Bed bugs were largely eradicated in the United States after World War II and then resurged sharply starting in the late 1990s, driven by increased international travel and resistance to older pesticide classes. Oklahoma City is no exception. They show up in hotels, apartment complexes, college dorms, and single-family homes, and they travel through luggage, used furniture, and shared walls in multi-unit buildings. The key to keeping an infestation manageable is recognizing the early signs before they spread beyond the bedroom.
Quick answer
Bed bugs are flat, apple-seed-sized insects that feed on blood at night. Early signs include small rust-colored stains on sheets, tiny dark fecal spots along mattress seams, shed skins, and itchy welts in a line or cluster on the skin. They spread through luggage, used furniture, and multi-unit housing. Professional heat or chemical treatment is required to eliminate an established infestation.
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What Bed Bugs Look Like
An adult bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple seed, flat and oval when unfed, and reddish-brown. After feeding it swells to twice the thickness and becomes darker. Nymphs, the juvenile stages, are smaller and translucent or yellowish, making them harder to spot. Eggs are white, about one millimeter long, and are glued into cracks and crevices where the female deposits them.
Bed bugs do not have wings and cannot jump. They move by crawling and can travel 20 to 100 feet in a single night to reach a host. They are attracted by the carbon dioxide and body heat of sleeping people.
Early Warning Signs
The first thing most people notice is unexplained welts, often in a line or small cluster, on exposed skin in the morning. Bed bug bites are painless while they happen and the itching comes later, sometimes hours after. Not everyone reacts to bites, so some household members may show marks while others in the same bed do not.
Check the mattress carefully along the seams and around the tag. Look for rust-colored stains from crushed bugs, tiny dark fecal spots about the size of a period, and small pale shed skins. A heavy infestation has a faint sweet, musty odor that experienced pest professionals recognize, but that's not a useful early indicator for most homeowners.
- Rust-colored or reddish stains on mattress seams or sheets
- Dark fecal spots, smaller than a pinhead, along mattress seams and box spring edges
- Shed skins in clusters near harborage areas
- Live or dead bugs in the seam of the mattress or inside the box spring
- Itchy welts in a line or cluster, on arms, neck, or shoulders
Where They Hide
The mattress and box spring are the primary harborage for a new infestation. As the population grows they spread to the bed frame, headboard joints, nightstand drawers, the gap between the baseboard and the wall, and the underside of furniture within a few feet of the bed. In a heavy infestation they can be found in electrical outlets, behind wall art, inside books, and in the seams of upholstered furniture across the room.
An inspection should cover every crack and crevice within about 15 feet of the bed. Look in every screw hole in the bed frame, the felt lining under the box spring, and the inside of any hollow furniture leg.
How They Spread and How to Limit It
Travel is the most common source of introduction. Bed bugs hitchhike in luggage left on hotel floors or luggage racks, in clothing, and in laptop bags and purses. After travel, inspect luggage before bringing it inside and wash all clothing immediately in hot water with a high-heat dryer cycle.
Used furniture, especially upholstered sofas, mattresses, and bed frames purchased second-hand or picked up off the street, is a significant risk. Even furniture that looks clean can harbor eggs or bugs in hidden seams. Apartment dwellers and people in duplexes can receive bed bugs through shared walls, electrical outlets, and plumbing chases from neighboring units.
What Treatment Actually Looks Like
Bed bugs cannot be eliminated with over-the-counter sprays alone. Consumer products kill bugs they contact directly, but bed bugs spend most of their time deep in cracks where sprays can't reach. The two treatment methods that consistently achieve elimination are whole-room heat treatment and a multi-visit residual chemical treatment program.
Heat treatment raises the room to 120 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit and holds it there long enough to kill bugs and eggs in every harborage point. Chemical treatment requires multiple visits, typically two to three, using residual insecticides applied to harborage areas with follow-up inspections. Your pest professional will give you a preparation checklist; following it closely is essential to treatment effectiveness.