Finding a bed bug in your bed can be an alarming and concerning experience. Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed on human blood while people sleep. An infestation can happen quickly and be difficult to get rid of. When you find a bed bug, it’s natural to wonder if you should continue sleeping in the bed or not. There are a few key factors to consider when making this decision.
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs, known scientifically as Cimex lectularius, are small insects that feed on human blood. An adult bed bug reaches around 5 mm in length when fully grown. Bed bugs are oval-shaped, wingless, and flattened from top to bottom. They are a reddish-brown color which allows them to blend in easily with mattresses, bed frames, and other furniture.
Bed bugs only come out at night to feed. During the day, they hide in dark crevices and cracks near sleeping areas. Some of their favorite hiding spots include mattress seams, bed frames, furniture joints, and even behind wallpaper and electrical switch plates.
The bite of a bed bug is painless initially. Bites often show up as small, itchy, red welts on exposed skin. Since bed bugs tend to bite in lines or clusters, the welts may appear in a zig-zag pattern. Scratching the bites can lead to infection. Anemia may even occur in cases of severe infestation.
Bed bugs do not transmit disease, but they can cause significant itching, discomfort, and embarrassment. Getting rid of them requires professional pest control assistance in most cases.
Where do bed bugs come from?
Bed bugs may enter a home in a few different ways:
- Hitchhiking in luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items after traveling
- Infesting used furniture or clothing brought into the home
- Migrating from adjoining apartments/units in multi-family housing
- Spreading through ductwork or false ceilings from other infested areas
They spread quickly once introduced into a home. Female bed bugs can lay up to 500 eggs over her lifetime. It only takes one pregnant female to start an infestation.
Bed bugs were largely eradicated in the U.S. by the 1950s through the use of broad-spectrum insecticides like DDT. But international travel and bans on certain pesticides led to resurgences starting in the late 1990s. Bed bugs are now increasingly common pests in homes, hotels, schools, and public spaces.
Signs of bed bugs
Some signs that may indicate the presence of bed bugs include:
- Small dark stains on mattresses and bedding from bed bug excrement
- A sweet, musty odor in heavily infested areas
- Shed exoskeletons from maturing bed bugs
- Blood smears on sheets or mattresses from crushed bugs
- Seeing live bed bugs scurrying around the bed
Carefully inspecting the mattress seams, bed frame crevices, baseboards, and furniture joints near the bed may reveal signs of infestation. Bed bugs prefer to stay close to their host to feed at night.
Should I sleep in the bed if I find a bed bug?
Discovering even one bed bug is alarming. Your first instinct may be to avoid the bed at all costs. However, abandoning your bed is not always the best course of action. Here are some factors to consider when deciding what to do:
Was it a lone bug or more?
Finding a single bed bug does not necessarily mean you have a full-blown infestation. In some cases, a single hitchhiker bug may end up in the bed after coming home on clothes or luggage. The source could be a hotel, public transit, or even a movie theater.
A one-off bed bug does not need to prevent you from sleeping in the bed. You should thoroughly inspect the mattress, bed frame, and surrounding area to make sure no signs of a larger problem exist. Finding multiple live bugs or eggs would indicate a possible infestation.
Have you traveled recently?
If you have stayed in a hotel or another home recently, it is possible you unknowingly transported a begging bug back in your belongings. Bed bugs in hotels and homes is becoming more common worldwide. Travelers can bring them back despite the most diligent precautions.
If you have been traveling, a single bed bug discovery may not mean an infestation has taken hold yet in your bed. Continue sleeping there, but monitor closely for more bugs. Look for signs like small blood stains or live bugs. If more bugs appear, then take immediate action.
Has the bug been identified properly?
Sometimes other insects get mistaken for bed bugs. Carpet beetles, spider beetles, bat bugs, and swallow bugs may look similar on first glance. It is important to properly identify the insect you found before deciding it is a bed bug.
Examine the insect closely under a magnifying glass or take a close-up photo to email to a pest control professional. Accurately identifying the bug will determine your next steps. If it is not a bed bug after all, you can rest easy and continue using your bed normally.
Have you had previous problems?
If the discovered bug is in fact a bed bug, your history with them will influence what to do. If you have never had issues before, a single hitchhiker bug may just be an isolated case. Continue sleeping in the bed but check for more signs.
However, if you have dealt with bed bugs previously, even one bug may mean a new infestation is starting. In this case, you may want to avoid sleeping in the bed until a professional inspection occurs. Previous problems put you at higher risk for repeated infestations.
Can the room be contained?
