Bed Bug Video

I like to watch You Tube. Depending on my mood I can watch fascinating videos of any subject, and most recently I found myself watching videos about bed bugs. As a bed bug exterminator I was curious to observe people's bed bug do-it-yourself remedies, some of which offered some decent suggestions of how to rid your home of bed bugs, and others were simply laughable. Since YouTube video content is all user uploaded we have to remember to take some of the information we find with a grain of salt. My goal was to find a video that was accurate and informative, and I did stumble upon a short documentary-style video uploaded by Discovery Networks. Being a fan of The Discovery Channel it caught my interest. They uploaded a video named, "Bed Bugs on the Rise" that I would like to share with you below.

This video is very useful to you for several reasons. It discusses some basic information about bed bugs, and you can actually see what bed bugs look like in action as they crawl around on the Entomologist's hand. (Warning: watching this video may cause you to feel itchy!) Discovery Networks does a great job explaining why the bed bug population is increasing and where bed bugs come from. You will learn about bed bug bites, what bed bug bites look like, and the video offers some good points for preventing bed bugs and bed bug infestations, too. So sit back, enjoy, and watch and learn some key information about bed bugs in a short two and a half minute video.

-Steve Spinelli

Owner/President
AKA "Bed Bug Exterminator"

Titanium Laboratories, Inc.

What do bed bugs look like?

As a licensed NJ Exterminator, I answer this question countless times every day on service calls.  With the onslaught of media centered around bed bugs, an exterminator may as well change their title to “bed bug exterminator.”  Personally, about 90% of our NJ exterminator service calls are all in the name of… BED BUGS.  Recent research shows that bed bugs in NJ rank number three out of the 50 states in the USA.

So you want to see pictures of bed bugs because you are searching for an answer to the question that everyone seems to be asking these days:  “What do bed bugs look like?”

Knowing that I would be starting this blog, I have recently taken some pictures of bed bugs, as well as what signs to look for that indicate a bed bug infestation, so that you can see a clear example of bed bugs to use as a reference point if you want to look for bed bugs or signs of bed bug activity in your home or building.

Bed bugs and bed bug fecal matter on a box spring

A bed bug in the center, and the larger bed bug to the left is pregnant and will drop eggs shortly.  If you compare the size of these two bed bugs to the staple in the photograph, this will give you a good frame of reference to understand the size of a bed bug.  Black markings indicate bed bug excrement along the underside of a box spring along the seaming.

Picture of a bed bug

What do bed bugs look like? This is a standard example of a bed bug on the underside of a box spring and is a close up of the image above for a better view.

Bed bug excrement on mattress seam

"How do I know if I have bed bugs?"

In looking at the above picture of a mattress seam, you will see the dark markings that are hallmark of a bed bug infestation in your mattress or bedding.  Let's take a closer look at these signs of bed bug infestations:

Bed bug casings and excrement on underside of box spring

See how the edge of this box spring looks like someone took a sharpie pen and marked it up? The black markings that look like ink are bed bug feces.  Orange-brown matter are the expelled bed bug casings (ie. bed bug skin)  Bed bugs shed their skins with each growth phase.

Bed bug casings and excrement on box spring

Black ink looking markings indicate bed bug fecal matter along the edge of the underside of this boxspring.  Lighter brown matter are the shed bed bug casings.  (ie. bed bug skins)

Bed bug cluster on the underside of a sofa cushion

 Some more bed bug pictures.  Note that bed bugs tend to cluster together.  Each cluster typically contains about 6 to 12 bugs.  Also, bed bugs do not only infest beds and may be found on the bottom of a sofa cushion as well as almost all other furnishings.

Bed bug cluster on the underside of a sofa cushion

Close up view of the above bed bug cluster found on the bottom of a sofa cushion.  What do bed bugs look like?  The above bed bug picture provides an excellent example.

Bed bug signs of an infestation

In multiple dwellings, like apartments, hotels, condos, and townhouses, a bed bug infestation may easily move from one unit to the next.  See the small hole next to this electrical outlet and note that it is roughly the same size as one of the small plug holes.  A hole this size creates ample room for bed bugs to travel from unit to unit.

Stay tuned for more bed bug pictures from your NJ Bed Bug Exterminator.

-Steve Spinelli

Owner/President
AKA "Bed Bug Exterminator"

Titanium Laboratories, Inc.