Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius)
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, wingless insects that hide near beds and feed on human blood at night. They travel in luggage, clothing and used furniture, so in a region with as many travelers, hotels, cruise passengers and condo buildings as South Florida, anyone can bring them home, no matter how clean the house is.
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What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, flat, wingless insects that feed on blood, usually at night while people sleep. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most often found in homes, apartments and hotels. Bed bugs have no wings, so they cannot fly. They crawl, and they are very good at hiding in seams, folds and cracks close to where people rest.
Bed bugs are found around the world, from North and South America to Africa, Asia and Europe, and they are a travel pest above all. They get into the seams and folds of luggage, bags, clothing, bedding and furniture and ride along to the next place, usually without the traveler noticing. South Florida’s climate is not what drives bed bugs, since they live indoors at the same temperatures we do. What drives them here is movement: visitors in hotels and vacation rentals across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and the Keys, cruise passengers coming and going, students and seasonal residents moving in and out, and high-rise condos and apartment buildings where hundreds of units share walls.
Contrary to a common belief, bed bugs are not a sign of a dirty home. The CDC notes that they have been found even in five-star hotels, and that cleanliness does not determine whether they are present.
How to Identify Bed Bugs
- Adults: about the size of an apple seed, 5 to 7 mm (3/16 to 1/4 inch) long. They are flat and oval when unfed. After a blood meal they become swollen, longer and reddish-brown.
- Nymphs (young bed bugs): smaller, translucent or whitish-yellow. Unfed nymphs can be nearly invisible to the naked eye.
- Eggs: tiny, about 1 mm, the size of a pinhead, pearl-white, and glued to rough surfaces in cracks and seams.
Look-alikes. Fleas, ticks and other small insects can be mistaken for bed bugs, and the itchy bites of fleas and mosquitoes can look similar. The EPA’s first tip is to make sure you really have bed bugs, not fleas, ticks or other insects, before treating. If you catch a suspicious bug, put it in a sealed bag or a piece of clear tape and have it identified.
Life Cycle and Behavior
Bed bugs develop through gradual metamorphosis: egg, five nymph stages and adult. According to UF/IFAS, a female lays about 200 eggs in her lifetime, at a rate of one to 12 per day. The eggs hatch in six to 17 days, and the nymphs molt five times, which takes about ten weeks, before becoming adults. Nymphs need a blood meal to move from one stage to the next.
Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but they will feed during the day when they are hungry. Although they can travel more than 100 feet in a night, the CDC notes that they tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep.
Bed bugs are also hard to starve out. They can live several months without a blood meal, which helps them survive in vacant apartments, stored furniture and luggage.
Signs of a Bed Bug Problem
- Live bed bugs of any size in the seams, folds and tufts of the mattress, box spring and sheets.
- Small, whitish shed skins (cast skins from molting nymphs).
- Rusty-colored blood spots on sheets, pillowcases, the mattress or nearby furniture.
- Dark spots of excrement on the mattress, bed frame, headboard, walls or nearby furniture.
- Tiny, pearl-white eggs or empty egg shells in cracks and crevices.
- A sweet, musty odor, noticeable when there are many bed bugs.
- Itchy, red bites that appear in the morning, although bites alone are not a reliable sign.
Why Bed Bugs Are a Problem
The CDC states that bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people. They are still a serious problem. Bites can cause itching and loss of sleep, some people have allergic reactions (only rarely severe), and some people feel anxious about sleeping in their own bed. Infestations also spread easily: to other rooms, to visitors’ luggage, and through walls and hallways to neighboring units in condos and apartment buildings.
For businesses, bed bugs can be costly. Guest complaints can hurt a property’s reputation, and infestations in hotels and lodging, vacation rentals, health care facilities, dormitories and rental properties may require rooms or units to be taken out of service while they are treated.
Another real risk is the treatment itself. The EPA urges people not to reach for the spray can right away, and to always follow label directions or hire a professional if pesticides are needed. Using products that are not meant for indoor use, or using too much, can put people at risk without solving the infestation.
Where Bed Bugs Hide in South Florida Homes and Businesses
- Beds: mattress seams, piping and tags, box springs, bed frames, headboards and the cracks of wooden bed slats.
- Furniture near beds: nightstands, dressers, upholstered chairs and sofas, especially sleeper sofas.
- Walls and rooms: cracks and crevices in walls and furniture, behind wallpaper and wood paneling, and under carpeting.
- Clutter: piles of clothes, boxes and items stored under beds.
- Luggage and bags: suitcases, backpacks and purses after a trip.
- Hotels and vacation rentals: headboards, mattress seams, luggage racks and upholstered furniture.
- Condos and apartments: neighboring units, since bed bugs can travel more than 100 feet in a night and are easily carried on furniture and belongings moved through hallways.
When Bed Bugs Are Most Active in South Florida
Bed bugs live indoors at room temperature, so they are active year-round. In South Florida, the risk of bringing them home follows the travel calendar more than the weather.
| Season | Why the risk goes up | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| November to April (winter season and holidays) | Holiday trips, house guests, seasonal residents and more nights in hotels, vacation rentals and cruise cabins | Inspect hotel beds with a flashlight and keep luggage off the bed and on a luggage rack. |
| March to April (spring break) | Students and families travel and stay in shared lodging | Check luggage carefully when you get home and wash and heat-dry travel clothes. |
| June to August (summer travel and moves) | Vacations, apartment move-ins and used furniture purchases | Inspect used furniture and mattresses before bringing them inside. |
| August to September (back to school) | Students move into dorms and shared housing | Inspect dorm beds and bring belongings home in sealed bags. |
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
- Inspect hotel rooms. Check the mattress, seams and headboard with a flashlight before you unpack.
