Bed bugs hide inside dark places during the day, emerging at night to feed on human blood. Bed bugs most commonly live inside of mattresses, hence their name, but they can also live in any other furniture in your home or workplace, and may even hide inside electrical outlets. Because bed bugs are tiny and nocturnal, they may go unnoticed for some time, but there are several signs of infestation to watch out for.

Your first sign of bed bugs will probably be their bites, which form itchy lesions on your skin. While bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, their bites can still be extremely irritating. If you’re not sure if your bites are from bed bugs or another pest, look for other signs. Blood stains on your sheets and dark spots left on your furniture by bed bug feces are both sure indicators of an infestation. While bed bugs only grow to about 5 mm long, careful inspection may allow you to discover them or their shed skins. You may smell them, too; bed bugs give off a musty odor which has been likened to both berries and coriander.

While certain bed bug control products can be purchased in stores, they’re rarely effective unless used immediately against a new infestation. If a bed bug infestation has broken out in your house, you should call in professional extermination services immediately before the bed bugs spread through every room in your home or business.