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Newly hatched babies are much smaller (about 1 mm long) and change in colour depending on if they’ve ingested blood: They’re pale white or clear if they haven’t but if they have, you can see the blood in their bodies, making them appear red, tan, or mahogany-brown, Dr. Gangloff-Kaufmann explains. Their eggs are pearl white but may be hard to see without a flashlight since, she says, they’re the size of “a comma in The New York Times.”
You may also encounter their poop stains (tiny clusters of brown or black spots). “They look like magic marker dots [about this size: •], and if you were to wipe the marks with a damp cloth or paper towel, the residue would be rust-coloured, reddish-brown,” she explains. Bed bugs can also shed their “skin” (technically, their exoskeleton), so you might stumble upon a translucent, possibly light brown, empty shell.
3. To play it safe, fire up your hair dryer to exterminate potential intruders.
Most standard pesticide sprays won’t kill bed bugs, but you know what will? Heat. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these bloodsuckers die when their body temperature reaches 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whether you’ve possibly spotted these critters or just want to be extra cautious, using a hair dryer is an easy way to exterminate them with lethal heat and ensure they won’t bite or reproduce. Of course, it’s hard to gauge whether your tool has reached that perfect temperature. That’s why Dr. Gangloff-Kaufmann suggests using this simple trick: Blow hot air under the seams of the mattress, around the boxspring, behind the headboard, and so on, and hold the dryer in each spot for a few seconds. Then, touch the area you just blasted: If it feels uncomfortably hot on your hand, that should definitely be intense enough to scorch a bed bug.
Dr. Gangloff-Kaufmann’s final bit of advice: Even if you’re confident you’ve dodged any little hitchhikers, it’s smart to do a quick post-vacation inspection too: She recommends giving your belongings a once-over for any of the above signs, tossing your clothes (including unworn ones) into a hot dryer for 30 minutes, and scanning your body for possible bites. (Everyone reacts differently, but they typically resemble a cluster of mosquito or flea bites and may be itchy and swollen, per the CDC).
Now that you’re armed with some pre- (and post-) getaway tips, hopefully you can travel with more peace of mind — and return home without any unwanted souvenirs.
This article originally appeared on SELF.