- Where: glued in small clusters into mattress seams and piping, bed frame joints, headboard cracks and behind skirting.
- Hatch: in roughly 6 to 10 days at room temperature. Near hatching they turn cloudy with a dark eye spot.
- Kill them with: heat (60°C wash, hot dryer, steam, professional heat) or seal them in with a full-zip mattress encasement so the hatchlings starve.
Is it a bed bug egg?
Look closely (a phone torch and the camera zoom help), then answer.
Bed bug eggs vs things that look like them
| What you found | Size and look | Stuck on? |
|---|---|---|
| Bed bug egg | About 1mm, pearly white, oval, often in clusters | Yes, glued in place |
| Shed bed bug skin | Pale, see-through, bug shaped | No |
| Lint or fluff | Irregular, fibrous | No |
| Dandruff or skin flakes | Flat, irregular, dull white | No |
| Salt or sugar grains | Angular crystals | No |
| Carpet beetle larva skins | Brown, hairy, striped | No |
Not sure what the adults look like? See pictures of every bed bug life stage, or compare with carpet beetles.
Where bed bugs lay their eggs
A female lays a few eggs a day, and a few hundred across her life. She chooses tight, dark, protected spots close to where people sleep:
- Mattress seams, piping, tufts and labels.
- The underside of the mattress and the top edge of a divan base.
- Joints and screw holes in wooden bed frames and headboards.
- Behind skirting boards, picture frames and loose wallpaper near the bed.
- Folds of curtains and fabric near the bed.
What kills bed bug eggs?
Eggs are tougher than adults. Many sprays do not reach or kill them, which is why insecticide treatments usually need 2 or 3 visits. What works:
- Heat: washing at 60°C, a hot tumble dryer for at least 30 minutes, or professional heat treatment kills eggs.
- Steam: slow passes along seams and joints. It must be very hot at the surface.
- Freezing: small items in a sealed bag at -18°C for at least 4 days.
- Sealing in: eggs inside a mattress can hatch, but a full-zip encasement traps the nymphs so they cannot feed and die. Keep it closed for at least 12 months.
- Vacuuming removes many eggs, but use a crevice tool, press firmly, and bin the contents outside.
Frequently asked questions
Can you see bed bug eggs with the naked eye?
Yes, just. They are about 1mm and pearly white, easiest to see on dark fabric or wood with a torch held at an angle.
How long do bed bug eggs take to hatch?
Usually around 6 to 10 days at normal room temperature. In cooler rooms it takes longer.
Do bed bug eggs survive washing?
Not at 60°C followed by a hot tumble dry. Cooler washes may not kill them, so always dry on hot for at least 30 minutes.
Can bed bug eggs be on clothes?
They can, especially on clothes left on the floor or bed. Hot wash and dry them, and keep clean clothes in sealed bags until the problem is solved.
Trap the eggs you can't reach
A full-zip encasement seals eggs and bugs inside the mattress so hatchlings starve. From £149.
Shop the bed bug encasement Protect the whole bedWritten by Richard Williams, founder of iDustMite, former NHS worker, guest speaker at the Allergy UK Show in 2025 and 2026, and adviser on over 1,000 one-to-one bedroom consultations. Reviewed October 2026.
