Updated on 14/08/2025
Bed bugs are tiny insects that can become incredibly annoying and distressing. They can be challenging to get rid of, and in some cases can lead to PTSD-like symptoms.
At Pest-Tech, we have extensive experience carrying out bed bug control for homes and businesses throughout Maidstone, Kent and the surrounding area.
As such, we understand how challenging it can be to identify and eradicate bed bugs. Keep reading to learn more about signs that you have bed bugs and how to deal with them effectively.
The Biology Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs use harbourage, which is a safe space to hide in, and normally you can see the different stages of the life cycle in significant numbers. Bed bugs spend most of their time in these hiding spaces and only usually come out when the adults and nymphs need to feed. Therefore targeted crack and crevice treatments are critical in their control.
Female bedbugs scatter from the established harbourages to avoid multiple traumatic inseminations. Male bugs will also disperse to avoid mating competition with other males. This behaviour should be considered when dealing with bedbugs.
Female bedbugs generally produce around 2 to 3 eggs per day. These are deposited all around the environment in which the bedbug lives. Each female could produce around 400 to 500 eggs during her lifetime. The time spent in each stage of the life cycle is greatly dependent upon food available.
Bed Bug Identification At Every Life Cycle Stage
There are 3 main bed bug life cycle stages: egg, nymph or young bed bugs, and adult bed bugs. Here’s how to identify bed bugs at each stage:
Egg
Eggs are cream in colour with a slight bend and are approximately 1mm in length. Eggs tend to be laid in crevices within dark areas.
Nymph
Nymphs are small versions (approximately 2mm in length) of the adult form. They display the colour of partly digested blood.
Adult
Bedbugs are very distinctive and can usually be identified immediately. Adult bedbugs are red-brown, oval, wingless insects, which are approximately 5-7 mm in length (about the size of an apple seed) and possess piercing mouthparts. When unfed, adults are pale yellow brown, but after a full blood meal, they take on a darker mahogany-brown colour.
Adult bed bugs have three pairs of slender but well-developed walking legs, with efficient tarsal claws for clinging on to the host during feeding. The head is short and broad, with a pair of prominent compound eyes, in front of which is a pair of clearly visible 4-segmented antennae.
Signs of A Bed Bug Infestation
It can be difficult to see bed bugs, even adults, as they often find hiding places and stay there. They are also so small that it can be challenging to spot bed bugs. Here are some clear signs that you have a bed bug problem:
- Bed Bug Bites: Bed bug bites are red welts that can appear on exposed skin on your face, neck and other areas. These can cause irritation, and some people may even experience an allergic reaction which can be incredibly painful.
- Black Or Reddish Brown Spots On Bedding: Black dots on bedding or mattresses could be flea dirt, or droppings. Reddish brown spots could be blood from bed bug bites or squashed bed bugs that you crushed in the night.
- Shed Skins Or Bed Bug Eggs: Look for shed skins, which are pale, hollow shells that look like adult bed bugs, or eggs, which look like yellowish-white grains of rice. These, alongside live bed bugs, which you might see if there are a lot of them, can be found deep inside upholstered furniture, bed frames, carpets, mattresses and box springs.
- A Strange Smell: A large bed bug infestation will produce a sweet, musty odour that won’t go away with cleaning.
Bed bugs will crawl into the smallest and tightest areas to lay their eggs. This includes picture frames, ornaments, boxes, electrical outlets, books and basically anything in or around your bed, including your bed frame, mattress and box springs, as well as less obvious areas such as under your bed storage, in your nightstand and in the headboard. They’ve even been known to hide behind loose wallpaper in some cases. So, if you’re searching for signs of a bed bug problem, you need to be vigilant and inspect even the tiniest of crevices.
How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Bed bugs can enter your home through contact with contaminated items, usually used furniture or clothing. Also, if someone else enters from a contaminated area, they can spread the bed bugs on their clothes.
Once in your home, bed bugs will start to feed on your blood and breed. If you use DIY bed bug products, then you might kill some of the bed bugs, but others will crawl deep into furniture and other crevices in your home.
Because bed bugs can survive for up to a year without food, even in low temperatures, you might think that you’ve removed the bed bugs, only for the infestation to return in the future.
What To Do If You Notice Signs Of Bed Bugs
To ensure that bed bugs are completely removed from your home, you need to work with professional pest control providers like Pest-Tech.
Our team have access to insecticides and sprays that aren’t available to the general public, as we’re RSPH Level 2 Certified.
Additionally, we use heat treatments and other cutting-edge technology to ensure that the infestation is completely gone. Heat treatments and bed bug fumigation can ensure that bed bugs are removed from any hiding place.
Alongside bed bugs, we also remove all insects including ant, bees, wasps, moths, carpet beetles, silverfish, cockroaches and more.
If you’re ready to book your bed bug treatment, contact us on 01622 296055 or by emailing admin@pest-tech.org.