How to Kill Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are incredibly small and bed bug sufferers may go periods without seeing any insects at all while still experiencing symptoms. Getting a good look at one might be difficult at first, but they are identifiable.

Bed bugs are small, brown, flat insects. They have vestigial wings, which mean that they do not fly. They move around by crawling.

The bed bug lifecycle includes the egg, five nymph stages, and then adulthood.

• Eggs. Bed bug eggs are white and about the size of a spec of dust, which make them difficult to see. They are sticky and difficult to remove.
  Picture of bedbug eggs

• Nymphs. These insects are amber-colored and smaller than adults. The bug gets larger at each of the five nymphal stages, but still looks relatively similar to the other stages: less than a quarter inch long, a flattened body, and a brown or amber color with a banded body.
  Picture of a bed bug nymph

• Adults. The bed bug is largest at this stage, but still has the same general description as a bed bug in one of the nymph stages, though can be as large as a quarter inch in length. The average bed bug lifespan is approximately 6-12 months.
  Picture of an adult bedbug

A bed bug that has eaten a blood meal will be darker in color than one that has not eaten. An observer can see the spot of blood inside the bed bug’s body.