What do bedbugs look like in clothing? - briefly
They are tiny, oval insects about 4–5 mm long, reddish‑brown, and flattened side‑to‑side, appearing as small dark specks or shed skins on fabric. Live bugs may also leave faint rust‑colored stains where they have been crushed.
What do bedbugs look like in clothing? - in detail
Bedbugs are small, oval‑shaped insects measuring 4–5 mm in length when unfed. Their bodies are flat laterally, allowing them to slip between fabric fibers. The exoskeleton is a matte reddish‑brown hue; after a blood meal the abdomen expands and turns a brighter, engorged reddish color, sometimes appearing almost black in the center.
When a bug has fed, its abdomen swells to nearly double its original size, creating a distinct “football‑shaped” silhouette. The head, antennae, and legs are barely visible beneath the expanded body. The legs are thin, six‑segmented, and end in tiny claws that cling to seams and stitching.
Key visual indicators on clothing include:
- Small, dark spots of excrement, roughly the size of a pinhead, often found near seams or folds.
- Tiny, whitish eggs (0.5 mm) attached to fabric fibers, usually clustered in hidden seams or under cuffs.
- Molted exoskeletons (exuviae) that appear as translucent, pale shells, commonly left near areas where bugs have been disturbed.
- Live insects, typically found in the folds of pants, under armpits of shirts, inside pockets, and along the inner seams of jackets.
Distinguishing bedbugs from similar pests:
- Unlike fleas, bedbugs lack jumping legs and do not produce a rapid, hopping movement.
- Unlike lice, they do not cling tightly to hair shafts and are not found on the scalp.
- Unlike mites, they are larger and have a visible segmented abdomen.
Detection requires close inspection of seams, hems, and pockets under good lighting. A magnifying lens or a smartphone camera with macro capability can reveal the characteristic oval shape, reddish coloration after feeding, and the minute eggs or fecal specks that confirm an infestation.