Bed Bug Infestation: Signs, Causes and How to Get Rid of It in Canada

TL;DR

• Confirm an infestation by finding several signs together: bites, dark fecal spots, blood smears, shed skins, eggs and, ideally, a live bug, the only sure proof.
• Bites alone are a poor sign of bed bugs (US EPA), because flea, mosquito and spider bites can look similar.
• Checking the bed first usually makes sense: every mattress seam, tuft and zipper, the box spring and the bed frame joints. Then work outward to nearby furniture, baseboards and outlets.
• Bed bugs usually hitchhike in on luggage, second-hand furniture or from neighbouring units. A dirty home does not cause them.
• Use several methods together: bag and hot-dry bedding for 30 minutes or more, vacuum, steam the seams and keep the mattress encased for a full year.

A bed bug infestation rarely starts with a sighting. It starts with a few itchy bites after a night's sleep, a dark speck on a mattress seam, or a suspicion that is easy to dismiss. The common first moves, like sleeping on the couch or dragging the mattress to another room, can sometimes carry bed bugs into rooms that were clean.

Bed bugs have nothing to do with how clean a home is. They hitchhike in on luggage, clothing and used furniture, and an infestation can be eliminated once it is confirmed, contained and treated in every hiding spot. Knowing how a handful of hitchhikers turns into a breeding population explains why speed matters so much.

What Is a Bed Bug Infestation?

A bed bug infestation is a breeding population of bed bugs (usually Cimex lectularius) living close to where people sleep and feeding on their blood at night. Their flat bodies let them hide during the day in seams, cracks and furniture joints, then come out to feed while you sleep. Health Canada notes that they are easily moved from room to room on infested objects, which is why one missed hiding spot can restart the whole problem.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Adult bed bugs are flat, oval and brown, about the size of an apple seed (roughly 5 to 7 mm long). After feeding, they swell and turn a darker, reddish colour. Young bed bugs, called nymphs, look like smaller, paler adults: the youngest are tiny and can be nearly invisible when unfed. Bed bug eggs are white, about 1 mm long and very hard to see on most surfaces.

Bed bugs have no wings. Health Canada confirms they cannot fly or jump, and they have trouble climbing metal or polished surfaces.

How Fast Does a Bed Bug Infestation Grow?

A bed bug infestation grows because each female lays at least 200 eggs in her lifetime, according to Health Canada. Eggs usually hatch in 6 to 17 days. Each nymph goes through five moults and needs a blood meal before each one, then becomes an adult that usually lives about 10 months.

Bed bugs are also hard to starve out. Health Canada says they can live from several weeks to up to a year and a half without feeding. Leaving a room empty for a few weeks will not end an infestation.

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous to Your Health?

Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, according to Health Canada, and their bites do not generally require medical attention. Bites usually cause a red bump or flat welt that may be itchy and that heals in one to two weeks, per HealthLink BC. Rare, more severe allergic reactions can happen, so speak with a health professional if a reaction worries you.

The bigger toll is often on sleep and peace of mind. Health Canada notes that some people living with bed bugs report anxiety and insomnia. Acting early is the best way to keep both the infestation and the stress small.

What Are the Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation?

The signs of a bed bug infestation are small, so you confirm one by finding several of them together, ideally with a live bug. Look for these signs of bed bugs, starting with your bed.

Bite Marks

Bed bug bite marks are red, itchy bumps, often in a line or a cluster on skin that was exposed while you slept, such as the face, neck, arms and hands. Health Canada notes that bites can take up to 14 days to appear, and some people do not react to bites at all (University of Kentucky). Bites alone never prove you have bed bugs, because flea, mosquito and spider bites can look similar.

Dark Fecal Spots

Bed bug droppings are tiny black or brown spots of digested blood. You find them on sheets, mattress seams, box spring edges and the wall or headboard near the bed. They often look like marker dots, and they can smear reddish brown when rubbed with a damp cloth or a baby wipe.

Blood Smears

Blood smears are rusty or reddish streaks on your sheets or pillowcases. They can come from a bed bug that was crushed after feeding, often when you rolled over in your sleep.

