What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Generally, people are pretty clued up on bugs: ask someone on the street what a bee, a spider, or even a roach looks like, and chances are they’ll give you a confident, accurate, and fairly consistent description. But if you asked someone what a bed bug looked like? The chance of their description being accurate is much lower.

Given the prevalence of bed bugs, this presents something of a problem. How do we treat infestations if we don’t even know what the creatures look like? Bed bugs are common throughout the world and present in all fifty US states. So whether you are protecting your own home or trying to be vigilant while traveling, it really pays to be able to identify a bed bug knowledgeably and accurately.

What do bed bugs look like?

The appearance of a bed bug will vary depending on its age and if it has recently eaten. In the bed bug life cycle, there are three main appearances: eggs, nymphs, and adult bed bugs.

Adult Bed Bugs

• The easiest to spot is the adult bed bug - though don’t be surprised if you don’t see any at all since they like to hide, especially during the day. Adult bed bugs are very small, only reaching 4-5 mm in their almost year-long life. Oval-shaped and a reddish-brown color, adult bed bugs are relatively flat if they haven’t eaten recently and more rounded if they have. Bed bugs cannot jump or fly, but they can crawl very quickly. They can also be noticed from the sweet, musky odor that they produce.

Bed Bug Nymphs

• These young or juvenile bed bugs are much smaller and can be extremely difficult to see. This is because they can be almost translucent in color, especially if they haven’t eaten recently.

Bed Bug Eggs

• Often found in the seams of mattresses and the crevices of headboards and other furniture, bed bug eggs are extremely small and white in color. They are very difficult to spot and, thus, are often overlooked. This is why it is important to keep up with your bed bug treatment even if you think the bugs are gone: there may be unnoticed dormant eggs waiting to hatch and re-infest your home.

What to do if you spot bed bugs

The most important thing to do if you notice bed bugs in your home is to act fast to avoid the infestation getting worse. However, there is no need to panic. Bed bug infestations are often portrayed as a disaster due to the extreme cost of extermination services and the toxic chemicals often used for this purpose.

However, there are effective and convenient ways to kill bed bugs yourself using family-friendly ingredients without breaking the bank. Our Natural Bed Bug Patrol Killer Spray provides a plant-based solution to infestations of bed bugs, as well as fleas, spiders, and other common indoor bugs. Our 100% natural solution is made in the USA and relies on the power of natural ingredients like citric acid, clove, and peppermint oil to naturally deter these bugs from living in your furnishings and upholstery. Just spray our solution on affected surfaces twice per day, and it will get to work on exterminating your bed bugs and preventing their return.