There is an adult bed bug on the right and a pale one on the left. Different instars between them plus eggs and fecal drops.
photo: L.Sorkin

To zoom, click photo, then “All Sizes,” then “Large.”

• closeup of female bed bug with eggs
• More of Lou Sorkin’s photos
• close up bed bug with eggs
• Lou Sorkin: bitten on the hand by 30 bed bug nymphs and 2 adult bed bugs

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Close up of single female bug on mattress. She is upside down and eggs are below her head and elsewhere.
photo: L.Sorkin

To see even more close up: click photo, then “all sizes” then “large.”

• closeup of female bed bug with eggs
• close up of bed bugs on mattress
• More of Lou Sorkin’s photos
• bed bug nymphs, bed bug eggs, bed bug feces, on wood

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Female from below piping and sitting over eggs. Zoom in on bug and see eggs, many of which are full, some empty. Fecal drops also visible. photo: L.Sorkin

(Click photo, click “all sizes”, then “large” to zoom in!)

• close up of bed bugs on mattress
• More of Lou Sorkin’s photos
• close up bed bug with eggs
• Bed bugs in a group

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Female with eggs under piping (near top edge, left). Many bed bugs near right side in middle area between top and bottom of mattress.

(Click photo, click “all sizes”, then “large” to zoom in!)

• closeup of female bed bug with eggs
• close up of bed bugs on mattress
• close up bed bug with eggs
• Amazing photos from Lou Sorkin

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The link is in the menu above, so you can send people there. A special thanks to everyone who contributes photos, but especially Lou Sorkin–without Lou’s photos, there would be no such page.

Check it out!

• bite photos
• FAQ: Is this a bed bug? (photos of creatures mistaken for bed bugs)
• (Bed bug) service included
• Lou’s bed bug bite photos

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Click the photo to get all sizes of the photo, and then select “large” for the best view.

This one shows a lounge chair–do you see the staples–the same ones from the previous entry? You can see nymphs, shed skins, hatched eggs, and feces. The eggs are 1/32 inch long.

• upholstered lounge chair
• bed bug nymphs, bed bug eggs, bed bug feces, on wood
• lounge chair fabric
• Bed bugs in a group

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Detail of the same lounge chair.

Thanks to Lou Sorkin for the amazing bed bug photos!

• upholstered lounge chair
• Amazing photos from Lou Sorkin
• bed bug harborage inside a recessed screw hole
• spider beetle

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AimeesBB

Originally uploaded by OfAllTheBeds

• Reader Angie’s bed bug photos
• bed bug nymphs, bed bug eggs, bed bug feces, on wood
• bed bugs with german cockroach
• recent bites from bed bugs (photo)

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All. Over. A. Bed. With. A. Man. Sleeping. In. It.

Imagine a propaganda film made by a major pest control company, in the hopes that they will make you cry, scream, and run to call them to make an appointment.

This is it. You were warned.

There’s at least 30 seconds there of “For the love of mercy will someone please crack out the contact killer and spray those things?” Like any documentary when you see disaster striking, you worry about the hearts of those filming while Rome burns.

Oh yeah, and if any of you are in a current infestation, but your partner / roommate / relative thinks it is no big deal, or is telling you you’re hysterical, or thinks they are not being bitten because they do not itch, even though you notice a lot of extra “pimples” on said person lately, and despite this, they will simply not listen to you telling them this is serious?

Make them watch it. Seriously, do. But make sure you close your eyes.

• ad on Craigslist: new bed bug documentary
• In Vancouver? Interested in a bed bug documentary?
• Another bed bug documentary — this one being made in NY
• FAQ: Why am I being bitten and my housemate / partner / friend isn’t?

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This is pretty clearly a photo of a bed bug.

My question is: is there anything I can do in the meantime to help
protect myself in case this guy is a portent of things to come?

I should mention that I read the “bedbug dos-and-don’ts” and am clear
about not moving sleeping locations, etc. I also already have plastic
and allergenic covers on my mattress, bed frame and pillows, due to dust
allergies. I haven’t seen any bites, or evidence that bedbugs have been
anywhere near my bed–no blood trails, no black dots on the sheets,
etc.

