Just about nothing is going to keep you up at night more than bed bugs. These parasitic insects feed on human blood and can leave behind itchy skin and red bumps. If you find signs of this pest, you may be wondering where they lay their eggs to effectively eliminate them.
Bed bug eggs are found in carpet, furniture, walls, curtains, electrical outlets, and many more. Once you have bed bug eggs, they can be difficult to get rid of. It is important to know these locations so you can prevent an infestation of bed bugs.
In this article, we will go over a list of where to find bed bug eggs. We’ll also cover the life cycle of bed bugs, how to remove them, and round out the article with DIY tips on bed bug prevention so you can keep these pesky insects out of your bedroom.
What Do Bed Bug Eggs Look Like?
You will probably see an adult bed bug before you see its eggs. Bed bugs crawl off and hide at the sight of humans, but they are big enough to be seen by the naked eye. Since they hide their eggs well, you will likely see other signs, such as their feces, before you notice the bed bug eggs.
According to Penn State University, bed bug eggs are about 1/16-inch (0.16cm) long, oval-shaped, and off-white to cream-colored. Because the eggs are so small, it usually requires a hand magnifying glass to see them.
If you find bed bug eggs, you will usually find them in small clusters. Female bed bugs can only lay one egg at a time, but they will lay more than one in a single day.
Bed bugs attach their eggs to surfaces with a sticky liquid substance, making them difficult to remove. You can check out our article on the 7 ways to identify bed bug eggs for further information on identifying these tiny egg cases.
Now that we know what bed bug eggs look like, let’s move on to where we are likely to find them.
9 Hidden Places To Find Bed Bug Eggs
Locating bed bug eggs is one of the best ways to get to the heart of an infestation. Eggs are typically laid in quiet, dark, hidden, undisturbed locations near where people sleep. It’s unlikely you’ll find eggs in the living room, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, attic, or basement (unless people sleep in the basement).
Instead, eggs are laid as close to hosts (a.k.a. you!) as possible. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae immediately look for a blood host to feed on. In your search for bed bug eggs, think of places that are rarely disturbed yet near your bed or favorite napping spot.
1. Mattress Seams Are A Prime Egg Laying Location
Mattress seams are one place where you’re likely to find bed bug eggs. You may find adults in this location as well due to its prime location.
This is an ideal place for a bed bug to lay its eggs because it has essentially everything it needs to survive. It is as close to its host as it can get. The bottom side of the mattress is not cleaned very often, and unless you flip over your mattress frequently, it is unlikely to be moved.
If you want to prevent bed bugs from laying eggs in your mattress seams, you can get something like this Linenspa Waterproof Mattress Encasement. This encasement zips around your mattress, making the seams unreachable for bed bugs. They also protect your mattress from being stained.
Even a mattress encasement will not be a 100% guarantee of keeping bed bugs out. Bed bugs can lay their eggs in other places, so even if you have a mattress encasement, it is best to try some other methods of prevention and search in other places for bed bug eggs.
Glue traps are one remedy often spoken about to repel bed bugs. You can find out if glue traps work for bed bugs here! We go over the truth about using sticky traps to control bed bugs.
2. Check Your Bedsprings And Frame
The bedsprings and frame offer all the same advantages as the mattress for a bed bug. It is just as close to the host and is not likely to be moved or cleaned.
If you are checking your mattress for bed bug eggs, make sure you do a thorough inspection of the springs and frame to make sure they aren’t hiding somewhere. If there is any place on the bed frame that has crevices, such as where two pieces of wood meet, make sure to check there.
In your hunt for bed bug eggs, you may come across the adult or nymph version of bed bugs. If you’re unsure whether it’s a bed bug or not, check out our guide on identifying fleas, ticks, and bed bugs for more information.
3. Bedbugs Lay Eggs In Your Furniture
Other furniture besides your bed can also harbor bed bug eggs. The couch, for example, provides a bed bug with just about everything it needs, especially if you like to take naps there! Furniture with cushions and coverings is more attractive to bed bugs than wooden or wicker furniture.
Bed bugs like to prey on people when they are asleep, but if you are moving, they will run off. They can, however, survive for months without feeding.
4. Even Inside Your Walls Is Not Safe From Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are extraordinarily thin and can hide in crevices no thicker than an index card. If there are any cracks in the walls, this provides a simple place for bed bugs to hide. While they probably will not plant eggs right next to your favorite hangout spot, a crack in the corner of your bedroom would be ideal.
Considering bed bugs are pretty good crawlers, they can hide in places that are hard to reach. When this happens, you will want to look into something like the Duuda bed bug killer. This spray comes with a tube and sprayer that will help you spray hard-to-reach places, and the ingredients are all-natural and non-toxic.
If you have a serious problem with bed bugs or cannot figure out exactly where to locate them, consult with an expert. A professional can give you information tailored to your house and help you find a product best suited to your needs.
5. Bed Bugs Will Lay Eggs In Electrical Outlets
When is the last time you cleaned out an electrical socket? If you’re like me, the answer is never! For this reason, bed bugs use them as the perfect hiding place to lay their eggs.
It’s difficult to find bed bugs or eggs once they have been planted in the socket unless you remove the cover. Take proper precautions, such as shutting off the appropriate breaker, before removing covers and checking for bed bug eggs.
6. Check Your Curtains!
Curtains provide just about as much warmth and protection as other pieces of furniture. However, if you are constantly opening and closing the curtains, it is probably not a place where bed bugs are going to lay their eggs. Bed bugs dislike movement.
