Identify Bed Bug Bites

Many people are familiar with the popular refrain, “good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite,” but not many can identify bed bug bites. In fact, the bites are impossible to diagnose without determining if you actually have bed bugs. To best identify bed bug bites, look for typical insect bites or red welts on your skin. To accurately establish if that bite is from a bed bug, you have to find signs of whether or not you actually have bed bugs where you are sleeping.

Steps

Examining Your Bites

1. Inspect your bites. Look for slightly discolored, pin-like raised red dots that are about 0.2 cm to 0.5 cm in diameter. You may also see hives or wheals that are significantly redder than the surrounding skin. If you’re experiencing a more rare, severe case, you might even find blisters larger than 0.5 cm in diameter that have developed on bed bug bites.
   • 1 centimeter equals 0.4 inches.
2. Look for new bug bites when you wake up. If you wake up with fresh bug bites or itchy welts, you likely have bed bugs. See if they look and feel like mosquito or flea bites -- bed bug bites are often red and slightly swollen, itchy and irritating like other bug bites. Look for a series of bites that appear in a line or a random grouping of bites. These appear because bed bugs will bite several times a night.
   • If you’re experiencing new bites during the day, it’s likely not bed bugs.
3. Pay attention to where you’re being bitten. Look for bites on skin that is exposed when you’re sleeping. Also check for bites under loose clothing. Note that bed bugs will avoid the soles of your feet, so any bites there are less likely to be from bed bugs.
4. Look for signs of an allergy. If you’re allergic to bed bugs, you might find that you develop hives or a rash similar to eczema or a fungal infection. Also check to see if the bites are getting larger, are painfully swelling, or even exuding a pus. These are also common signs of an allergy to bed bug bites.
   • Note that it can take up to two weeks for your body to fully react to a bed bug bite.
   • Consult a doctor if you develop a severe reaction to the bite.

Checking Your Bed

1. Look for live bugs in your bed. Check for reddish-brown, wingless, flat insects that are about 0.1 cm to 0.7 cm. Examine the folds of mattresses and sheets for the bugs. Also look for exoskeletons that bed bugs might have shed. Search too for tiny white eggs or eggshells, which are about 0.1 cm, or white bed bug larvae which are about the same size.
   • Recall that 0.4 cm is the equivalent of an inch.
2. Examine your sheets. Look for reddish or rusty stains on your sheets. These might be caused either by crushed bugs or by the bugs’ fecal matter. Wipe any dark or red dots you see on your bedding. If they smear or spread, they are likely bed bug excrement.
3. Inspect your bed frame. Look for any signs of bed bugs in your bed frame and in the space between your bed frame and the wall. Also look for bed bugs around your headboard. Check for them in the piping, seams, and tags of your sheets, mattress, and box spring. Be sure to look inside pillow cases and on any throw pillows you might have on your bed.
4. Assess the state of the bed. In less extreme cases, bed bugs can be present even if they’re not at all visible to the naked eye. Take the age of the mattress and cleanliness of the sheets into consideration. If this happens in a hotel room, check to see if the mattress is covered by a plastic sheet. If not, then there’s a much higher chance of infestation.

Finding Other Signs of Bed Bugs

1. Look for bed bug infestations in other furniture. Check under chair cushions. Look in the seams of chairs and couches. Also examine the joints of drawers.
2. Check other spaces. Look for bed bugs under loose wall paper and wall hangings. Peer into electrical outlets, and in the spaces where the wall meets the ceiling and the floor. Also look for the bugs in the folds of curtains.
3. Smell the places where you suspect bed bugs. Sniff for a slightly sweet, musty odor. You may also smell coriander or something like the scent that stink bugs give off. If the area where you suspect infestation reeks of a damp old house or any of these other odors, bed bugs may be present.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Heal Mouth Burns
• Heal a Scab
• Check for Bedbugs
• Treat a Sunburn
• Treat a Hand Burn
• Stop Mosquito Bites from Itching
• Remove Cactus Needles
• Kill a Tick
• Avoid Bee or Wasp Stings
• Deal with Bedbugs

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