If you suspect bed bugs, don’t start by stripping the entire room apart.
A good inspection is systematic.
The aim isn’t to look everywhere.
It’s to look in the right places.
Start with the bed
I always begin with:
- Mattress seams.
- Piping.
- Mattress labels.
- Headboard joints.
- Bed frame fixings.
- Wooden slats.
Those areas account for a large proportion of the evidence I find.
Then expand the search
If nothing turns up around the bed, I’ll move to:
- Bedside cabinets.
- Upholstered chairs.
- Curtain headings.
- Skirting boards.
- Behind pictures.
- Nearby electrical sockets where it’s safe to inspect.
The further the infestation has developed, the further bed bugs are likely to spread.
A mistake we often see
People search for live bed bugs and ignore everything else.
In reality, droppings, eggs and cast skins are often much easier to find.
Those clues tell me just as much as a live insect.
What you’ll need
You don’t need specialist equipment.
A bright torch, a thin card for checking narrow gaps and a little patience are often enough for an initial inspection.
My advice
Take your time.
A careful twenty-minute inspection is usually far more effective than an hour of rushed searching.