How to Tell if You Have Bedbugs (and What to Do Next)

You wake up with a row of itchy red bumps on your arm. They weren’t there last night. Maybe it’s mosquitoes. Or maybe it’s kunguni.

Bedbugs are good at hiding, and most people only find out they have them once there are quite a few. The sooner you know, the easier they are to get rid of. Here’s how to check, what to look for, and what to do if you find them.

Bites are a clue, not proof

Bedbug bites often show up on skin that’s uncovered while you sleep: arms, neck, face, shoulders and legs. They can appear in a line or a small cluster, and they’re usually itchy.

The problem is that bites look a lot like mosquito or flea bites, and some people don’t react to bedbug bites at all. Two people can share a bed, and only one wakes up covered in marks. The US Environmental Protection Agency calls bites “a poor indicator” of bedbugs on their own. So if you’re getting bites, use them as a reason to look properly, not as the answer.

The good news, if there is any, is that bedbugs aren’t known to spread disease. They do cause a lot of itching and lost sleep, though, and that’s reason enough to deal with them.

The signs that actually confirm bedbugs

These are what to look for on your mattress, bed frame and sofa:

• Small dark spots, about the size of a pen tip. This is bedbug droppings, and it looks like ink that has bled into the fabric. You’ll often find it along mattress seams.
• Rusty or red stains on your sheets or pillowcases, from bugs that got crushed while you slept.
• Tiny pale eggs, about 1 mm long, often stuck in seams and cracks.
• Pale, empty skins. Young bedbugs shed their skins as they grow.
• Live bedbugs. Adults are flat, oval and reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed. Young ones are smaller and paler, and turn red after feeding.

In a bad infestation, some people also notice a sweet, musty smell in the bedroom.

If you find even one of these signs together with bites, it’s very likely you have bedbugs.

Where to look

Bedbugs like to stay close to where people sleep. Start with the bed and work outwards.

1. Strip the bed and check the mattress seams, piping and labels. A torch helps. So does an old bank card or ID card: run its edge along the seams to push out anything hiding.
2. Check the box spring or bed base, especially the corners and the fabric underneath.
3. Look at the bed frame and headboard, in every joint, crack and screw hole. Wooden frames are a favourite.
4. Move to the sofa. Check the seams, under the cushions and the frame underneath.
5. Check the room itself: curtain folds, the edges of carpets, skirting boards, gaps behind wall hangings, and around sockets.

Their bodies are thin, roughly the thickness of a credit card, so they fit into gaps you wouldn’t think to check. Take your time.

Things that get mistaken for bedbugs

Not every small brown bug in the bedroom is a bedbug. Young cockroaches, fleas and carpet beetles are common mix-ups. Fleas jump; bedbugs don’t jump or fly. If you’re not sure, catch one on clear tape or take a sharp close-up photo, and send it to us on WhatsApp. We’ll tell you what it is.

What to do if you find bedbugs

Don’t panic, and don’t start throwing things out yet. Do this instead:

1. Take photos of what you found, and note which rooms and furniture are affected. It helps whoever treats your home.
2. Wash your bedding, pillowcases and any clothes from the bedroom, and dry them on high heat if you have a dryer. If you don’t have one, iron them thoroughly, seams included.
3. Vacuum the mattress, bed frame, sofa and the floor around them. Empty the vacuum into a sealed bag and put it in an outside bin straight away.
4. Put clean items into sealed bags so they don’t pick up bugs again.
5. Reduce clutter around the bed. Piles of clothes, bags and boxes give bedbugs more places to hide.
6. Keep sleeping in your own bed. Moving to the sofa or another room usually just spreads them.
7. Call a professional. Cleaning slows bedbugs down, but it doesn’t kill the ones hiding deep in cracks, or the eggs.

What not to do

• Don’t throw out your mattress or furniture in a hurry. Carrying an infested mattress through the house can spread bugs to other rooms, and in most cases the furniture can be treated.
• Don’t rely on insect sprays or “bug bombs” from the shop. The spray doesn’t reach where bedbugs hide, and foggers can be dangerous indoors. The EPA warns they should never be your only method.
• Don’t use paraffin, petrol or other home remedies on your mattress. They’re a fire risk and don’t solve the problem.
• Don’t heat the room with a jiko or heater to “cook” them. It doesn’t work and it isn’t safe.

Why bedbugs keep coming back

Bedbug eggs are tough. A single treatment can kill the adults and miss eggs that hatch a week or two later, which is why the problem seems to return. A proper treatment targets every hiding spot, not just the bed, and usually includes a follow-up visit to catch any newly hatched bugs. When you’re comparing pest control companies, ask what their treatment includes.

How they get into your home

Bedbugs don’t come from dirt. A spotless house can get them. They travel in bags, clothes and furniture, so they’re often picked up while travelling, in hostels or boarding schools, from visitors’ luggage, or from second-hand beds and sofas. When you buy used furniture, check the seams and joints carefully before bringing it inside, and check your bags after a trip.

Need help with bedbugs?

AVA Fumigation & Pest Control treats bedbugs in homes, hostels, hotels and offices across Nairobi and the rest of Kenya. The consultation is free, and our pest control treatments come with a 3-month warranty.

Call or WhatsApp us on +254 728 296239, or request a free quote. Send us a photo of what you’ve found and we’ll tell you what you’re dealing with.

FAQ (add at the end of the post, as an Accordion)

Question	Answer
Can you see bedbugs with your eyes?	Yes. Adults are about the size of an apple seed and easy to see once you know where to look. Eggs and young bedbugs are much harder to spot.
Do bedbugs only live in beds?	No. They start near where people sleep, but spread to sofas, curtains, skirting boards, sockets and cracks in the walls as the numbers grow.
Do bedbugs mean my house is dirty?	No. Bedbugs feed on blood, not dirt, so clean homes and expensive hotels get them too. Clutter does give them more places to hide, though.
Can I get rid of bedbugs myself?	Washing, vacuuming and decluttering help, but they rarely kill every bug and egg. Most homes need a professional treatment to clear them fully.
Are bedbug bites dangerous?	Bedbugs aren’t known to spread disease. Bites can be very itchy, and scratching can lead to skin infections. If you have a strong reaction, see a doctor.
How long does bedbug treatment take?	It depends on the size of the space and how bad the infestation is. Ask us for a free assessment and we’ll explain the plan before anything starts.

Sources

The health and treatment facts in the post come from these pages:

• How to Find Bed Bugs, US EPA: signs, hiding places, egg size, bites as “a poor indicator”
• Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control, US EPA: foggers, home heating, throwing out furniture
• About Bed Bugs, US CDC: no known disease spread, bite reactions, cleanliness