If you’ve never seen a bed bug before, you’re probably imagining something much bigger than it really is.
One of the reasons infestations go unnoticed for so long is because bed bugs are surprisingly small and very good at staying out of sight.
So, how big are they?
An adult bed bug is usually between 5 and 7 millimetres long.
To give you an idea, that’s about the size of an apple seed.
They’re wide enough to see with the naked eye, but flat enough to squeeze into tiny gaps around a bed or piece of furniture.
Young bed bugs are much smaller. A newly hatched nymph is only around 1.5 millimetres long, which is why they’re often overlooked during a quick inspection.
Image courtesy of: Reddit
Do they get bigger after feeding?
Yes.
One thing people don’t realise is that bed bugs change shape after they’ve fed.
Before feeding, they’re flat and oval.
After feeding, their body becomes longer, fuller and much darker because it’s filled with blood.
If you’ve ever seen photos online showing bed bugs that look different sizes, that’s often the reason.
Can you spot them easily?
Adults usually aren’t difficult to see once you know what you’re looking for.
Finding them is the hard part.
They spend most of their time hidden in cracks, joints and narrow spaces, only coming out when they’re looking for a blood meal.
I’ve inspected plenty of bedrooms where the homeowner was convinced there couldn’t be bed bugs because they’d never seen one.
A careful inspection told a different story.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years
People often spend far too much time searching the middle of the mattress.
I very rarely start there.
The edges, seams, labels, piping and the bed frame are much more productive places to inspect.
If bed bugs are present, that’s where I’m expecting to find them first.
Does size tell you how bad the infestation is?
No.
Finding one large bed bug doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got a serious infestation.
Likewise, finding several tiny nymphs doesn’t automatically mean the problem has only just started.
I look at the whole picture.
How many live insects are there?
Can I see eggs?
Are there cast skins?
Are droppings spread across several hiding places?
Those answers tell me much more than size alone.
My advice
Don’t assume you’ve ruled out bed bugs because you haven’t seen anything obvious.
They’re experts at hiding.
Take your time, use a bright torch and inspect every joint, seam and crack around the bed before deciding everything is clear.
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