Bedbugs typically get into your possessions when you travel, such as when staying in a hotel. Some remedies may help get rid of bedbugs in the home, but it may be necessary to contact an exterminator.

Knowing where bedbugs live and how to identify them can help minimize the risk of bringing them home.

If you notice bedbugs at home, it is important to take action to get rid of them as soon as possible. Home remedies may help with smaller infestations, but an exterminator may be necessary for larger infestations.

Read on to learn more about what causes bedbugs, how to recognize them, what remedies may help, and more.

You are more likely to find bedbugs in the home if you have been traveling. Bedbugs are most common in places where many people come and go frequently, such as:

  • hotels, hostels, and motels
  • apartments
  • dorms
  • shelters
  • cruise ships
  • public transit, such as buses, trains, taxis, and ride share vehicles
  • outdoor campsites

They can even survive pesticides by simply moving away from sprayed or treated areas and finding new places to live nearby.

You may find bedbugs in the following places:

  • mattresses and box springs
  • sheets and blankets
  • areas around your bed frame
  • headboards
  • areas of clutter that you don’t move often, such as piles of clothes
  • beneath peeling or cracking paint or loose wallpaper
  • underneath carpets on outer edges, such as near baseboards
  • seams of upholstered furniture
  • beneath plates covering electrical outlets or light switches
  • clothes
  • suitcases or other luggage items
  • cardboard boxes

Bedbugs typically stay within 8 feet of where people sleep. However, they can travel up to 100 feet at night.

Adult bedbugs can live for nearly a year without any food. This means that they can be present in the home even if there are no occupants there for some time.

You may be able to tell if you have bedbugs by identifying them in the home or by marks on the skin.

Identifying bedbugs

Bedbugs are relatively large and easy to spot.

Here’s a checklist to help with identifying bedbugs and telling them apart from other bugs:

  • They’re about 5 to 7 millimeters (mm) in length.
  • They’re brown or reddish-brown, not black or dark-colored.
  • They’re flat and an overall rounded shape, not spherical or long.
  • They crawl but don’t fly or jump like fleas and ticks do.
  • They leave light-brown molted skin behind where they live.
  • They lay tiny white eggs that look like grains of rice.
  • They don’t stay on human or animal skin once they’re done feeding like lice or fleas do.

You may also notice tiny dark spots of fecal matter. These can show up on mattresses, bedding, carpet, or other upholstered surfaces.

Identifying bedbug bites

Bedbugs feed on blood by piercing through the skin with their mouthparts. They also numb the area with saliva full of anesthetic and anti-clotting chemicals to reduce pain while sucking the blood out.

Bite marks are the most common sign of bedbugs. You may notice multiple welts, which are often in a zigzag pattern.

The welts from the bedbug bites can also be incredibly itchy.

You may also notice small blood spots on the bed sheets from the bedbug bites.

Although not common, it is possible to experience a serious allergic reaction to bedbug bites. Seek immediate medical help if there are symptoms of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. These can include, but are not limited to, the following:

Various tips can help get rid of bedbugs if the infestation isn’t widespread.

Here are a few ways to keep bedbugs from breeding and infesting your home if you’ve noticed some indoors.

  • Pick up any clutter: If bedbugs are hiding underneath spots in your bedroom or home, they’ll quickly move to a new location where you may be able to get rid of them more easily.
  • Vacuum regularly: Focus on areas where they can hide or live, such as cracks near your carpet or flooring and crevices around your mattress, box spring, or bed frame. Dump out your vacuum contents when you’re done to keep them from getting back out again.
  • Wash and dry your clothes and bedding on high heat: High temperatures of at least 140ºF (60ºC) are deadly to bedbugs. First, wash your clothes and bedding with detergent and hot water. Then, dry them on the highest possible heat setting on your dryer.
  • Freeze clothes or bedding: Bedbugs can also freeze to death, so you can also try putting your clothes or bedding in the freezer for a few days or leaving them outside when the temperature drops below freezing.
  • Scrub the seams of mattresses or upholstery with a stiff brush: This can scrape away any eggs or bugs that might be hiding in the crevices of your furniture.
  • Fix or seal cracks in your paint or wallpaper: This will give the bedbugs one less place to hide.

Professional exterminators

For more widespread infestations, professional exterminators are able to use a combination of chemicals, pesticides, and steam or heat treatments to get rid of infestations that have grown out of control.

You likely have several local exterminators in your area. Call around for estimates and read reviews closely to make sure that a pest control company is trustworthy.

You should consider calling a pro if you’ve tried some or all of the strategies listed but are still seeing signs of bedbugs.

It can be challenging to locate all the sources of bedbugs around your home yourself, but a professional may know exactly where to look and how to isolate the infestation.

If you live in an apartment complex or shared living space, you may need to work with your landlord or property owner to properly address the infestation in the entire complex.

Hiring a bedbug elimination pro can vary in cost. The following factors may affect the price:

  • the size of your home or property
  • the extent of the infestation
  • the size or reputation of the extermination company
  • the techniques needed to eliminate the infestation

Here are some tips to help reduce the likelihood of bringing bedbugs into the home:

  • Keep your belongings off the floors of hotels, motels, hostels, or shelters. It may be best to place them in the bathroom if possible
  • Check bedding and furniture in a room where you’re staying for the first time for any signs of bedbugs. Let the property owner know right away if you find anything.
  • Check any secondhand bedding or furniture that you get from a friend, relative, or thrift/antique store closely for signs of bedbugs before you bring it indoors.
  • Check your luggage for signs of bedbugs before you travel back home and again once you arrive home, ideally before you bring it into the house if possible.
  • Clear your home of clutter where bedbugs can thrive.

Bedbugs live on or around the bed and other items of furniture. They can also live behind wallpaper and amongst clutter.

There is a risk of bringing bedbugs back home if you stay at a hotel or in shared accommodation. Always check around the bed when you first arrive for signs of bedbugs, and make sure to check your luggage before you leave.

Vacuuming regularly, washing clothes and bedding on a high heat, and freezing clothing and bedding can help to get rid of bedbugs. For more widespread infestations, an exterminator can help.