Shed Skins

Shed skins are the pale, empty shells bed bugs leave behind each time they moult. Because every bed bug moults five times before adulthood, shed skins pile up in seams and cracks as an infestation grows.

Eggs

Bed bug eggs are white, about 1 mm long and glued into seams, folds and cracks. You usually need a flashlight and a magnifying glass to see them. Finding eggs means bed bugs are breeding in that spot.

Live Bed Bugs

A live bed bug is the only sure proof of an infestation. If you catch one, keep it in a sealed bag or a small container (tape works too) so a pest control professional can confirm what it is. Not sure what one bug means? Read our guide on what to do if you found one bed bug.

Musty Odour

A sweet, musty odour is often listed as a sign of bed bugs, but it is a weak one. The University of Kentucky notes that the smell is often hard to notice except in heavy infestations, so do not rule out bed bugs just because your bedroom smells normal.

Where Should You Check for a Bed Bug Infestation?

A bed bug infestation often starts within a few metres of the bed, so check the sleeping area first and work outward. Use this routine:

1. Take the bedding off and look over the sheets and pillowcases in good light.
2. Shine a flashlight along every mattress seam, tuft, zipper and label.
3. Lift the mattress and check the box spring, especially the corners and the fabric underneath.
4. Inspect the bed frame and headboard joints, screw holes and cracks.
5. Move outward to nightstands, dressers, sofas and the edges of the carpet.
6. Finish with baseboards, outlets, picture frames and loose wallpaper.

For a full room-by-room list, see where bed bugs hide.

The Mattress

The mattress is the first place to check because it puts bed bugs within reach of a sleeping person. Focus on the piping along the seams, the tufts, the zipper and the area under labels. Do the same for the box spring, which has even more folds and hidden fabric.

The Bed Frame

The bed frame gives bed bugs dark joints, screw holes and cracks right next to their food source. Wooden frames and headboards can offer more hiding spots than metal ones, so check them closely.

Furniture Near the Bed

Furniture near the bed, such as nightstands, dressers and upholstered chairs, is the next ring of hiding spots. Pull out drawers and check the joints, corners and the underside. Sofas matter too if someone sleeps or naps on them.

Baseboards

Baseboards hide bed bugs in the gap between the trim and the wall or floor. As an infestation grows, bed bugs spread along baseboards and carpet edges away from the bed. Our guide to bed bugs in walls covers this stage.

Electrical Outlets

Electrical outlets and light switch plates near the bed can shelter bed bugs in heavier infestations. Health Canada lists outlets among the places to inspect. Look at the cover plate edges with a flashlight, but never take an outlet apart or spray liquid into it.

What Causes a Bed Bug Infestation?

A bed bug infestation starts when bed bugs hitchhike into your home. They are not usually linked to dirt or the outdoors; they generally arrive on things and people that came from an infested place. For the full picture, read what really causes bed bugs and how bed bugs spread.

Travel

Travel can be a common source because bed bugs can climb into luggage, clothing and bags in hotels, student residences and shelters, as HealthLink BC notes. They then unpack with you at home.

Second-Hand Furniture

Second-hand furniture brings bed bugs home when it comes from an infested place. Health Canada advises being very cautious with used or refurbished items, especially mattresses, bed frames and upholstered furniture. Never bring home furniture left on the curb.

Neighbouring Units

Neighbouring units are a source in apartments and condos, because bed bugs can crawl through cracks in shared walls and floors and along pipes and wires. Health Canada suggests checking and sealing entry points on walls you share with neighbours. If you suspect they come from next door, see how to deal with bed bugs from neighbours.

Does a Dirty Home Cause Bed Bugs?

A dirty home does not cause bed bugs. They feed only on blood, so a spotless home can be infested as easily as a messy one. Clutter does make an infestation harder to find and treat, because every pile gives bed bugs more places to hide. Some of the worst bed bug cities in Canada include plenty of clean, well-kept homes.

How Do You Get Rid of a Bed Bug Infestation?

Getting rid of a bed bug infestation takes several methods used together, because no single method reaches every bug and egg. Health Canada states that treatment works best when physical control and prevention are combined, and HealthLink BC says effective control usually needs both physical and chemical treatment. Start with the physical steps below as soon as you confirm the problem.