- Keep luggage off the bed. Use the luggage rack, and keep bags and backpacks off beds and upholstered furniture.
- Check bags when you get home. Inspect your luggage with a flashlight before bringing it into bedrooms.
- Handle travel clothes right away. Wash clothes as soon as you get home instead of storing them. The EPA recommends treating items in a hot dryer for 30 minutes, and sealing them in plastic bags until they can be washed or treated.
- Be careful with secondhand furniture. Inspect and clean used furniture, mattresses and bed frames before bringing them into your home.
- Use encasements. Mattress and box spring encasements tested for bed bugs leave fewer hiding places and make bugs easier to spot. The EPA advises leaving them on for a year.
- Reduce clutter. Fewer piles of clothes, boxes and papers mean fewer places to hide.
- Vacuum often. Vacuum around the bed and furniture, then seal the vacuum bag and throw it away outside.
- Speak up early. In condos and apartments, tell building management right away, because neighboring units may need to be inspected too.
What usually does not work. Some popular do-it-yourself fixes waste time while the infestation grows. The EPA warns that raising the indoor temperature with the thermostat or space heaters will not do the job, and that home freezers may not be cold enough to kill bed bugs. UF/IFAS reports that over-the-counter foggers were not effective in one study, and that steaming a mattress is of questionable value because the mattress absorbs the heat. Moving to the couch or a guest room is not a fix either, since bed bugs can travel more than 100 feet in a night and survive for months between meals.
How Toro Gets Rid of Bed Bugs
- InspectionA Toro technician carefully inspects beds, furniture, baseboards and other hiding places to look for live bugs, shed skins, eggs and spots.
- IdentificationWe confirm that the insects are bed bugs, not fleas or other look-alikes, and find out how far the infestation has spread in your home or business.
- Targeted treatmentWe treat mattresses, furniture, cracks, crevices and other harborage areas with products applied according to their label directions, and explain simple steps you can take, such as laundering bedding and reducing clutter.
- Follow-upBed bug eggs can survive a treatment, so we schedule a follow-up visit to check for activity and treat again if needed. Our 110% Satisfaction Guarantee means that if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.
Toro provides residential and commercial bed bug control across South Florida, from condos in Miami Beach to hotels in Fort Lauderdale and vacation rentals in Key West. We respond within 24 hours, guaranteed, and the first inspection is free, with $25 off your first service. Call 305-594-4767. Hablamos Español.
Seeing signs of bed bugs? Get a free inspection and $25 off your first service.
Schedule Your Free InspectionBed bugs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
Look for live bugs in the seams and folds of the mattress, box spring and sheets, small whitish shed skins, tiny pearl-white eggs and rusty or dark spots on bedding and nearby furniture. A sweet, musty odor can be noticeable when there are many bugs. Bites alone are not proof, because the EPA notes that bite marks are not a reliable sign of a bed bug infestation.
What do bed bug bites look like?
According to the CDC, some people show no marks at all, while others develop small, red, itchy bites that may appear one to several days after they were bitten. Because bites can look like those of fleas, mosquitoes or other insects, the EPA recommends confirming that you really have bed bugs before treating. Serious allergic reactions are rare; contact a health care provider if you are concerned.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
The CDC states that bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people. Their bites can cause itching and loss of sleep, and some people have allergic reactions, which are only rarely severe. Living with an infestation can also be stressful. The bigger risk usually comes from misusing pesticides, so always follow label directions or hire a professional.
Do bed bugs mean my home is dirty?
No. The CDC notes that bed bugs have been found even in five-star hotels and that cleanliness does not determine whether they are present. They spread by hitchhiking in the seams and folds of luggage, bags, clothing, bedding and furniture. Clutter does make them harder to find and treat, because it gives them more places to hide.
How long can bed bugs live without feeding?
The CDC says bed bugs can live several months without a blood meal. That is why leaving a room empty for a few weeks, or sleeping somewhere else, usually does not solve the problem, and why they can survive in used furniture, vacant apartments and stored luggage.
Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
Small steps help, such as washing and heat-drying bedding and clothes, vacuuming and installing tested mattress encasements. But the EPA warns that raising the thermostat or using space heaters will not kill bed bugs and that home freezers may not be cold enough, and UF/IFAS reports that over-the-counter foggers were not effective in one study. Most infestations need a professional, integrated plan.
How long does bed bug treatment take?
The EPA says controlling bed bugs takes time and patience, because they reproduce quickly and their eggs resist many control methods. A treatment plan usually includes an inspection, one or more treatments and follow-up inspections, plus monitoring devices, such as interceptors under bed legs, to confirm the bed bugs are gone. In condos and apartments, building management also needs to take part.
Related Pests
Pest Control Across South Florida
Toro treats bed bugs in homes and businesses throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, including:
- Miami
- Hialeah
- Doral
- Miami Beach
- Coral Gables
- Homestead
- Fort Lauderdale
- Hollywood
- Pembroke Pines
- Miramar
- Boca Raton
- West Palm Beach
Last updated: October 29, 2026
110% Satisfaction Guaranteed
If the bugs come back, so will TORO at no additional cost to you. TORO will respond with in 24 hours Guaranteed. Our technician will arrive quickly and deal with the pest problem to prevent recurrence.
