This is what an adult bed bug looks like. You can tell from the size and dark color throughout.
This is what a recently fed young bed bug looks like; notice that dark spot inside it? That’s blood which it has been feeding upon.
This is what bed bug shells look like, also referred to as a skin or casing. As the bed bug grows, it sheds its shell
These are some smaller bed bug shells
These are what bed bug eggs look like that have hatched. New eggs are not transparent, white, and sticky and look like rice.
This is what bed bug poop looks like and is dried blood that was excreted.
A baby bed bug (1st instar) is only a millimeter in size and almost transparent, making it easy to blend into the background. Once they get their first drop of your blood, their body elongates and turns a reddish-brown color. They are tough to see at this stage.
So what do bed bugs look like? They look like an apple seed and can grow to 7mm with a flat or oval shape depending on the last time they fed. They survive by feeding on your blood and can go for many months without food once fully fed.
There are 28 pictures below showing the size of a bed bug at different stages in its lifecycle, from egg to nymph, to a fully fed adult. Many are displayed next to objects to give you an idea of just how small they are, such as the larvae (bed bug eggs) in item #5 above. The most commonly found size is the bed bug shown next to the measuring tape.
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