I don’t want to freak out unnecessarily if this is a false alarm–but
I’d also hate to worsen the situation while I wait for a diagnosis.

First, Waiting, we’re sorry you are the latest person to read our “Do’s and Don’ts.” I mean, you definitely came to the right place, but I do wish the website could be closed down due to lack of relevance. (Or perhaps retained as a historical artefact of the internet?) Someday soon, I hope.

Anyway, you mention (in a part of your email not quoted) that your building is massive, and that the management reports bed bug complaints to be extremely rare. It sounds like your building management, like others all over the place, is going to find they become more and more frequent. A very large building such as yours will require education of the residents about spotting bed bugs and their signs (for example, many people do not react to bites, and will have to be on the lookout for other signals), and constant vigilance from everyone living there.

The bad news is, bed bugs walking around in daylight is a bad sign. Seeing even one bug is a bad sign.

The good news is that if you have inspected carefully and found no black fecal spots or specks (which can resemble magic marker on the bed, but can also resemble little black flecks of pepper), no blood spots (which can be bedbug-sized, or very small red or rust-colored pinpricks on the sheets), and no other bed bugs, eggs, or cast skins of any size (remember the nymphs can be 1/32 inch large and white, tan, red, or brown, the adults 1/6 inch), then perhaps the one you saw was a new arrival.

However, to be safe, you should assume that you have them somewhere, and have a Pest Control Operator (PCO) inspect carefully, and have the PCO treat your home.

Have the PCO inspect the apartment and furniture, including your mattress and pillow encasings, your bed frame, and other furniture in the room. If the bed/pillow encasings do not cover the entire mattress or pillow, or there are even small tears or holes, bed bugs could be living inside and going in and out. You say you have a covered frame, though any exposed parts of the frame may be harboring bed bugs. They like to hide in the tiniest spaces and they are very stealthy. One Bedbugger was told by her PCO that they could even hide in the veneer on the surface of the wood furniture. Hiding in the joints of table legs or within bed frames is entirely possible.

They can live in the floorboards, light fixtures, behind electrical plates, and in sofas, chairs, computer chairs, and other soft furniture. None of this is reason to panic! I am only going through all this because it really is essential that the space is checked carefully. You may not see any more bed bugs and may still have them–lots of us never find one–some are bitten badly for six months and do not find an actual bug, egg, or cast skin. (On that count, you’re lucky–because now you can take action!)

Do take it seriously, and have the PCO come and treat the whole apartment. It should not be the person who does preventative roach spraying for the building, but someone who really knows how to get rid of bed bugs. The PCO will give you extensive instructions for preparing for treatment (moving the furniture, washing and drying all clothes on hot and bagging in sealed plastic bags (e.g. XL Ziplocs). It may take you some time to do all that, but it is necessary. It also may seem like a lot in case you do just have “one bug” but the odds are you have more than one, or your neighbor(s) are sending more.

S/he will also treat your bed (encasements removed). After treatment, just to be safe, you may want to re-encase the mattress, pillow and box springs with fresh encasements designed to stop bed bugs, and you may want to “isolate your bed” as per our FAQs on protecting the bed. There are encasements that are vinyl on the inside and cloth outside, and others which are just vinyl, but it’s essential there are no small gaps, since the 1 mm first instar nymphs can go through the tiniest cracks.

If this one bug just wandered in from a neighbor on any side, as is likely, then they will keep coming. So your building should have the PCO inspect, and treat if necessary, every adjacent unit in a clover pattern (top, bottom, and on every side).

If you do have more than one bug living there, then the PCO will likely have to come back 2 or three times at two week-intervals (because the eggs do not get killed, and hatch in 10-14 days.

Other FAQs should be useful as you ensure your home is made bed bug free. The best thing I can say is if you can get your building to take this seriously, with as many units as it has, they would be wise to be aggressive in trying to locate and treat all infestations.

Hope that helps, but feel free to get in touch via the comments below (or the forums) if you have more questions.

• FAQ: How do I protect my bed from bed bugs?
• Old mattresses given out as charity: will cause more harm than good
• how stealthy bed bugs can be
• National Allergy mattress encasement test results

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