Bedbugs are small, blood-feeding insects that can be difficult to eliminate once they establish themselves in a home.

What are bedbugs?

Bed bug are reddish-brown insects that typically:

• Feed on human blood, usually at night.
• Hide during the day in mattresses, bed frames, furniture, cracks, and crevices.
• Do not fly, but can crawl and spread through luggage, clothing, furniture, and other belongings.

How do they live?

• Bedbugs go through egg, nymph, and adult stages.
• Females lay eggs in hidden locations.
• They need blood meals to grow and reproduce.
• Adults can survive for months without feeding under some conditions.

Signs of an infestation

• Itchy bites, often appearing in clusters or lines.
• Small blood spots on sheets.
• Dark fecal spots on mattresses or furniture.
• Shed skins or eggs in hiding places.
• A sweet, musty odor in heavy infestations.

How to get rid of them

Successful eradication usually requires multiple steps:

1. Identify and inspect
   • Check mattresses, box springs, bed frames, furniture seams, and nearby cracks.
2. Wash and heat-treat fabrics
   • Wash bedding, clothing, and fabrics in hot water when safe for the material.
   • Dry on high heat, as heat is very effective at killing bedbugs and eggs.
3. Vacuum thoroughly
   • Vacuum mattresses, furniture, baseboards, and cracks.
   • Dispose of the vacuum contents immediately in a sealed bag.
4. Reduce hiding places
   • Declutter rooms.
   • Seal cracks and crevices where bedbugs can hide.
5. Use mattress and box-spring encasements
   • Specialized encasements can trap bedbugs and make inspections easier.
6. Targeted insecticides
   • Some infestations require insecticides labeled for bedbug control.
   • Follow label directions carefully.
7. Professional pest control
   • Large or persistent infestations are often best handled by a licensed pest-management professional, who may use heat treatments, insecticides, or a combination of methods.

What usually doesn’t work

• Essential oils alone.
• DIY mixtures promoted on social media.
• Spraying random household chemicals.
• Throwing away only the mattress (bedbugs often remain elsewhere).

Important note

Bedbugs are a nuisance and can cause itching and sleep disruption, but they are not known to be major transmitters of human diseases. The main concerns are discomfort, allergic reactions, and the difficulty of removing them.

If you’re currently dealing with bedbugs, I can help you create a room-by-room eradication plan based on the size of the infestation.