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How toBed Bugs

How do I check my mattress for bed bugs?

Strip the bed and, with a bright flashlight, work slowly along the mattress piping, seams, tufts and tag, then the box spring, bed frame and headboard. You are looking for live bugs about the size of an apple seed, pale shed skins, tiny white eggs and clusters of black or rusty spots. Bites alone do not prove bed bugs; physical evidence does.

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By Kasra Taheri, Founder, LoclisPublished

Researched and drafted with AI, then checked claim by claim against the sources listed below before it was published. Prices and rules change; the dates beside each source say when it was last checked.

Step by step

Read when to stop and call a pro, further down this page, before you start.

  1. Step 1: Get a bright flashlight

    Use a flashlight with a strong, bright beam and keep an old plastic card handy to open up seams and creases.[1]

  2. Step 2: Strip the bed gently

    Fold the sheets and pillowcases in toward the middle rather than shaking them, and check them for rusty or reddish stains as they come off.[3]

  3. Step 3: Work the top seams and piping

    Starting at the head of the bed, run the light and the card edge slowly along the piping, seams and tags of the mattress.[3]

  4. Step 4: Check the tag and tufts

    Look under the mattress tag and into any tufts, buttons, handles or tears, since anything that will hold a credit card can hide a bed bug.[3]

  5. Step 5: Stand the mattress on edge

    Pull the bed away from the wall, then with a second person tip the mattress onto its side so the lower seams and the underside can be examined as well.[8]

  6. Step 6: Inspect the box spring

    Check its piping, seams and tags, then look inside it through the thin fabric cover underneath, since bed bugs hide in box springs too.[3][8]

  7. Step 7: Check the frame and headboard

    Look into the cracks of the bed frame and headboard, and behind the headboard, where bed bugs hide when they are not feeding.[3][8]

  8. Step 8: Check the nightstand

    Look inside drawers, set-in screw holes, cracks and wood seams of the nightstand and other furniture beside the bed.[1]

  9. Step 9: Keep a specimen

    Press anything suspicious onto clear tape or seal it in a plastic bag so an extension agent or pest professional can identify it.[5]

  10. Step 10: Write down what you found

    Note the date and exact spot of anything you find; it shows whether the problem is spreading and where treatment should start.[5]

  11. Step 11: Keep checking after treatment

    Once bed bugs have been treated, inspect at least every 7 days in case any eggs remain, and keep checking for at least a year.[5]

Check the mattress the way a pest professional would: bedding off, a bright light, and a slow pass along every seam, the tag and the underside, then the box spring, frame and headboard. Bed bugs spend most of their time packed together in cracks and crevices and come out to feed at night, generally between midnight and 5 a.m.[2] So in daylight you are hunting for the bugs in their hiding places and for the marks they leave behind.

What you are looking for

Close-up of a mattress seam heavily stained with black bed bug droppings, with small white bed bug eggs among them
Photo: NY State IPM Program at Cornell University from New York, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Adults. Adult bed bugs are flat and reddish brown, about the size and color of an apple seed,[1][4] roughly 5 to 7 mm, or 3/16 to 1/4 inch long.[4] A bug that has just fed is swollen, redder and more elongated.[4]
  • Nymphs. Nymphs are smaller, translucent or yellowish white, and nearly invisible if they have not fed recently.[4][1]
  • Eggs. Eggs are about 1 mm long, pearl white and about the size of a pinhead,[4][3] usually tucked into seams and folds.
  • Shed skins. Young bed bugs shed their skins as they grow, and sometimes those empty skins are the only evidence you will find.[1]
  • Droppings. Look for dark spots about the size of a printed dot that may bleed into the fabric like a marker.[3] In a heavy infestation they build up into black crusts along a seam, as in the photo above.
  • Blood stains. Rusty or reddish stains on sheets or the mattress come from bugs that were crushed.[3]

Where on the bed to look

Around the bed, they are found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks of the bed frame and headboard.[3] A useful rule of thumb from EPA: if a crack will hold a credit card, it could hide a bed bug.[3]

Give the box spring as much time as the mattress, because bed bugs like to hide in tight areas, such as cracks, crevices, under mattress tags, in box springs, and any place dark and sheltered.[8] Look inside the box spring and behind the headboard as well as along the seams.[8] In a heavily infested room they also turn up in drawer joints and even in the head of a screw.[3] It is worth going through anything stored under the bed as well.

