Bedbugs – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic

Diagnosis

If you suspect that you're being bitten by bedbugs, immediately inspect your home for the insects. Thoroughly examine crevices in walls, mattresses and furniture. You may need to perform your inspection at night when bedbugs are active.

Look for these signs:

The itchy red spots associated with bedbug bites usually disappear on their own within a week or two. You might speed your recovery by using:

If you develop a skin infection from scratching bedbug bites, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic.

Once your symptoms are treated, you must tackle the underlying infestation. This can be difficult because bedbugs hide so well and can live several months without eating. Your best bet may be to hire a professional exterminator, who may use a combination of pesticides and nonchemical treatments.

Nonchemical treatments may include:

Some professional exterminators use portable devices to raise the temperature of a room to a lethal temperature. All stages of bedbugs can be killed at 122 F (50 C). In some cases, you may have to throw out heavily infested items such as mattresses or couches.

Most bedbug bites require no medical treatment. Talk to your doctor if you experience an allergic reaction to the bites or if you develop a skin infection after scratching the bites.

You may want to prepare a list that includes:

Your doctor will carefully examine your bite sites and ask questions about the types of insects you might have been exposed to recently.

Oct. 10, 2019

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Bedbugs - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic