About Bed Bugs
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects that feed on human blood, usually at night. They don't fly and can't jump, but they move quickly across floors, walls, and ceilings, and they spread easily by hitching a ride on luggage, furniture, and clothing.
Identification
Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, oval-shaped, and reddish-brown. After feeding, their bodies swell and darken. Nymphs (young bed bugs) are smaller and lighter in color, closer to translucent or pale yellow, which makes them harder to spot.
Often Confused With
Bed bugs are frequently mistaken for carpet beetles, bat bugs, or spider beetles. The clearest difference is body shape: bed bugs are flat and oval with no wings, while lookalikes tend to have more rounded bodies or visible wing covers.
Flat, oval, no wings, reddish-brown, found near beds and seams
Rounded body, mottled pattern, found near fabrics and carpets, not blood-feeding
Signs of an Infestation
Most people notice the signs of bed bugs before they ever see the insect itself.
Habitat and Behavior
Bed bugs hide in tight, dark spaces close to where people sleep: mattress seams, box springs, headboards, and cracks in bed frames. In heavier infestations, they can spread to baseboards, outlets, and nearby furniture. They're most active at night and stay hidden during the day, which is part of why infestations can go unnoticed for weeks.
How They Travel
Bed bugs don't travel far on their own. They spread through secondhand furniture, hotel stays, shared laundry facilities, and luggage brought home after travel. Florida's year-round tourism and steady flow of short-term rentals make this kind of introduction more common than in areas with less travel traffic.
Risks
Bed bug bites cause itching and, for some people, a stronger allergic reaction with swelling or welts. Repeated scratching can break the skin and lead to secondary infection. Beyond the physical symptoms, an infestation often disrupts sleep and causes real stress, especially once people start associating their own bed with the problem.
Bed bugs aren't currently linked to spreading disease, but they're notoriously difficult to eliminate without professional treatment, which means a small problem left alone tends to get worse and more expensive to resolve.
Prevention Tips
When to Call a Professional
Over-the-counter sprays and home remedies rarely clear a bed bug problem completely. Bed bugs hide deep in cracks and seams that store-bought products can't reach, and missing even a few eggs is enough for the infestation to come back.
Time to Call in Help If:
You're seeing multiple signs of infestation listed above, bites are recurring, or a first DIY attempt hasn't worked. A professional treatment plan is built for full elimination, not just a temporary fix.
Bed Bug Treatment Near You
Price Termite & Pest Control treats bed bug infestations across Melbourne, West Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale.