Bed bugs are small, blood-feeding insects that hide in beds, furniture, and cracks and come out at night to feed. They are among the hardest household pests to detect early, which is exactly why a trained dog is so valuable.

How to identify the Bed Bug

Adults are about the size and color of an apple seed — flat, oval, reddish-brown. After feeding they swell and darken. Eggs and young are pale and much harder to see.

Behavior & biology

They are nocturnal, hide in mattress seams, box springs, headboards, baseboards, and wall voids, and can survive months without feeding. A single mated female can start a new infestation.

Why Bed Bugs are a problem

Bites cause itchy welts, often in lines, and infestations spread fast between rooms and units. They travel home on luggage and used furniture, so they turn up in the cleanest homes.

Signs of an infestation

Rows of itchy bites, small blood smears on sheets, dark ink-like fecal spots along seams, pale shed skins, and in heavier cases a sweet, musty odor.

How we handle Bed Bugs in the CSRA

Our canine teams screen a property in minutes and pinpoint live activity early — see our accuracy standards. Confirmed finds move to our bed bug treatment program. Call 803-226-3155 to schedule. See more in our pest library.