Bed bug poop appears as clusters of tiny spots on your bed. The droppings consist of digested blood, so they will no longer be red once they dry. The spots will be darker, rust colored or black, and are about the size of a dot from a marker.
Bed bug poop is dark brown or black, and leaves behind ink-like stains. If it isn't absorbed by the fabric, it leaves small and smooth drops that are easy to smear. As a stain, it's easy to confuse with dirt or ink. Confusing bed bug feces with dirt is easy.
Disease transmitted by bed bugs
Today the most common disease these pests infect humans with is Trypanosoma cruzi. It's not introduced by the bite, but rather when the bite comes in contact with the bed bug fecal matter. This can cause Chagas disease, sometimes called American trypanosomiasis.
Bed bug feces are essentially just digested blood, containing iron which oxidizes and gives off an unpleasant, rusty smell.
The dark splotches on your mattress, bedspread, and pillows come from the feces of bed bugs that have been feeding on you during the night. Cold water washing might do the trick for fresh, light stains. Heavier stains will need to be pre-treated with an enzyme based stain remover and/or a peroxide-ammonia mixture.
Among the popular and most effective DIY home treatments for bed bugs is rubbing alcohol. You can dilute it and place it a spray bottle and simply spray the infested areas. The alcohol will kill bed bugs almost immediately. It also evaporates quickly, leaves no traces or bad smells.
The trick is to pay attention to the spot where the bugs leave the bites as well as how the bites look. If the bites are near the place where your body meets the surface of your bed and they are in large clusters then you most likely have bedbugs.
Most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite. The bite marks are similar to that of a mosquito or a flea — a slightly swollen and red area that may itch and be irritating. The bite marks may be random or appear in a straight line.
Reality: Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt and grime; they are attracted to warmth, blood and carbon dioxide. However, clutter offers more hiding spots.
Bed bug poop is more likely to be found on mattresses and box springs rather than being found on bedding or sheets. This is because bed bugs excrete waste where they tend to hide.
A bed bug poop is mushy and tar-like, although it can solidify over time. You can't pick it up even after it is hardened. It looks like an ink stain on the sheet. If you sight it on a hard, non-porous surface, it will appear as a beaded-up black dark dot because it is liquid excrement.
Bed bugs are not likely to survive a washing cycle, especially if it uses hot water. If you've found bed bugs on your clothing, a high-temperature wash-and-dry cycle is an efficient way to address the pests on your clothes.
Normally, bed bugs don't like to wander around unless they need to feed. During the day, they typically find a hiding place and stick to it. For this reason, many people never see live bed bugs until the infestation becomes severe.
Mattresses and pillows make potential habitats for bed bugs. Pillows may also be host to bed bug eggs, making them a potential point of bed bug infestations. A possible sign that bed bugs have infested pillows may be the appearance of bites.
Bed bugs are easy to kill using heat. Their thermal death point is reported to be 114-115° F. Putting infested clothing in a hot dryer is an excellent way of killing bed bugs and their eggs. Heat can also be used to kill bed bugs and their eggs in furniture and carpeting.
Diatomaceous earth is a great chemical-free option for getting rid of a number of pests, including bed bugs. This natural powder contains properties that can dehydrate bed bugs, absorbing their fat and oil, and killing them dead as a doornail. Spray or sprinkle in infected areas and allow it to sit for at least a week.
You may be thinking, can you get bed bugs from not washing your sheets? No—bed bugs have absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness levels. However, washing your sheets regularly gives you the opportunity to look for and remove any possible bed bug infestations.
Extreme temperatures are the best way to kill bed bugs. Washing your clothing and bedding in a high heat wash should effectively kill off any bugs, as well as any eggs they've possibly laid. It's important to exercise caution in moving infested linens during the process to avoid spreading the bed bugs to other rooms!
Vacuuming is one of the best ways to remove the live bed bugs that are hiding in a room. A regular vacuum is fine, but a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high- efficiency) filter will also help reduce the spread of allergens. A crevice tool will help focus the vacuum's suction in small spaces, cracks and crevices.
If you've already gone inside your home, use a steamer to clean the carpets, drapes, linens, and mattress. Wrap your mattress in a bed bug proof cover. Place bedbug interceptors on the feet of your bed for a few nights just to be sure you killed everything.