Being able to identify a bed bug problem can help keep you and your family safe at home and when traveling. These pictures will help you spot some of the tell-tale signs of a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs leave dark fecal stains on mattresses and other places they infest. If you don’t see any bed bugs, you still might see their feces.
Bed bugs move through 5 stages of growth on the way to maturity. At some point during each stage they will become too large for their current exoskeleton. When that happens, they will shed their exoskeleton and grow a new one that is larger. You may see these molted exoskeletons close to where bed bugs hide.
Bed Bug Infested Mattress
The black marks are the bed bugs’ fecal trails. The brownish areas in the center are actually bed bugs. To the top right you see some lighter brown marks. These are molted bed bug exoskeletal shells.
Here is an enlargement of a bed bug. Look in the top right corner.
Here is an enlargement of the molted exoskeletons with some fecal matter thrown in for good measure. Gross!
Notice that the bed bugs seem to be concentrated in the seam. Bed bugs like to hide in seams, folds, creases and crevices. Always check these areas.