Hot Dryer Cycle

A hot dryer cycle is the simplest way to kill bed bugs in bedding and clothing. Bag infested items in sealed plastic bags in the room where you find them, so you do not spread bed bugs on the way to the laundry. Health Canada recommends washing in hot water, then placing items in a hot dryer for 30 minutes or more. Small items and dry-clean-only items can usually go straight into the hot dryer for 30 minutes or more.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming can remove bed bugs and eggs from seams, carpets and cracks, but it does not kill them. Use a stiff brush attachment with a back-and-forth scraping motion, as Health Canada suggests. Then seal the vacuum bag or the canister contents in a plastic bag right away and put it in an outdoor garbage bin.

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning kills bed bugs and eggs on contact. Health Canada notes that bed bugs die at 50°C and that steam cleaners generally produce steam of at least 100°C. Move the nozzle slowly along mattress seams, bed frames and furniture joints, since steam only kills the bugs it actually reaches.

Mattress Encasements

Mattress encasements are zippered covers that seal the mattress and box spring so bed bugs inside cannot escape or feed, and new ones cannot hide there. It helps to choose covers made for bed bugs, tape over the zipper, and keep them on for a full year, as Health Canada recommends. A light-coloured cover also makes new signs easier to see.

Bed Leg Interceptors

Bed leg interceptors are cups placed under each leg of the bed that catch bed bugs climbing up or down. Health Canada describes them as a way to help detect bed bugs. They are most useful to confirm a suspected problem and to check whether treatment is working. Pull the bed a few centimetres away from the wall and keep bedding off the floor so the legs are the only way up.

Freezing

Freezing can kill bed bugs in small items that cannot be washed or heated, but only if it is cold enough for long enough. Health Canada gives a guideline of about 4 days of consistent cold at -19°C. The US EPA warns that home freezers may not be cold enough, so use a freezer thermometer or choose heat instead.

Insecticides

Insecticides can help, but only as part of a plan. Use only pesticides registered by Health Canada (look for the PCP registration number on the label) and only as directed on the label. Never spray your mattress or bedding unless the label says you can. Many bed bug populations have developed resistance to common pyrethroid insecticides, which is why sprays alone so often fail. For products available in Canada, see our tested picks for the best bed bug spray.

When to Call a Licensed Professional

Calling a licensed professional is the right move for most bed bug infestations. Health Canada strongly recommends hiring a licensed pest control operator, and it says heat treatments should be left to professionals. Call one if you find bed bugs in more than one room, if signs keep coming back despite your DIY work, or if you live in a multi-unit building.

Professionals combine inspection, heat or chemical treatment and follow-up visits. Before they come, follow their preparation checklist: our guide on how to prepare for bed bug treatment walks you through it. For budgets and options, read about bed bug heat treatment and bed bug exterminator costs.

How Do You Keep a Bed Bug Infestation From Coming Back?

Keeping a bed bug infestation from coming back depends on monitoring for several weeks after treatment and checking everything that enters your home. If you rent, tell your landlord as soon as you suspect bed bugs: in Quebec, British Columbia and Toronto, for example, landlords are generally responsible for arranging treatment, and our guide on who pays for bed bug extermination explains the rules. For a full routine, see how to prevent a bed bug infestation.

Monitoring After Treatment

Monitoring after treatment tells you early if any bed bugs survived. Health Canada suggests vacuuming daily and throwing out the vacuum bag right away for the first few weeks. Keep the interceptors under the bed legs and the encasements on, and check the mattress seams once a week.

Luggage Checks After Travel

Luggage checks after travel stop bed bugs before they settle in. In hotels, keep your suitcase on a luggage rack away from the bed and check the mattress seams and headboard when you arrive. At home, unpack outside the bedroom and put your clothes straight into a hot dryer.

Second-Hand Item Inspection

Second-hand item inspection matters for every used mattress, bed frame, sofa or book you bring home. Check seams, joints and cracks with a flashlight before the item comes inside, and skip anything you cannot inspect or heat-treat.