Signs you need this
- Itchy bites after sleeping, often in a line or cluster; bites alone aren't proof, since people react differently
- Small rust-colored or dark spots on sheets and mattress seams
- Tiny pale eggs or shed skins in seams, cracks and furniture joints
- Flat, reddish-brown bugs about the size of an apple seed
What the work usually involves
- Inspecting to confirm bed bugs and find how far they've spread
- Preparation instructions for you before treatment
- Treatment with heat, targeted products, or both, depending on the situation
- Encasements for mattresses and box springs
- Follow-up inspections, since eggs can survive a single treatment
Until help arrives
- Don't move bedding, furniture or clothing into other rooms.
- Keep sleeping where you normally sleep; moving rooms can spread them.
- Wash bedding and clothes and dry them on high heat, then keep them sealed in bags.
- Don't set off foggers or bug bombs; they don't reach where bed bugs hide.
- If you catch one, keep it on clear tape or in a sealed bag to show the provider.