Des Moines Bed Bug Guide — Identify, Treat, and Prevent
Real photos, signs to look for, professional treatment options, and step-by-step prep checklists. Local help from Pest Control Techs LLC — a veteran-owned pest company serving Des Moines and central Iowa.
What Bed Bugs Look Like
Adult bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are roughly the size and shape of an apple seed — about 4–5 mm long, flat, oval, and reddish-brown. After feeding, they swell and turn a darker red. Nymphs are smaller and nearly translucent, becoming easier to spot only after a blood meal.
6 Signs You Have Bed Bugs
Most people never see a live bug first — they spot the evidence. Inspect with a flashlight along mattress seams, the headboard, box spring, and behind nightstands.
Adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed — flat, oval, reddish-brown. Check piping, tags, and seams of mattresses and box springs.
Tiny black or rust-colored dots on sheets, pillowcases, mattresses, and walls near the bed. Looks like ground pepper or marker ink.
Itchy red welts, often in rows of three on exposed skin (arms, neck, ankles). Bites usually appear overnight while you sleep.
Translucent amber-colored shells from molting nymphs and tiny pearl-white eggs (about 1mm) tucked into crevices.
Heavy infestations produce a distinctive sickly-sweet smell, often compared to coriander or wet, moldy laundry.
Small rust-colored smears appear when bed bugs are crushed during the night after feeding.
Bed Bug Treatment Options
There is no single "best" treatment for every home. Severity, layout, materials in the room, and budget all matter. A professional inspection is the only way to know what's right for your situation.
Get a Free Inspection — 515-676-4321Pros
- Kills all life stages including eggs in a single visit
- No chemical residue on bedding or furniture
- Penetrates wall voids, electronics, and luggage
Considerations
- Heat-sensitive items must be removed (candles, aerosols, vinyl records)
- Higher upfront cost than chemical-only treatments
- Requires the home or unit to be vacated for the day
Pros
- Lower upfront cost
- Provides residual protection that continues working for weeks
- Effective on isolated infestations
Considerations
- Usually requires 2–3 follow-up visits 14 days apart
- Eggs can survive — that's why repeat visits matter
- Requires significant homeowner prep before each visit
Pros
- Chemical-free, safe for sensitive households
- Excellent for spot-treating mattresses and couches
- Kills on contact including eggs
Considerations
- Only kills what the steam directly reaches
- Cannot treat electronics or wall voids
- Best used to complement heat or chemical treatment
Pros
- Affordable, long-term protection
- Lets you keep your existing mattress
- Easy way to verify treatment success over time
Considerations
- Not a stand-alone solution — must be paired with treatment
- Encasements must remain on for at least 12 months
- Only protects the bed itself
Treatment Day: Before & After
Proper prep is the single biggest factor in whether bed bug treatment succeeds the first time. Print or screenshot these checklists and walk through them room by room.
- 1Strip all beds. Bag sheets, pillowcases, and blankets in sealed plastic bags right at the bed — do not carry uncovered to the laundry room.
- 2Wash bedding and clothing from infested rooms in HOT water (at least 120°F) and dry on HIGH heat for 30+ minutes. Heat — not soap — kills bed bugs.
- 3Place clean, dry items in fresh sealed bags until treatment is complete.
- 4Vacuum mattresses, box springs, baseboards, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture. Immediately seal the vacuum bag/canister contents and discard outdoors.
- 5Pull beds and furniture 18 inches away from walls so the technician can reach harborage zones.
- 6Empty nightstands, dressers, and closets in affected rooms. Bag the contents — do NOT move items to other rooms (this spreads the infestation).
- 7Reduce clutter. Every magazine, pile of clothes, or cardboard box is a hiding place.
- 8Do NOT apply over-the-counter sprays or 'bug bombs.' They scatter bed bugs deeper into walls and make professional treatment harder.
- 9Make a list of every room where you've seen bugs, bites, or fecal spots and share it with the technician.
- 10Plan to be out of the home with all pets for the duration the technician specifies (4–8 hours for heat; 2–4 hours for chemical).
- 1Sleep in your own bed in the treated room. Moving to a couch or another bedroom spreads bed bugs to a new area.
- 2Install a quality bed bug-proof mattress and box spring encasement and leave it on for at least 12 months.
- 3Place interceptor cups under each bed leg to monitor for new activity.
- 4Do NOT vacuum or wipe down treated baseboards, cracks, or furniture for 7–14 days (chemical treatments) — you'll remove the residual that's still working.
- 5Continue washing bedding weekly in hot water for the first month.
- 6Expect to see a few bugs for up to 2 weeks after treatment. They are dying — this is normal.
- 7Plan for and keep all scheduled follow-up visits. Most chemical programs require 2–3 treatments at 14-day intervals to cover the egg-hatch cycle.
- 8Report any live bugs you find to your technician — keep one in a sealed bag or take a photo for confirmation.
- 9Avoid bringing in second-hand furniture or mattresses during the treatment cycle.
- 10Stay vigilant for 2–3 months. Bed bugs that didn't feed during treatment may emerge later looking for a meal.
How to Avoid Bed Bugs
Bed bugs almost always arrive as hitchhikers — on luggage, used furniture, or in shared laundry. A few habits dramatically reduce your odds of bringing them home.
Use the SLEEP method: Survey for signs, Lift mattress seams and headboards, Elevate luggage on the rack (never the bed or floor), Examine your suitcase before repacking, Place clothes in the dryer on high heat when you get home.
Never bring home curbside furniture, mattresses, or box springs. Even from friends or thrift stores, inspect every seam, corner, and screw hole with a flashlight before bringing it inside.
Bug-proof encasements on every mattress and box spring make early detection easy and trap any bugs that get past you. Buy encasements specifically labeled 'bed bug certified.'
Bed bugs love hiding spots. Stacks of clothes, books, and cardboard boxes near beds give them somewhere to live. Store items in sealed plastic bins instead.
Unpack luggage in the garage or bathtub. Run all clothing — clean or worn — through the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes before putting it away. Vacuum the suitcase.
If anyone in the home wakes with unexplained itchy welts in lines or clusters, inspect mattress seams and headboards that night. Early infestations are dramatically easier and cheaper to treat.
Local Help: Pest Control Techs LLC
The recommended Des Moines bed bug provider. A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business serving central and southeast Iowa with thorough inspections, multiple treatment options, and follow-up support.
Bed Bug Service Area
Pest Control Techs LLC handles bed bug inspections and treatments across central and southeast Iowa, including:
Don't see your town? Call 515-676-4321 — chances are it's covered.