Bedbugs are tiny insects from the Cimicidae family. They survive by feasting on the blood of human beings as they sleep. Bedbugs are not a health hazard, but they can leave red bumps on your skin. These bumps itch, and can be a source of embarrassment. If you know how to examine your mattress for bed bugs, you can identify them and get rid of the bedbugs before they multiply and begin biting you.
Check the mattress for the bug itself. The bedbugs are less than a quarter-inch long and are a reddish amber color. These bedbugs are more round in shape and slightly resemble roaches.
Make sure you check around the seams of the mattress as well as underneath the mattress. Bedbugs can also hide in the box springs. They will most likely be near the spots of your mattress that are shaded. This includes the side of the mattress that may be up against the wall or headboard.
Check the mattress for skins if you don't witness the bed bugs themselves. The skin shavings are the same color as the bedbugs. They will be dry and flaky. Look for the shed skin in the same places you looked for the bedbugs.
Look for any small blood spots that may have been left by the bedbugs if you don't see the bedbugs or their skins. This is evidence that they are hiding within your mattress. The blood spots will by tiny and a dark reddish brown color. Search the same areas you searched previously for the actual bedbugs.