SIGNS OF A BED BUG INFESTATION

You’ll sometimes read that when you get bed bugs, you’ll know, but this is not always so. Bed bug detection can be very difficult, and any infestation can easily go undetected, particularly during the early stages when only a few bugs or eggs are present. But in a big city like Manhattan, it’s best to be safer than sorry!

Even a qualified inspector will be challenged when the entire infestation consists of only one or two bed bugs or eggs that are present on a piece of luggage that made it back to your house after a recent hotel stay.

Don’t expect more obvious signs like bites to tip you off to the presence of bedbugs either, as they can often resemble those of other insects. A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses (caused by crushed bed bugs), dark spots (bed bug excrement), eggs and eggshells, which are tiny and pale