Carefully inspect any curtains in the house that rarely get moved. Pay special attention to any curtains that are present where people sleep. Curtains in storage are not likely to be infested unless they are stored near sleeping quarters.
7. Clothing Piles Can House Bed Bug Eggs
First, it is important to note that bed bugs will not lay their eggs on humans. They will bite humans and sometimes stay on a human’s body or clothes, especially if you are wearing heavy winter clothes. However, they will not lay their eggs on your skin, hair, or any clothing you are currently wearing.
There are probably some areas in your house where things like clothes or coats not often worn pile up. Cluttered areas like these are one of the major problems in treating bed bugs and a prime spot for bed bug eggs.
Keeping your clothes and similar items tidy will not only help ward off bed bugs but will also help you prevent other pests from hanging out in your home.
If you have a pile of clothes in the bedroom that you do not touch for weeks, or keep your winter clothes in a bedroom drawer, this would be an ideal place for bed bug eggs. These clothes are not too far from your bed, giving them easy access to you.
8. Bed Bugs Lay Eggs In Carpet
The carpet, especially the carpet in your bedroom, has most of the advantages that a bed would have. It is warm and an easy place to hide, making it ideal to find bed bug eggs.
Carpet corners are the first place you should look, but depending on your type of carpet, bed bugs could lay their eggs just about anywhere.
Diatomaceous earth is an excellent tool to use in carpets to repel bed bugs. It utilizes silica, a material that is sharp on a microscopic level, to dry these pests out. Read our guide on the 7 best diatomaceous earths for bed bugs for a list of our top choices!
9. Look Over Your Pet Areas
Humans are not the only animals that bed bugs will prey on. Humans are their target of choice, but they could go after just about any animal. If you have a dog, cat, or even a rabbit, look around where your pet hangs out.
A pet’s area has plenty of ideal hiding spots for bed bug eggs. Your dog or cat probably has its own cozy bed where it likes to sleep. Thoroughly investigate any bedding, blankets, or areas that are rarely moved or cleaned near your pet.
Within your house, there are plenty of places where bed bugs could be hiding. We have listed the main places, but to help us find them better, let’s take a look at where bed bugs are coming from and how they lay their eggs.
If it’s the adult bed bugs you’re looking for, head over to our article on how to find bed bugs in the daytime. It lists all the sneaky hiding places where these insects dwell.
How Bed Bugs Get Inside
Bed bugs are often associated with uncleanliness, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Bed bugs can infest low-income apartment buildings just as easily as a million-dollar mansion.
Instead, bed bugs are efficient hitchhikers that can enter the home without your knowledge through simple things like luggage and clothing.
Here’s a breakdown of how bed bugs get inside your home:
- Luggage: Bed bugs thrive on human hosts, so if you’ve recently vacationed somewhere and stayed in a hotel, a cruise ship, or similar, you may have inadvertently picked up a bed bug on the seams of your luggage.
- Furniture: Second-hand furniture may harbor bed bug eggs or the adult bugs from a previous infestation. These crafty little buggers can hide in joints where two pieces of wood meet.
- Clothing: Heavy second-hand clothing like sweaters and jackets may contain bed bugs that fall off the clothing and crawl into a hiding space to begin an infestation.
To avoid inviting bed bugs into your home, carefully inspect any outside items that have been in places of high human traffic, like hotels, apartment buildings, and gyms.
How Often Do Bed Bugs Lay Eggs?
Adult female bed bugs typically lay up to five eggs per day in secluded places near human sleeping areas. While this number may seem low, these prolific pests can lay hundreds of eggs in a lifetime.
Under ideal conditions, bed bugs live for up to one year. Once an egg is laid, it takes up to 9 days for the eggs to hatch, but hatching can be delayed further when conditions aren’t ideal, such as low temperatures.
In perfect conditions, bed bug populations can double in as little as 16 days! This is why it’s important to identify bed bug eggs early and use elimination and repellent techniques to remove infestations as quickly as possible.
Once you find bed bug eggs, it’s time to eliminate them and employ preventative techniques to keep them away. Check out our article on what kills bed bugs fast to find out how to get rid of these bothersome pests quickly.
Wrapping Up
Finding bed bug eggs or bites on your skin is never enjoyable. These pests are difficult to locate due to their tiny nature and secretive hiding spots. However, with the right knowledge, you can locate bed bug eggs and remove them from your home permanently.
To recap, here are the 9 hidden places to find bed bug eggs:
- Mattress Seams
- Bed Springs and Frame
- Furniture
- Inside Walls
- Electrical Outlets
- Curtains
- Clothing Piles
- Carpets
- Pet Areas
If you’d like to take care of bed bugs yourself, you can read about DIY pest control here. However, if the bed bug infestation becomes too severe, it’s best to consult a pest control specialist who has the knowledge and tools to remove those annoying insects efficiently.
References
Harlan, Harold J. “Bed bugs 101: the basics of Cimex lectularius.” American Entomologist 52.2 (2006): 99-101.
Potter, MICHAEL F., A. L. V. A. R. O. Romero, and KENNETH F. Haynes. “Battling bed bugs in the USA.” Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests. Pápai út 37/a, Hungary: Veszprém, 2008.
Reinhardt, Klaus, and Michael T. Siva-Jothy. “Biology of the bed bugs (Cimicidae).” Annu. Rev. Entomol. 52 (2007): 351-374.