Working through the inspection

Take your time. A careful check of one bed takes longer than most people expect, and a light infestation may be a handful of bugs in one corner. Slide the edge of a plastic card into each seam and fold the fabric back as you go, so the light reaches the crease. Work the head end first, where you sleep, then the sides and foot.

Tip the mattress up with help rather than dragging it, so you can see the lower seams and the underside. If the box spring has a thin fabric dust cover underneath, look through any tears and along the staples where it meets the wood. Then move to the headboard and nightstand, and finally anything that touches the bed.

Side view of an adult bed bug, flat-bodied and reddish brown, feeding on a person's skin
Photo: Piotr Naskrecki, CDC, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Things that look like bed bugs

Other insects, such as carpet beetles, are easily mistaken for bed bugs,[3] and fleas and bat bugs are often confused with them as well.[8] Getting the identification right matters before anyone spends money on treatment. Keep whatever you find on clear tape or in a sealed bag: an extension agent can identify a specimen at no cost.[5]

Do not rely on bites to decide. Bites are a poor indicator of bed bugs. They can look like mosquito or chigger bites, rashes or hives, and some people do not react at all.[3] For more on telling them apart, see what bed bug bites look like compared with other bites.

If you find something

  • Keep sleeping in your own bed and do not start sleeping in another room, because the bugs can follow you and spread.[8]
  • Do not throw the mattress out on the spot. Most belongings can be treated and saved, and throwing things out can spread bed bugs to other homes.[6]
  • Consider bed bug encasements. Encasements on the mattress and box spring trap any bugs inside; leave them on for a year.[5][8][6]
  • Skip the foggers. House fires and explosions have been caused by people over-using bug bombs against bed bugs, and studies show the bombs do not control infestations.[1]

Acting early pays off. Treating a small infestation is far less costly and easier than treating one that has spread.[3]

Stop and call a pro if

  • You find live bugs, eggs or shed skins. Taking time to treat the problem yourself can let it spread,[7] and a confirmed infestation needs a planned treatment, not spot spraying.
  • Signs turn up beyond the bed: on a couch or recliner, along baseboards, behind outlet covers or in drawers.
  • You rent or live in a shared building. In an apartment, the units around yours should be inspected too,[5] so tell your landlord. See whether your landlord is responsible for bed bugs.
  • Bites keep appearing after a clean inspection. A pest professional can inspect furniture and rooms you cannot easily take apart.

Getting help on Loclis

You can browse bed bug services, look up pest control around Blacksburg, see what bed bug treatment costs in Virginia, or read the other pest control answers. If your check turned up evidence, describe the job on Loclis and licensed pest control businesses can quote.

Common questions

Can you see bed bugs with the naked eye?
Yes. Adults are about the size of an apple seed and eggs are about the size of a pinhead. Young nymphs that have not fed are pale and very hard to see, which is why a bright flashlight and a slow pass along each seam matter more than a quick look.
What time of day is best to check?
Any time works for a seam-by-seam inspection, because bed bugs spend most of their time packed into cracks and seams, coming out to feed at night. Daylight and a bright flashlight are enough to find them in their hiding places.
Do black spots on my mattress always mean bed bugs?
Not always, but clusters of small black dots that soak into the fabric like marker ink, especially along seams, are a classic sign. Look for eggs, shed skins or live bugs nearby before you decide, and keep a sample for identification.
Should I throw my mattress away if I find bed bugs?
Usually not. EPA advises against throwing everything out, since most things can be treated and discarding them can spread bugs to other homes. A bed bug encasement left on for a year traps any bugs inside. If you do discard a mattress, slash or mark it so nobody takes it.
Who can identify a bug I caught?
An extension agent can identify a specimen at no cost, and a pest management professional can also help identify it. Your county has a Cooperative Extension office. Seal the bug in a plastic bag or stick it to clear tape before you take it in.

Sources

  1. [1] Bed Bugs: How to Protect Yourself and Your Home (ENTO-31NP), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 26, 2026.
  2. [2] Bed Bugs Biology and Behavior (ENTO-8P), Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech. Checked October 26, 2026.
  3. [3] How to Find Bed Bugs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 26, 2026.
  4. [4] Bed Bugs Appearance and Life Cycle, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 26, 2026.
  5. [5] Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 26, 2026.
  6. [6] Top Ten Tips to Prevent or Control Bed Bugs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 26, 2026.
  7. [7] Hiring a Pest Management Professional for Bed Bugs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked October 26, 2026.
  8. [8] Bed Bugs, National Pesticide Information Center (Oregon State University and U.S. EPA). Checked October 26, 2026.

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