Bed Bugs

What bed bugs look like

Adult bed bugs are up to about 4.5 mm long, reddish brown, flat and oval, roughly the size and shape of an apple seed. After feeding they swell and darken and look more rounded. They have no working wings and cannot fly or jump, so they travel by crawling and by being carried. Young ones, called nymphs, are smaller and much paler, almost translucent before their first feed, which makes them easy to miss. Eggs are about 1 mm, white and glued into cracks and seams. People often mistake carpet beetles, young cockroaches or bat bugs for bed bugs. Correct identification matters, because the treatment for each is different, and we confirm the species before any plan is put together.

Signs you have bed bugs

• Bites in lines or clusters on skin exposed during sleep, though reactions vary and some people show nothing at all.
• Small dark spots on sheets, mattress seams and bed frames, which is digested blood.
• Rusty smears on bedding, left where a fed bug has been crushed.
• Shed skins and eggshells in mattress seams, box spring corners, headboard joints and screw holes.
• Live bugs along piping and seams, behind the headboard, in bed frame joints and along the baseboard nearest the bed.
• A sweet musty smell in a room where numbers have built up.

Bites alone are not proof. Physical evidence, or a K9 detection inspection, is how a suspicion gets confirmed.

How bed bug infestations spread

Bed bugs are hitchhikers. They are carried in on luggage, bags, backpacks, clothing, used furniture, mattresses and electronics, and they do not care whether a home is clean or untidy. Hotel stays, travel, public transport, shared laundry, student housing and secondhand purchases are the usual routes into a home. Once inside, they spread from the bed outward, into seating, nightstands, baseboards and adjoining rooms. In apartments, condos and row housing they also move between units along wall voids, pipe chases and electrical runs, which is why one affected unit in a building is rarely the only one. Moving an infested mattress or sofa through a building can seed several floors on the way out.

Health and property impact

Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. The harm they cause is mostly through bites, itching and skin irritation, secondary infection from scratching, and allergic reactions in some people. Lost sleep and the stress of an infestation are real effects and should not be dismissed, particularly for people already dealing with health issues. On the property side, the cost is usually in discarded furniture and mattresses, treatment across multiple rooms or units, staining on bedding and upholstery, and in rental buildings the disruption of tenants and vacancies. In hotels, short term rentals and care settings the reputational cost can outweigh everything else, which is why routine inspection is common in those sectors.

Preparing for treatment and preventing bed bugs

• Launder bedding, curtains and affected clothing and dry them on high heat, then keep clean items separate from untreated ones.
• Clear enough space around beds and furniture for the technician to reach seams, frames and baseboards.
• Do not move mattresses, furniture or bagged items into other rooms or out through the building, as that spreads the problem.
• Vacuum along seams, frames and baseboards, then seal and dispose of the vacuum contents outside the building right away.
• Use good quality encasements on mattresses and box springs and leave them on rather than removing them early.
• Check hotel rooms, inspect and avoid secondhand mattresses and upholstered furniture, and unpack luggage away from bedrooms after travel.

Follow the specific preparation list we provide, because over preparing can scatter an infestation and make treatment harder.

How GO! Pest Control treats bed bugs

• Inspection. We confirm it is bed bugs, identify which rooms are affected and how far it has spread, using a K9 detection inspection where that is the clearest way to find out.
• Treatment. We build a plan for the property, which may include a bio-pesticide application such as Aprehend, conventional products, heat treatment of items, or a combination.
• Exclusion. We deal with the harbourage and the routes between units and rooms, including gaps, trim and service runs, so the population cannot simply move next door.
• Follow-up. We return to check the result and treat again where needed, because eggs already laid will hatch after the first visit.
• Advice. We tell you how to handle laundry, encasements, furniture and travel so a treated property stays clear.

We are licensed, insured and bonded, and we work in homes, apartments, condos and businesses across the Toronto GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton.

Common questions about bed bugs