Signs,
but no bug.
Cockroaches, bed bugs, silverfish and mice come out at night. By day you find what they leave: droppings, egg cases, shed skins, damage. The shape and the spot tell you which bug left them.
Droppings
Like ground pepper
Along shelf edges, hinges and the top of door frames: German cockroach. On high shelves and around electronics: brown-banded.
Larger, blunt at the ends
In basements and under sinks: American cockroach.
Small, like rice
In cupboards, along walls and under the sink: mice. Rat droppings are much larger.
Dark spots on seams
On mattress seams and the bed frame: bed bug droppings. Small blood spots on sheets too.
Egg cases and eggs
Small brown capsules
Ridged like a tiny purse: German cockroach egg cases. They mean breeding.
Glued under furniture
Under shelves and inside drawers: brown-banded cockroach.
In damp corners
American and oriental cockroaches drop theirs in sheltered, moist spots.
Tiny pale eggs
With shed skins in mattress seams and cracks: bed bugs.
Small silky balls
In sheltered spots: spider egg sacs.
Other signs
A smell
Musty and oily where there are many German cockroaches. Strong and musty in enclosed damp areas: oriental. Sweet and musty in heavy bed bug cases.
Damage
Grazed paper and holes in books and wallpaper: silverfish. Holes in wool, cashmere and silk: clothes moth larvae. Gnawed packets, wood and cables: mice or rats.
A cockroach by day
Seeing one in daylight often means the hiding places are crowded.
Shed skins outside
In long grass, walls or sheds: a snake. Keep your distance and call local animal control.
Where to look
Under the sink, behind the fridge and cooker, in cupboard corners. Then shelf edges, hinges and the top of door frames.
Low and damp for American and oriental cockroaches: basements, cellars, floor drains, around leaking pipes.
High and dry for the brown-banded: under drawers and shelves, behind pictures, around electronics.
For bed bugs: mattress seams and the bed frame. For mice: greasy marks along skirting boards where they run.
What to do next
Before you clean anything up.
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1
Photograph it
Close, in focus, in good light, with a coin next to it for size. Then scan it: Shoo reads droppings and egg cases too, and says not sure when the photo cannot settle it.
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2
Do not spray
Spray can scatter cockroaches deeper into the walls and make a pro's job harder.
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3
Put down traps
Monitor traps where you found the signs, checked weekly, show what is there and how many.
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4
Follow the guide
Open the guide for the bug the signs point to. Kids or pets at home: anything you put down goes out of their reach.