How do I know if I have bed bugs

Bites are the least reliable sign, because people react differently and many do not react at all. The dependable evidence is physical: dark spotting along mattress seams, shed skins in frame joints, and live insects in seams rather than in the open.

What actually happens

• Dark spotting along seams and frame joints is the most reliable sign.
• Shed skins accumulate where they harbour, which points to the source.
• Bite reactions vary so much between people that they prove little either way.