There’s no magic number.
I’ve inspected bedrooms with only a handful of bed bugs, and I’ve inspected others where hundreds were hiding inside the bed frame.
The important thing to remember is this:
The number you see is almost never the number that’s actually there.
Small infestations
A new infestation may contain only a few insects.
You might find:
- A couple of adults.
- A handful of eggs.
- One or two nymphs.
- A few droppings.
These are the easiest infestations to eliminate because they’re usually confined to one area.
Established infestations
As bed bugs reproduce, the numbers increase surprisingly quickly.
You’ll often start finding:
- More hiding places.
- More cast skins.
- More droppings.
- Bed bugs of every life stage.
The insects begin spreading into furniture surrounding the bed.
One thing we’ve noticed
People often assume they’ve only got one or two bed bugs because that’s all they’ve found.
Unfortunately, bed bugs are excellent at staying hidden.
Finding two often means there are many more nearby.
👨🔧 Andy’s Inspection Tip
Never judge an infestation by the insects you can see.
Judge it by the amount of evidence you find.
A few insects surrounded by eggs, droppings and cast skins tell a very different story to one lone adult with no other signs.