What are typical bed bug indicators in a home?

• A. Fecal spots, shed skins, live bugs in seams and cracks, and a musty odor.
• B. Honeydew and wing patterns.
• C. Tracks in soil.
• D. Warpped drywall.

Answer: (A)

Bed bugs leave a distinctive set of clues that signal an infestation. The most reliable indicators are fecal spots, shed skins, live bugs found in narrow spaces like seams and cracks, and a musty, slightly sweet odor that grows stronger with more bugs. Fecal spots are tiny dark stains left as they feed and move around; you’ll often see them on mattress seams, bed frames, and nearby walls. Shed skins are the translucent, empty exoskeletons the bugs leave behind as they molt, usually in the same tight cracks or along the bed area. Live bugs themselves tend to hide during the day in small crevices—mattress seams, box springs, headboards, and behind baseboards or electrical outlets but may wander to nearby furniture at night. The odor, when present, comes from the bed bugs’ scent glands and can smell musty or sweet in a heavy infestation.

Other options don’t fit bed bugs well. Honeydew and wing patterns are signs more commonly associated with aphids or scale insects. Tracks in soil point to insects like termites, not bed bugs. Warped drywall usually signals moisture problems or structural damage, not pest activity.

So, the combination of dark fecal stains, shed skins, live bugs in cracks or seams, and a musty odor is the typical bed bug footprint you’d look for in a home.