Bed Bugs

These bite marks appear within minutes or days and are usually on the face, neck, upper torso, arms and hands. Not everyone reacts to a bed bug bite.

The following signs can indicate a bed bug bite:

• Small, raised red itchy welts on your skin, often in a pattern of three.
• A lump filled with blood or fluid in people with high sensitivity to bed bug saliva.

Most bed bug bites go away on their own and do not need treatment.

• Keep your skin around the bites clean and wash with antiseptic soap.
• Avoid scratching bites. If the bites are itchy, you can use over-the-counter antihistamine cream. 
• Oral antibiotics can be prescribed by your doctor for skin infections.

Bed bugs are most active at night and are usually found where people sleep. They can also be found in any public space, such as businesses, offices and areas where people gather.

• Use a bright flashlight to look for bed bugs or their dark droppings on bedroom furniture.

• Use a hot hair dryer and an old business card or playing card to force them out of hiding spaces and cracks.

Bed bug activity can be identified by the following:

• Finding live or dead bed bugs, or finding bed bug skins in your home.

• Dark red or brown spots or eggs on mattresses, sheets, bed frames or walls.

• Flat red marks on your skin, often in a pattern of three. 

Places to look for bed bugs include:

• Behind headboards.

• In the seams and tufts of your mattress.

• Inside of a box spring.  Remove the dust cover on the bottom of the box spring so you can check inside.

• Along bedroom baseboard cracks.

• In and around bedside tables and night stands.

• Cracks and corners of dresser drawers and other furniture.

• Telephones, radios, clocks, ceiling light fixtures and smoke detectors.

• Other bedroom items, including window and door casings, pictures, moldings, nearby furniture, loose wallpaper, cracks in plaster, and clutter.

Tip: Place glue boards, double sided tape or bed bug interceptors under your bed legs to monitor and catch the bed bugs.

It is important to take immediate action if you suspect that you have bed bugs. Bed bugs can spread rapidly so it is important to report these pests as soon as you suspect that they are in your home.

• If you live in rental housing, report the bed bugs to your landlord as soon as possible. The landlord is responsible for providing pest control services. You are responsible for reporting the pests and helping to prepare your home for pest control treatment. If your landlord does not respond by arranging for pest control services, please call Public Health.

• If you own your own home, hire a licensed pest control company. Delaying the start of treatment will lead to a more difficult and costly effort to get rid of the bed bugs.

When you have reported bed bugs to your landlord or hired a licensed pest control company, follow their instructions on how to prepare your home for treatment. In addition, you can begin taking the actions recommended below for bed bug removal. 

Dispose of unneeded items by placing them into plastic bags, seal tightly, and dispose of the bag in an outdoor garbage container. Clutter acts as ideal hiding spots for bed bugs and other pests.

Careful vacuuming is an important step to getting rid of bed bugs and preparing for a pest control treatment.

• Be sure to vacuum cracks, open spaces and anywhere bed bugs were found during the inspection.
• Scrub mattress seams with a stiff brush to dislodge bed bugs and their eggs, then vacuum the mattress, box spring, bed frame, bedside furniture, floors and carpets. 
• If a box spring, couch or upholstered chair has a dust cover attached on the underside, remove it and vacuum inside the space.
• After vacuuming, carefully empty the vacuum cleaner contents into a plastic bag. Seal it tightly and dispose of the bag in an outdoor garbage container.

• A regular household laundry dryer can heat clothing and items hot enough to kill bed bugs and their eggs.  Following these steps is critical to kill the bugs and prevent them from spreading:

• Put all bedding, linens, curtains, rugs and clothing into large plastic bags and seal the bags tight. Bring the laundry to the laundry area in the sealed plastic bags and wash the items.

• In order to kill bed bugs and eggs, laundry should be placed in the dryer on the hottest setting.  Items need to remain in the dryer on the hottest setting for at least 20 minutes after the items are dry.