestation, rather than a location bed bugs have been passing through.