This document provides guidance on detecting and treating bed bugs. It describes bed bugs as small, oval, reddish-brown insects that feed on blood. Signs of an infestation include spotting live or dead bugs, red stains from droppings, and eggs attached near beds. It recommends implementing regular inspection protocols, such as weekly checks of sheets and mattresses and quarterly examinations of furniture, to detect bed bugs early before they spread. If found, items should be sealed in bags and laundered or dried at high heat, and professional treatment may be necessary using heat or freezing to eradicate any infestation.

1. A guide to early detection and
treatment
Bed Bug Prevention Playbook

2. Detection: Know What to Look For
• Detection goes hand in hand
with the treatment and
ultimately the prevention of
bed bugs.
• Knowing what bed bugs look
like and the signs of their
presence is key to identifying
these pesky pests.

3. What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
• Their bodies are of a
flattened oval shape and
reddish brown in color.
• These wingless insects
can grow up to ¼ of an
inch, but are usually about
the size of an apple seed.

4. Signs of a Bed Bug Invasion
• Direct observation of
bed bugs (dead or alive)
• Red or brown colored
stains from droppings
• Eggs attached to
surfaces in or around the
bed area
Colony of bed bugs nestle into
the side of a mattress
Dried blood and fecal matter
left by bed bugs

5. The Next Step: Create a
Bed Bug Protocol
• Implement a system for bed bug
detection to help prevent a building-wide
infestation.
• Incorporate weekly, monthly, and
quarterly inspections into the staff’s
cleaning routine to isolate a bed bug
presence before it spreads.

6. Weekly Checks
• Survey for evidence of
stains or eggs when
changing sheets.
• Inspect the edge of
the mattress and
mattress cover.

7. Monthly Check
• Inspect the box
springs for
discoloration or
clusters of eggs

8. Quarterly Checks
• Thoroughly examine
potential harborage
locations.
• Inspect areas such as:
furniture, sofas, chairs,
headboards, baseboards,
and behind pictures.

9. So You Found a Bed Bug.
What Now?
• Dispose of any items that have harbored bed
bugs by securing them in heavy duty bags
and sealing them with duct tape. Then
adhere to normal waste removal procedures.
• Any items that can be laundered should be
washed with detergent at the highest
temperature setting.
• Dry in the highest heat to kill any lingering
eggs.

10. Treating Bed Bugs
• In some cases, professional help may be
required.
• Pest management professionals can use
special heating and freezing equipment to
eradicate bed bugs in an infested area.

11. Beyond the Bugs
• Although they are not known to transmit
any diseases, their painful bites are
certainly an annoyance.
• In addition to being a nuisance to
guests, they also can have a detrimental
impact on an organization's image.
• Bed bugs are on the rise, and the only way
to beat the bug is to stay two steps ahead
of them.

12. Sources
• “Pulling Back the Sheets on the Bed Beg Controversy:
Research, Prevention and Management in Hospitals &
Long-Term Care Facilities” By Ron
Harrison, Ph.D., B.C.E. and Bill Lawrence, Ph.D., B.C.E.
• “Bed Bug Identification, Control and Prevention:
Recommendations for the Hospitality Industry” the
Vermont Department of Health