How Do I Know It Is A Bed Bug Infestation

by Tiarra
(Omaha NE)

I don't know if I have an infestation. I think that someone brought in bed bugs when they came over. I got rid of my couch that I think they were hiding in because my son was always getting bit and he slept on the couch. One night he came to my bed from the couch and I got bit. I found it and killed it. Then I threw out the couch and I got bit. This was about a week apart from one another so I took the measures to clean and vacuum and bag thing up. Does that sound like an infestation of just a few lingering around?

Editor Response

Finding a live bed bug and getting bitten after the couch was gone means bed bugs are probably still in your home, not just a few stragglers. A single fertilized female can start an infestation, and bed bugs that lived in a couch often spread to beds and other furniture nearby.

Start by checking the beds, since that is where most bed bugs hide: mattress seams and tags, the box spring (including under the thin fabric on the bottom), the bed frame and the headboard. Put interceptor traps under each bed leg; they catch bugs climbing up and show whether bugs are still around. Encase the mattress and box spring, and dry bedding and clothes on high heat for at least 30 minutes.

See our checklist of where bed bugs hide and our guide to how to get rid of bed bugs. If you keep getting bitten after a few weeks, call 1-877-673-2704 for free quotes from local bed bug exterminators (we may be paid when you call).