What a bed bug looks like
An adult bed bug is about the size of an apple seed: 4 to 5 mm, flat and reddish brown. After feeding it becomes rounder and darker. Young bed bugs are smaller and paler, almost see-through.
Signs of bites
- Bites often come in a row of 2 or 3.
- Most often on the arms, legs, neck and shoulders, wherever skin is uncovered at night.
- They itch and may only appear after a day or two.
- Not everyone reacts to the bites, so in one bed only one person may have bites.
Fleas or bed bugs?
Flea bites are usually around the ankles and legs. Bed bug bites are on skin left uncovered while you sleep.
Where to look
Take a torch and check these places, especially by the bed:
- Mattress seams, corners and labels.
- The bed frame and headboard, especially cracks and joints.
- The bedside table and the skirting boards by the bed.
- Behind pictures, under socket covers and along the edges of wallpaper.
- Sofas, if someone sleeps on them.
The signs are tiny black dots, small reddish-brown marks on the sheet and shed pale skins.
What to do if you've found bed bugs
- Don't throw out the mattress and furniture straight away: they can often be treated.
- Don't move the bed or clothes into other rooms, so you don't spread the bed bugs.
- Don't use sprays: they scatter the bed bugs.
- Take a photo of the bug or the signs and send it to us.