Preventing bed bugs from spreading is crucial during an infestation. If the affected room can be fully sealed off from the rest of the home, you may continue sleeping in there while arranging treatment. Sealing baseboard and utility entry points limits the spread.
However, if the room connects openly to other areas of the home, avoiding or moving the bed temporarily may become necessary. Allowing bugs to migrate puts the rest of the home at risk. Sleeping on a couch or moving the bed to an isolated room are safer options.
Have others been bitten?
Bed bugs feed mostly at night, so you may not notice their bites right away. However, unexplained bites, welts, or itching on your body could indicate their presence. Other family members or pets sleeping in the same room should also be checked for bite marks.
If multiple occupants are getting bitten, it suggests a more severe infestation is already underway in the bed. Bugs are coming out at night in large numbers to feed. Avoid sleeping there and get professional treatment.
Can the bed be treated?
Certain types of bed bug treatments require vacating the bed for a period of time. For example, fumigation and whole room heating reach temperatures lethal to bugs but unsafe for humans. Other treatments like targeted steaming and freezing are less invasive.
Review treatment options with the pest control provider. If extended bed avoidance is required for effective elimination, plan accordingly. Short-term alternate sleeping arrangements may be needed.
Have you been traveling internationally?
Bed bugs are a global problem. According to the World Health Organization, infestations have been reported in countries across Africa, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. Popular tourist destinations may pose higher risk.
If you have been abroad recently, especially to regions with known infestations, a new bed bug discovery warrants extra caution. Proceed carefully even if only one bug was found. Complete inspections, arrange for professional follow-ups, and monitor for any spread.
Limit international travel to at-risk countries during treatment. Bed bugs easily hitchhike in luggage back home, reintroducing infestations.
How to treat bed bugs
If an inspection reveals signs of a bed bug infestation, professional pest management will be needed to eliminate them. Here are some effective treatment options:
Heat treatments
Heating infested rooms or whole homes raises temperatures to 50°C (122°F) or higher for sustained periods. Lethal to all bed bug life stages, including eggs. Effective for quick elimination when done properly.
Chemical spraying
Application of EPA-registered insecticides labeled for bed bugs. Two or more targeted treatments are typically needed. Combining chemical sprays with other methods enhances success.
Freezing treatments
Using specialized equipment, surrounding air is turned freezing cold, killing bed bugs. Non-toxic and penetrates well into furniture cracks and seams. Multiple applications spaced apart provides best control.
Bed bug dogs
Dogs specially trained to detect bed bugs by their scent. Dog inspections pinpoint problem areas accurately so human teams can perform targeted treatments. Environmentally friendly method.
Fumigation
Tenting and flooding treated spaces with a penetrating gas. Requires temporarily vacating the space during treatment. Used for whole building infestations. Highly effective when done properly.
Steam treatments
Device emits dry steam into cracks, crevices, seams to kill bugs with lethal heat. Typically used in conjunction with applications of natural bed bug sprays and dusts. Non-chemical treatment option.
Mattress encasements
Covering the mattress in a protective zippered cover traps bugs inside and prevents exposure during sleep. Must use in conjunction with other methods targeting hiding spots elsewhere near bed.
Vacuuming
Thorough vacuuming removes some bugs living on or near beds. Use a vacuum with a hose and crevice tool to access cracks and seams. Sealing and disposing of the vacuum bag prevents re-emergence. Should be paired with other techniques.
Preventing re-infestations
Completely eliminating bed bugs is challenging. Preventing repeated infestations requires diligence, monitoring, and care not to bring the pests back home. Tips for avoidance include:
- Inspect secondhand furniture carefully before bringing home
- Isolate and heat treat luggage after traveling
- Install bed bug interceptor traps under furniture legs
- Seal cracks and crevices where bugs can hide
- Avoid clutter buildup where bugs thrive
- Dry potentially infested bed linens and clothing on hot settings
- Vacuum and clean frequently to detect early signs
Ongoing vigilance prevents bed bug problems from recurring and getting out of hand again.
Conclusion
Discovering a bed bug can be unsettling, but avoiding your bed may not always be necessary depending on the circumstances. A single bug could be just a hitchhiker brought in from travels. But multiple bugs or other signs like bites and blood stains likely signal greater infestation.
Take time to thoroughly inspect the bed and surrounding area and identify the bug properly. Seek professional treatment services if an infestation is confirmed. With diligence and proper elimination methods, bed bugs can be controlled and your bed can become a safe haven again. Consistent prevention and monitoring will help keep the pesky bugs from coming back.