Inexperienced people dealing with bed bugs are often unaware of just how intense an inspection is needed to accurately determine the total number of pockets in a bed bug infestation. The initial bed bug inspection must always be thorough, and it’s always recommended that a full post-treatment re-inspection be done to make sure no bed bugs are still present.
Here are the potential bed bug hotspots:
Bed Bugs – Check the Bed
Are you squeamish around bugs? Better wear gloves for protection. Carefully pull back the covers and look for blood spots on the sheets. It’s recommended that you standup the mattress. Unless you remove the box spring and flip it over it’s impossible to find all the bed bugs in a bed. Check all seams of the bed.
A prime location for a bed bug is resting upside down on the underside of the box spring where the box rests on the bed frame. It’s important to gaze inside the box spring, too. Try shining a flashlight through the gauze fabric on the bottom of the box spring. Sometimes it’s best to even remove the stapled fabric in order to inspect inside.
Bed Bugs – Check the rest of the Bedroom
In order to make sure that you’ve found all the bed bugs, it’s important to not limit your search to just beds. Look at the other furnishings close to the bed. Take out all dresser drawers and inspect them, looking for any crevices where they may be hiding. Similar to cockroaches, bed bugs like to squeeze into narrow spaces. Look under stereos, behind wall pictures, in the crevice behind the baseboard, in stacks of clothing, and in other equipment. Check the tack strips under wall-to-wall carpeting and behind your baseboards…where bed bugs often hide. Remember that bed bugs can frequently crawl upwards, so also inspect drapes, wall decorations, and cracks in the ceiling-wall junctions.
Bed Bugs – Check the Furniture in all Rooms
Your nearby rooms may also be visited by bed bugs that attach themselves to articles of clothing and accessories such as purses. Inspect those other areas in the home where a possible secondary bed bug inspection could likely occur. Because many people spend a significant portion of time on the couch or in an easy chair…they become easy targets for bed bugs to inhabit. Remove cushions and inspect the seams and crevices of the furniture. Always look underneath the couch and chair, especially checking behind the skirts and at the seams. Effective bed bugs pest control requires total inspection of your home and furnishings.
Take your time!
A thorough bed bug inspection takes time! But it’s the only way to be successful.