Bed bugs in Kentucky: how to tell if you have them
Published Updated
By John Stopka, Co-Founder & CEO · Reviewed by John Stopka
Bed bugs are not a housekeeping problem. They arrive on luggage, secondhand furniture and belongings, they hide in the seams and cracks closest to where people sleep, and a spotless home is as open to them as any other. What settles it is physical evidence rather than a guess — which is why the work starts with an inspection and is quoted after it, instead of being arranged sight unseen.
How do you know if you have bed bugs?
By finding physical evidence. Nothing else settles it.
The EPA puts it plainly: "A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs" [2] — rusty or reddish stains on sheets and mattresses, dark spots "which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would", eggs, shed skins and live insects [2]. University of Kentucky entomologists give the same list [1].
Two pieces of folklore are worth putting down. A smell is not evidence: UK reports the odour is "seldom apparent except in extreme infestations" [1]. A reaction on the skin is not evidence either — the EPA's guidance is to look for physical signs [2]. If a reaction concerns you, contact a healthcare provider.
Evidence can be hard to find. "Confirmation requires finding the bugs and/or their signs, which often requires a professional" [1].
What do bed bugs look like?
Small and flat. "Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies" [1], "similar to an apple seed although their size is closer to a lentil" [1].
They are easy to get wrong — UK notes they "are sometimes mistaken for ticks, cockroaches, carpet beetles or other household insects" [1], and immature ones are smaller and lighter in colour [1]. If you find one, keep it: a specimen settles an identification faster than a photograph.
Where do bed bugs hide?
Close to where people sleep and sit, where nobody looks.
"Bed bugs often hide in seams, folds and crevices of the mattress, box spring, bed frame and headboard" [1]. After that, "Upholstered chairs, recliners and sofas are the next most likely areas for bed bugs" [1].
They fit almost anywhere: "Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices no wider than a toothpick" [1]. The EPA offers a test anyone can picture — "If a crack will hold a credit card, it could hide a bed bug" [2].
UK's list runs well past the bed: carpet edges, wood molding, ceiling-wall junctures, outlets and switch plates, closet clutter [1]. And it grows — "As numbers grow larger, the bugs tend to move beyond beds into other locations" [1].
How do bed bugs get into a home?
They are carried in. That is nearly the whole story.
"The bugs are efficient hitchhikers and are easily transported into dwellings on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture, and belongings" [1]. Secondhand goods are the other route: "Acquiring secondhand beds and furniture is another way they can be transported into buildings" [1].
"This is a particular problem for hotels and apartments, where turnover of occupants is constant" [1] — and once they are in a building, "they can crawl from room to room, or floor to floor via cracks and openings in walls, floors and ceilings" [1].
The EPA's precautions are about arrival, not cleaning: check secondhand furniture and beds before bringing them home, inspect the luggage rack in a hotel room, reduce clutter [3].
Does a clean house get bed bugs?
Yes. This is worth saying without hedging.
The CDC is blunt: "How clean a place is does not determine whether bed bugs are present" [4]. The same page notes that bed bugs turn up in five-star hotels [4].
UK explains why. "Unlike cockroaches and flies that feed on filth, there is often no relationship between bed bugs and cleanliness" [1] — these insects feed on blood, not on anything a kitchen leaves behind, so "pristine dwellings can be as vulnerable to infestation as are places of squalor" [1].
If you have them, it is not a verdict on your housekeeping.
Why does this start with an inspection instead of a booking?
Because what the treatment must do depends on what the inspection finds.
A real inspection is not a glance at a mattress. UK describes it as work: "A thorough inspection requires dismantling the bed, and standing the components on edge" so every seam and surface can be examined [1], and "A thorough inspection and treatment may take up to several hours" [1].
"Bed bugs are challenging to eradicate. Since they can hide in so many places, inspections must be thorough and elimination is not always a certainty" [1].
Store shelves do not shortcut it: UK notes these insects "are becoming increasingly resistant to pesticides" [1], and its advice is to "enlist the services of a professional" [1].
How does Liberty handle bed bugs?
Separately from everything else, and in that order: look, quote, treat.
Bed bugs are not a plan pest. Bed bugs aren't part of our plans, so bed bug treatment is arranged on its own. The ants, spiders and mice a pest control plan covers are a separate service.
Bed bug treatment starts with an inspection. Your Service Specialist inspects first. Nothing is treated before that. You get a preparation sheet, so you know what to do before your treatment.
It is quoted, not listed. Bed bug treatment is quoted after the inspection and arranged by text or call, rather than online — the office will set it up. Text or call our office to discuss treatment and pricing.
When to call a professional
Call when you have found physical evidence — dark spotting along a mattress seam, shed skins, eggs or a live insect — or when secondhand furniture came home and something changed after.
Call as well if you live in an apartment building, because the openings that let bed bugs move between rooms let them move between units. The inspection settles what you have and where it has reached; the quote follows from that.
Common questions
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
Look for physical signs rather than anything else [2]: rusty or reddish stains on sheets and mattresses, dark excrement spots that bleed into fabric like a marker, tiny eggs, shed skins, and live insects in seams and folds [1][2]. A smell is unreliable [1], and confirming an infestation often takes a professional [1].
Can a clean house get bed bugs?
Yes. The CDC states that how clean a place is does not determine whether bed bugs are present [4], and University of Kentucky entomologists note there is often no relationship between bed bugs and cleanliness: these insects feed on blood, not filth [1].
How do bed bugs get into your house?
They are carried in on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture and belongings, and on secondhand beds and furniture [1]. The EPA calls them great hitchhikers that travel to a new home on furniture, bedding, luggage, boxes and clothing [3]. Once inside a building they crawl from room to room and floor to floor through cracks and openings [1].
Are bed bugs covered by a pest control plan?
No. Bed bugs aren't part of Liberty's plans, so bed bug treatment is arranged on its own: an inspection first, a preparation sheet before the treatment, and the work quoted afterwards and arranged by text or call rather than online.
Sources
- University of Kentucky Entomology. Michael F. Potter. "Bed Bugs" (ENTFACT-636). https://entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef636 (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "How to Find Bed Bugs." https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Protecting Your Home from Bed Bugs." https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/protecting-your-home-bed-bugs (opens in a new tab)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "About Bed Bugs." https://www.cdc.gov/bed-bugs/about/index.html (opens in a new tab)