You don’t need to be afraid of bed bugs: they are not known to spread disease, and an infestation can be controlled, but it is worth knowing how to avoid bringing them home and how to respond if you find them. Bed bugs are a nuisance that causes itching and lost sleep, according to the CDC’s overview of bed bugs, and they turn up in hotels, homes, offices and other places people sleep or sit. Saela Pest Control is a residential and commercial pest control company that handles bed bugs alongside everyday household pests. This guide explains what bed bugs are, why they’ve become more common and the calm, practical steps that keep them out of your home.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, flat, oval, brown insects that feed on blood, and people are their main host in homes. The EPA’s guide to bed bug appearance and life cycle describes adults as about the size of an apple seed, 5 to 7 millimeters long, turning reddish-brown and swollen after a meal. Their flat bodies let them hide in mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards, cracks and even behind wallpaper. The CDC notes that they can travel more than 100 feet in a night but tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.
Bed bugs can’t fly, and they mostly feed at night while people are asleep. The University of Kentucky’s bed bug fact sheet notes that a meal takes about 3 to 10 minutes and that the bite is painless, so people seldom realize they are being bitten. Many people only notice the itchy marks later; the CDC says bite marks usually appear one to several days after the bite, and some people show no reaction at all.
Why Are Bed Bugs More Common Now?
Bed bugs became uncommon after World War II, partly because of the widespread use of DDT, and then rebounded in recent decades. The University of Kentucky lists homes, apartments, hotels, dormitories, schools, offices and public transportation among the places infestations occur today. Many people have never learned what a bed bug looks like, which makes early signs easy to miss.
The University of Kentucky attributes the comeback to several factors, including less potent insecticides, global travel and a loss of the vigilance people practiced in years past. Bed bugs have also become harder to kill with many products because of insecticide resistance, which is one reason do-it-yourself treatments often fail.
How Can You Prevent Bed Bugs?
- Be Cautious While Traveling
Travel is one of the easiest ways to pick up bed bugs, because they hitchhike in luggage, bags and folded clothes. When you check into a hotel, look at the mattress seams, bed frame, headboard and luggage rack for dark spots, shed skins or live bugs, and tell the front desk if you find anything. Keep your suitcase on the luggage rack rather than the floor or bed, and keep clothes packed instead of unpacking into drawers. - Protect Your Home
When you get home, put travel clothes straight into the dryer, since the EPA’s bed bug prevention tips note that a dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs, then check and vacuum your suitcase. Check secondhand beds, couches and chairs for signs of bed bugs before bringing them inside. A protective cover that encases the mattress and box spring removes many hiding spots, and reducing clutter and vacuuming often leave bed bugs fewer places to hide.
What Should You Do If You Find Bed Bugs?
- Confirm the Signs
Bites alone are not reliable evidence, because bites from mosquitoes, fleas and other pests can look similar and some people don’t react at all. More reliable signs are dark spotting from dried droppings, rusty blood spots on bedding, shed skins and eggs in mattress seams and furniture crevices. Check the bed first, then nearby furniture. - Save Any Bugs You Find
Many small insects can look like bed bugs when you’re worried. If you find a bug you suspect, seal it in a small container or clear tape so a professional can identify it. A confirmed identification saves you from treating a problem you don’t have. - Try to Contain It
Don’t move to the sofa or a friend’s home, because you can carry bed bugs with you and spread them. The University of Kentucky notes that nymphs and adults can survive for months without feeding, so leaving the home empty rarely solves the problem. You usually don’t need to throw out furniture, and discarding infested items can spread bed bugs to other homes. - Call a Professional
Bed bugs are hard to control yourself because they hide in many places and many have built up resistance to common insecticides, so the CDC recommends contacting a professional pest control company experienced with bed bugs. Spraying store-bought products can scatter them and make treatment harder; our article on the benefits of professional bed bug control covers why. Saela’s bed bug programs pair repeated treatments with laundering and vacuuming by the customer between visits, because thorough preparation helps each visit work.
Put Everything in Perspective
Bed bugs are unpleasant, but they are manageable, and the CDC notes they are not known to spread diseases to people. With careful travel habits, a check of secondhand furniture and a prompt response to real signs, most households can avoid a long infestation. Saela’s protocols are developed by Dennis Weiss, Saela’s board-certified entomologist, who also trains its technicians. To see what other customers say, read Saela’s customer reviews; in a February 2024 Google review, Melanie Farris wrote, “Our technician Trey is very kind and professional!”
Saela’s Denver, Colorado location is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 495 Google reviews as of October 2026, and the pricing page explains how plans are quoted.
If you’ve found signs of bed bugs, book a call with Saela to have them identified and to talk through treatment and preparation.
To learn more about how Saela works, see why homeowners choose Saela.
Who wrote this article?
Devin Hutchings (Marketing Director at Saela Pest Control) wrote this article.
Devin leads Saela’s marketing and growth strategy. He brings more than 15 years of marketing experience across Uber, C.R. England, Lugg, and Neighbor. His background spans customer acquisition, retention, and developing marketing channels for service businesses and consumer marketplaces.
