Tenants and buildings owners should contact the local authorities (which is usually their Public Health Department) to have an inspection done to confirm a bed bug infestation. Inspectors should look for live bugs, bug shells, eggs, blood spots, and fecal stains. Inspectors should document locations of infestations and dates found.
The inspection should start in areas where the resident has noticed bed bugs, or noticed being bitten. As thorough an inspection as possible should be conducted, including looking at any potential harbourage within 20 feet of the bed including mattresses, bed frames, baseboards, dressers, bedside tables, electrical sockets, pictures, clocks, flooring, cracks in walls, peeling wallpaper, wheelchairs, and appliances and electronics. No items should be removed from the room prior to, or during, the inspection. Infestations often start in the mattress and move outward. Proper tools are needed to make the inspection effective. These include flashlights, magnifying glass, forceps, digital camera, screwdrivers, and plastic bags. Inspections should also be conducted in adjacent units, units across the hallway, and units above and below the infested unit. Similarly, residents should be asked about places they have spent significant amounts of time since they have had bed bugs. These places should also be inspected. The inspection can also be used as an opportunity to speak directly with the people affected by bed bugs and to provide them with education about bed bug identification, legal issues, preparation, sourcing appropriate pest control companies, effective methods of treatment, and prevention.
Inspectors need to take precautionary measures in order to ensure that they do not take bed bugs back to the workplace, or to their homes. This can include wearing a disposable suit over clothing, or taking a change of work clothes that are removed and bagged prior to returning home then promptly laundered.
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