KEY POINTS:
• Early detection of bed bugs is difficult and low level infestations will often go undetected.
• There are no reliable devices that can be placed out to detect bed bugs
• In most cases we must rely on our ability to detect bed bugs through visual inspection
• Canine scent detection is emerging as another inspection method that can aid in the early detection of bed bugs (learn more)
• Mattress and box spring encasements can be very helpful in the early detection of bed bugs (learn more)
The early detection of bed bugs is very difficult. In many cases bed bugs will go undetected during an inspection particularly during the early stages of an infestation when only a few bugs or eggs are present.
Even the most qualified inspector will be challenged when the entire infestation consists of two eggs that were laid on a piece of luggage and hitch hiked a ride back to your house after a recent.
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Two eggs along the zipper can be
difficult to find (click to enlarge
image to see eggs)
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Shed skins & eggs on the shoulder of
a sofa can be difficult to see
(click to enlarge image to see eggs)
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Shed skin live nymph and egg on
suitcase (click to enlarge )
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The installation of bed bug specific monitors or early detection devices would be extremely helpful but no such devices exist at the current time. Insect sticky traps/glue boards are often placed out in an effort to catch bed bugs and while these traps will capture some, they are not reliable monitoring devices since any bugs caught on them were by chance and the monitors should not be used as the basis for concluding that an area is free of bed bugs.
The use of mattress and box spring encasements that have been specifically designed and tested for with bed bugs may be one of the easiest things you can do to help detect the presence of bed bugs. The reason that encasements are so helpful is because your mattress and box spring have many hiding places for bed bugs making inspection time consuming and difficult. Without an encasement, evidence of bed bugs is often buried deep inside your mattress and box spring, and can be almost impossible to find. However by encasing the mattress and box spring the bug’s access is restricted to the smooth exterior of the encasement where signs of bed bugs, such as spotting and shed skins or the bugs themselves are readily detected during an inspection. Early detection of bed bugs is often complicated when the bugs are occupying areas inside the box spring or under folds on the mattress where they are easily missed. However by encasing the mattress and box spring the bug’s access is restricted to the smooth exterior of the encasement where they are much more readily detected during an inspection. An additional benefit is realized as the encasements prevent the subsequent infestation of the mattress and box spring. (See Also - Mattress and Box Spring Encasements )
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Inspections to find bugs on mattresses and box springs can be very
difficult and time consuming
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Inspection of encased beds can be done easily, a s
bugs are restricted to the exterior of the
encasement where they can be quickly spotted and
dealt with.
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Canine scent detection is another method that can be employed to detect bed bugs. The advantage of using specially trained dogs to detect bed bugs is that they detect the infestation through their sense of smell rather than relying on visual detection. Canine scent detection also has its limitations and dogs, just like humans, can miss a low level infestation if the scent is not available to them. The take home message is that regardless of the methods used, low level infestations can go undetected and thus just because an inspection fails to reveal an infestation does not mean that they are not there. (See also - Canine Scent Detection for Bed Bugs ) 
