Educational Profile
Bed Bug
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are blood-feeding insects that live in mattresses, bedroom furniture, and the cracks and crevices of sleeping areas. We do not treat bed bugs because effective treatment requires multi-visit interior work, heat treatment equipment, and resident coordination outside our exterior scope. Here is what they are and how to choose a competent contractor.
Quick facts
Identification
Adult bed bugs are flat, oval, reddish-brown, and roughly the size of an apple seed. After feeding they swell and lengthen, becoming more elongate. Nymphs go through five molting stages and are progressively darker; the youngest nymphs are nearly translucent. Eggs are tiny (1mm), white, and laid in clusters in cracks and crevices.
The most common confirmation signs are the bugs themselves (in mattress seams, headboard joints, behind baseboards near beds), shed exoskeletons (translucent shells from molts), small dark fecal spots on sheets and mattress fabric, and unexplained itchy welts in linear or grouped patterns on the body, often on areas exposed during sleep.
How bed bugs spread
Bed bugs do not fly and do not jump. They walk. They get into a new building by riding on something that walked or rolled in: luggage from travel, used furniture (especially beds, couches, recliners, and dressers), clothing from infested locations, used books and electronics that were near an infestation. Bed bug establishment in a new home is almost always traceable to a recent introduction event.
Once established, bed bugs spread room by room within a building, following sleeping humans and pets. In multi-unit buildings, they move along shared walls, through electrical and plumbing penetrations, and along common areas. This is why bed bug treatment in apartments often requires inspection of adjacent units.
Bed bug populations are not associated with cleanliness. Spotless homes get bed bugs from used furniture or travel exposure as readily as cluttered homes do. The cleanliness factor matters only insofar as clutter provides more hiding spots and slows treatment.
What reputable treatment looks like
Effective bed bug treatment in 2026 typically combines several methods over multiple visits:
- Inspection of adjacent and nearby spaces. Determining the extent.
- Heat treatment. Heating the affected area to 50C or higher for several hours kills all life stages including eggs. Heat treatment is the gold standard but requires specialized equipment and a contractor experienced with the safety considerations.
- Targeted residual application. A residual insecticide applied to mattress seams, baseboards, headboards, and other harbourage. Heat plus residual is more durable than heat alone.
- Mattress and box-spring encasements. Sealed encasements trap any survivors inside until they die. The encasements stay on for at least one year.
- Resident preparation. Laundering all soft goods at high heat, decluttering, vacuuming. The contractor provides a written prep checklist.
- Follow-up inspections at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. Bed bug eggs hatch over 1 to 2 weeks; follow-up confirms elimination.
Avoid contractors who promise a one-visit chemical-only treatment. The bed bug egg stage is resistant to most contact insecticides; a single chemical visit often produces a temporary knockdown that returns within weeks as eggs hatch.
Hotel and travel prevention
Most bed bug introductions trace to travel or used furniture. Two practices substantially reduce the risk of bringing them home.
Hotels
On arrival, leave luggage in the bathroom (a hard-surfaced room with no harbourage). Pull back the sheets at the head of the bed and check the mattress seams, the box spring, and the headboard joint for bed bugs, eggs, and fecal spots. Check the upholstered chair seams. If you find evidence, ask for a different room and ideally a different floor. On returning home, unpack outside or in the laundry room, run all clothing through a hot dryer cycle (heat kills bed bugs), and store luggage away from the bedroom.
Used furniture
Inspect any used mattress, box spring, couch, recliner, headboard, or dresser thoroughly before bringing it home. Pull off the dust cover on the bottom of upholstered pieces. Look in seams, crevices, and joints. If you have any doubt, do not bring it home. The discount is never worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Bed bugs are not known to transmit human diseases. The medical impact is limited to skin reactions to bites (itching, welts, occasional secondary infection) and significant psychological impact (sleep disturbance, anxiety). Severe infestations can cause anaemia in immunocompromised individuals from chronic blood loss. Most bed bug impact is quality-of-life, not direct medical harm.
How can I tell if a bite is from a bed bug?
Bed bug bites are often (not always) in lines or clusters of 3 to 5, on skin that was exposed during sleep (arms, neck, back). The bite itself is small and reddish; the reaction varies widely between individuals. Many people show no reaction. Bite identification alone is not diagnostic; confirmation requires finding bed bugs, eggs, fecal spots, or shed skins.
Can heat treatment work alone?
Heat treatment can eliminate a bed bug population in a single thorough visit when done correctly. The challenge is "done correctly": every cubic foot of the treated space needs to reach lethal temperature for sufficient time, including inside walls, behind baseboards, and in book bindings, mattress cores, and electronics. A heat treatment that misses cold spots leaves survivors that re-establish. Most reputable bed bug contractors combine heat with a residual application as insurance.
Why does Spider Squad not treat bed bugs?
Bed bug treatment requires equipment we do not own (commercial heat-treatment generators), expertise outside our exterior-treatment specialty, and multi-visit indoor coordination that fits a structural pest contractor better than an exterior pest service. Our role here is to provide accurate information and refer customers to qualified contractors.
How much does bed bug treatment cost?
In Ontario, professional bed bug treatment for a typical residential unit ranges from roughly $1,000 to $3,000+ depending on the size of the unit, the extent of the infestation, and whether heat treatment is included. Apartment and multi-unit treatments may have shared cost arrangements. Get multiple quotes and ensure the program is multi-visit and includes follow-up.
Related Reading
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