How to Know If You Have Bed Bugs — the signs, and who to call in Paris
Not sure whether it's bed bugs? This checklist shows the exact bed bug signs to look for on your mattress, sheets and headboard — and what to do if you spot them in a Paris hotel or Airbnb. When you want certainty, our English-speaking, Certibiocide-licensed team inspects and treats across Île-de-France, usually within 2 hours.
6 signs of bed bugs to look for
You rarely see the bugs first — you notice the traces they leave. Here are the tell-tale bed bug signs, from the most common to the most obvious.
Tiny dark spots on sheets & seams
Small black or rust-coloured dots (like specks of ground pepper) on your sheets, pillowcase and along the mattress seams. This is bed bug excrement — the single most reliable sign.
Small blood stains
Faint reddish-brown smears on your sheets or pyjamas, left when a bug is crushed after feeding. Often noticed in the morning near where you sleep.
Shed skins & tiny eggs
Translucent, pale-brown empty skins (moults) and clusters of 1 mm pearly-white eggs tucked into seams, screw holes and cracks. A sign of a growing, breeding population.
A sweet, musty smell
A heavy infestation gives off a distinctive sweet, musty, almond-like odour near the bed — produced by the bugs’ scent glands.
Bites in a line on waking
Itchy red bumps arranged in a line or small cluster, typically on skin exposed at night (arms, shoulders, neck, legs), noticed when you wake up.
Live bugs in the seams
Flat, oval, apple-seed-sized brown insects (about 4–5 mm) hiding along mattress piping, in the box spring or behind the headboard. Seeing one usually means more are hidden nearby.
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How to check your mattress & room for bed bugs
Grab a phone flashlight and, ideally, an old bank card to run along the seams. Inspect these spots in order — they hide within 1.5 m of where you sleep.
Mattress seams & piping
Run a flashlight along every seam, fold and label. This is the number-one hiding spot.
Box spring & bed frame
Check the underside, joints, screw holes and any wooden slats or cracks.
Headboard & wall behind it
Look where the headboard meets the wall, behind it, and inside any hollow tubing.
Skirting boards & sockets
Inspect skirting boards, cracks in the floor, and around electrical sockets close to the bed.
Bedside tables & drawers
Empty and check joints, corners and the underside of nearby furniture.
Curtains & upholstery
In heavier cases, bugs spread to curtain folds, sofas and armchairs near the bed.
Signs of bed bugs in a hotel or Airbnb
Travelling to Paris? Two minutes of checking before you unpack can save you weeks of trouble back home.
Before touching the bed, keep your suitcase in the bathroom (on the tiles or in the tub), never on the bed or carpet.
Pull back the sheets and shine your phone light along the mattress seams, piping and corners — look for dark spots, skins or live bugs.
Check the headboard, the wall behind it and the bedside tables — favourite daytime hiding spots.
If you find anything, ask to change rooms (not the room right next door, as bugs travel through walls) or leave and report it.
Back home, unpack directly into a hot wash (60 °C) and tumble dry — heat kills any hitchhikers.
When to stop checking and call a professional
A single confirmed sign is enough — a female bed bug lays hundreds of eggs in her lifetime, so a small problem becomes a large one fast.
You found live bugs, skins or eggs
Physical evidence means an established population, not a one-off. Treat it now.
Bites keep coming back each morning
Repeated fresh bites on waking point to an active source in the bedroom.
DIY sprays haven’t worked
Shop-bought products scatter bugs and miss the eggs. Professional treatment is the reliable fix.
A professional inspection removes the doubt
Our English-speaking, Certibiocide-licensed technicians confirm the diagnosis on site across Paris & Île-de-France, and can treat the same day. From €99, free quote first.
How it works
Three simple steps from panic to problem solved.
Call or WhatsApp us
Reach an English-speaking advisor 24/7. Describe the problem or send a photo — no French needed.
Free quote in English
We give you a clear, fixed price before anything starts. No hidden fees, no night or weekend surcharge.
Technician at your door within 2 hours
A Certibiocide-certified technician arrives fast, across Paris and the suburbs, and gets to work the same day.
Keep reading
Everything English speakers in Paris need to deal with bed bugs.
Trusted by Paris expats & hosts
Real reviews from English-speaking clients across Paris.
“Woke up covered in bites and panicked. They answered in English, came the same afternoon and sorted the bed bugs completely. Sent me an invoice for my landlord too. Lifesavers.”
Sarah — Le Marais (75004)
“Mice in our Haussmann flat. The technician explained everything in perfect English, used pet-safe bait boxes and sealed the holes. No sign of them since. Highly recommend.”
James — Batignolles (75017)
“Runs an Airbnb and had a cockroach scare between guests. Discreet, unmarked van, done within hours, full report for my records. Exactly what I needed.”
Emma — Canal Saint-Martin (75010)
“Wasp nest on the balcony. Called at 8pm, gone by 10pm same night, no extra charge. Friendly, professional, spoke English throughout.”
Michael — Bastille (75011)
Bed bugs in Paris? Who to call across Île-de-France
Wherever you are, an English-speaking bed bug team is minutes away — we intervene in all 8 departments of Île-de-France, 24/7, with no extra travel fees.
Frequently asked questions
How to know if you have bed bugs — and what to do next.
How can I tell bed bug bites from mosquito bites?
How do I check a Paris hotel or Airbnb room for bed bugs?
I found signs of bed bugs in Paris — who do I call?
Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
How much does a bed bug inspection or treatment cost in Paris?
Are your technicians qualified?
English-speaking bed bug control across Paris & Île-de-France · contact@attrapenuisibles.fr · 6 Cité de la Chapelle, 75018 Paris
Still not sure? Let us confirm it.
Speak to an English-speaking technician now. A professional inspection in Paris removes the doubt — free quote, no commitment, intervention within 2 hours.