How to detect bed bugs

Bed bugs often appear after a move or a trip or after acquiring goods or furniture. Contrary to popular belief, their presence is not a sign of uncleanliness. The fact is that they hide and travel easily. At the onset of an infestation, bed bugs will hide close to where they feed: on the mattress and box spring, close to the person they will bite while they sleep.

If these five signs appear, you may have a bed bug infestation:

• Redness or swelling on the body, bite marks, itching
• Small bloodstains on your sheets
• Tiny black spots at the edges and corners of your bed
• A slight smell, similar to that of almonds
• By inspecting the area and the most likely hiding places with a flashlight, you’ve seen bed bugs with your own eyes (even after a treatment)

How they get into your home:

• Through infected items such as clothing, handbags, chairs, mattresses or other objects left on the street
• During the transportation of infested items, especially when moving, but also in laundry rooms or laundromats, flea markets, second-hand clothing stores and used furniture stores
• Through walls, ceilings and floors, by crawling through pipes, ducts, electrical cables or other openings
• During travel, in hotel drawers, luggage, bags, clothing or sleeping bags.

The biggest challenge is detecting bed bugs. If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home, call our exterminators as soon as possible. The sooner we act, the sooner you and your family will get peace of mind. At Axon, we combine our visual detection efforts with those of specialized dogs. While visual inspection by humans has a success rate of 38%, canine bed bug detection has an estimated efficiency rate of 98%.