Bed Bugs

How to identify bed bugs

Adults are about apple-seed sized, flat, oval, and reddish-brown; nymphs are smaller and paler. Signs include small rusty or dark spots (droppings) on sheets and mattress seams, tiny pale shed skins, a sweet musty odor in heavy infestations, and rows or clusters of itchy bites on skin exposed during sleep. They hide within a few feet of where people sleep — mattress seams, box spring, headboard, nightstands, and baseboards.

Behavior & biology

Bed bugs are obligate blood feeders that come out at night, drawn by body heat and exhaled carbon dioxide, then retreat to tight harborage to digest and lay eggs. A female lays eggs steadily, and the cream-colored eggs are glued into cracks and seams, making them hard to spot and to treat. They can survive months without feeding, so empty rooms and unused furniture don't clear them out — they simply wait.

Why bed bugs matter

Bed bugs don't damage structures, but they take a heavy toll on people: itchy welts, lost sleep, anxiety, and the cost and disruption of treatment. In multi-unit housing and hotels they spread between units and rooms and carry significant reputational and financial risk. Because they hitchhike, an untreated infestation readily travels to new homes via luggage, bags, and secondhand furniture.

DIY vs. professional control

Store-bought sprays and 'bug bombs' scatter bed bugs deeper into walls and furniture and rarely reach the eggs, often making an infestation harder to clear. Many populations also resist common over-the-counter products. Professional control uses a thorough inspection, targeted insecticide or whole-room heat treatment that penetrates harborage, and mandatory follow-up to catch survivors and newly hatched bugs.

How Definity treats bed bugs

Definity eliminates bed bugs with a detailed inspection to map every harborage, then targeted treatment — precise insecticide application, heat, or a combination — that reaches seams, voids, and eggs, followed by scheduled follow-up visits to confirm the infestation is gone. Johnny Lockridge cautions that store-bought foggers usually backfire by scattering the bugs; the dependable route is professional treatment plus the follow-up that catches anything that hatches afterward.