What To Do If You Find Dead Bed Bugs In Your Home

Most of us like to keep our bedrooms as tidy, comfortable, and relaxing as possible. Because of that, it can be super alarming to find dead bed bugs on your mattress, on the baseboards near your bed, or behind your bed's headboard. You might think that sweeping them up solves the problem, but they're much harder than that to get rid of. Seeing dead bed bugs around is usually a sign of a thriving colony, and a bigger problem you need to take care of.

Bed bugs are adept at hiding, so it's not common to see them. If you're finding dead bugs out in the open, however, an active infestation could be to blame, especially since female bugs can lay up to five new eggs every single day. As for how they made it inside your house, the most likely explanation is that they were brought in from elsewhere, like home from a vacation or in from new furniture, public transportation, or any kind of public places.

Likewise, you might also find just some bed bug exoskeletons, rather than the full carcasses. Bed bugs shed their exoskeletons five times while growing, so you may even end up seeing more casings than there are bugs. If you are finding full actual bodies, though, it's likely there's an active bed bug population nearby. Now, it's up to you to stop the problem at its source so you can get rid of bed bugs permanently.

If you've found a dead bed bug in your room, you need to immediately check out the area for more live insects; not doing so is one of the most common mistakes people make when dealing with bed bugs. First, grab a flashlight and inspect your mattress; look deep into its seams. Also, look behind your headboard, around your bed frame, and along your baseboards. These bugs measure around half a centimeter in length, and are brown to red in color. In addition, look for their tiny eggs and feces.

Next, regardless of what you find, clean up any existing bed bug debris right away. Using a vacuum hose is a great way to remove any debris; just be sure to empty out the canister into an outdoor trash can when you finish. From there, strip your bedding and run it all through your washer and dryer on the highest heat settings to sanitize things and eliminate any lingering pests.

While these steps are a great way to clean up the immediate mess, they're not a permanent fix for an active infestation. There are plenty of DIY bed bug treatments out there, but bed bugs are resilient and great hiders. If this is the first time you've seen them around, it's a sign that you may have a problem, and you should really contact a professional exterminator right away; an expert can properly evaluate your home and resolve an infestation. After all, your home deserves to stay a clean, peaceful sanctuary.