What Do Bed Bugs Look Like? Signs & Bites

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, wingless insects that feed on human blood, usually at night while you sleep.

Adults: about 3/16 inch long, roughly the size and shape of an apple seed. They're flat, oval and reddish-brown, and they swell and turn darker red after feeding.
Nymphs (young bed bugs): smaller and pale, almost see-through, until they feed. They shed their skins five times as they grow.
Eggs: tiny, pearly white and about 1/32 inch long, often laid in clusters in seams and cracks.

A female can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime, so a few bed bugs can become a serious infestation within weeks. Adults can survive for months without feeding. They're attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide people give off, and they usually hide within about 8 feet of where people sleep.

Bed bugs are often mistaken for other insects, especially carpet beetles, young cockroaches and bat bugs. If you're not sure, keep a sample in a sealed bag or take a clear photo so a professional can identify it.

How Do You Get Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs don't come from dirt or poor housekeeping. They travel. They crawl into luggage, bags, clothing and furniture and get carried from place to place. The most common ways they arrive are:

hotels, short-term rentals and other places you stay overnight
used furniture, mattresses and bed frames
visitors' luggage and belongings
neighboring units in apartment and condo buildings, where they move along pipes and wall voids

Chicago has topped national bed bug city rankings for several years running. With busy airports, transit and dense housing, the whole metro area, including the suburbs, sees a lot of bed bug activity.

Should You Treat Bed Bugs Yourself?

We don't recommend it. Bed bugs are resistant to many store-bought insecticides, and foggers or "bug bombs" don't reach the cracks where they hide. Spraying can also drive bed bugs into nearby rooms and make the infestation harder to treat. If you think you have bed bugs, don't move furniture or bedding to other rooms, and call a professional.

Signs of Bed Bugs

Small dark spots on mattress seams, sheets or the bed frame. These are bed bug droppings, and they smear like ink when wiped.
Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or pillowcases from crushed bed bugs
Shed skins and pale eggs in seams, folds and cracks
Live bed bugs in mattress seams, box springs, headboards, bed frame joints, behind outlet covers and along baseboards
A musty, sweetish odor in heavily infested rooms

Bed Bug Bites

Bed bug bites are often itchy red welts on skin that's exposed during sleep, such as the face, neck, arms and hands. They sometimes appear in a line or a small cluster. Reactions vary a lot: some people react strongly, and some don't react at all. Because other insects cause similar bites, bites alone can't confirm bed bugs. Look for the other signs too.

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

According to the CDC and EPA, bed bugs aren't known to spread disease. They can still affect your health: the bites can itch badly, scratching can lead to skin infections, and an infestation often causes anxiety and lost sleep.

How to Avoid Bringing Bed Bugs Home

When you travel, check the mattress seams and headboard before you unpack, and keep your suitcase on a luggage rack, not the bed or floor.
When you get home, unpack outside the bedroom and put clothes straight into a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes.
Inspect used furniture carefully before bringing it inside, and never bring home a mattress left on the curb.
Fit zippered bed bug encasements on mattresses and box springs. They make bed bugs easier to spot and leave them fewer places to hide.

How Archers Pest Control Treats Bed Bugs

Our IDPH-licensed technicians inspect every likely hiding place, confirm the infestation and give you a written treatment plan with clear preparation instructions. Depending on the situation, we use targeted treatments with EPA-registered products or bed bug heat treatment, which raises the room to a temperature that kills every life stage, including eggs.

Need help? See our bed bug control service or book an inspection online.

Pest Identification Guide: Common Household

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What Do Bed Bugs Look Like? Signs & Bites