Do bed bugs really live in beds? Even though these unwelcome invaders are found everywhere from baseboard to behind electrical outlets like the name says—these bugs do live in beds. If you're not sure how to find these bugs in your bed, take a look at what you need to know about the pests, their hiding places, and extermination options.

Where Should You Look for Bed Bugs

While there are plenty of places in your bedroom, living room, or anywhere else in your house to look for bed bugs, the bed itself is often a first stop for this type of pest inspection. But this doesn't mean you should expect to see the bugs crawling on your duvet cover or lined up on your linens.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), bed bugs are between 3/16 and 1/4 inch long with oval-shaped reddish-brown bodies. Along with the bugs themselves, you can also look for other signs of the pest on your bed. These include reddish stains or streaks, tiny dark spots of bed bug excrement, yellow nymph skins, or whitish egg shells. The top areas of your bed to search include:

• The mattress. While the top and bottom areas are the prime places you might think to search, also inspect the seams that join the tops and sides, the sides, and in or around side handle pulls. Also search the box spring for signs of an infestation.
• The crevices. The sewn seams on the top of the bed that create a quilted look could hide bed bugs or their excrement.
• The mattress support or frame. Do you have a metal, wooden, or other support under the mattress and box spring? Search the edges, grooves, and base of this frame for live bed bugs, nymph skins, or egg shells.
• The headboard. Does your bed frame have an attached headboard? Look in grooves or behind wooden or other solid headboards. If you have a cushioned or fabric-covered headboard, search along the seams or around embellishments.
• The bed linens. Take everything off your bed. This includes the flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillow cases, mattress pad/topper, bed skirt, blankets, duvet, pillows, or anything else on the bed. Search these items for bed bugs or signs of the invaders.
• Anything under the bed. Remove boxes, bins, drawers, or anything you store under the bed.

You may need to move or take apart your bed to make the most of your bed bug search. Unscrew bed frames and headboards to get a full view. As you move the bed, look under the frame (on the floor) and on the wall or walls it borders. Bed bugs may also hide on or in the baseboards, floorboards, or carpeting your bed touches.

What Should You Do About Bed Bugs

You found bed bugs—in or around your bed. What's the next step? Before you wash, sanitize, or spray anything on or near your bed, call a professional for help. Even though it may seem like a deep cleaning could rid the area of the bugs, this won't effectively remove 100 percent of the problem. To eliminate bed bugs in and around your bed:

• Schedule a professional inspection. Are the bugs only on the bed? It's possible the invaders are also in other areas of your home. Failure to find and eliminate these bugs could lead to another bed bug bed infestation. A professional has the expertise necessary for a full inspection.
• Schedule a professional extermination. Now that you know where the bugs are, the pest control technician can exterminate the invaders effectively and safely.
• Wash bedding. Separate infested bedding from other laundry. Wash and dry fabrics on the hottest cycles possible.

You may need to schedule routine maintenance or a repeat service. This can help you to catch a re-infestation before it gets out of control or prevent the start of a new invasion.

Does your bed have bed bugs? Contact No Bull Bed Bug Control for more information.