What are the signs that could be mistaken for bedbugs. How can you differentiate between bedbug bites and other insect bites. What other household pests are commonly confused with bedbugs. How to accurately identify a bedbug infestation versus other pest problems.

Common Household Pests Often Mistaken for Bedbugs

Discovering small insects in your home can be alarming, especially if you suspect bedbugs. However, several common household pests are frequently misidentified as bedbugs due to their similar appearance or behavior. Understanding the differences between these insects is crucial for proper pest management.

German Cockroach Nymphs

One of the most common bedbug lookalikes is the German cockroach nymph. Dr. Sydney Crawley, a public health entomologist, explains the key differences:

• Shape: Cockroach nymphs are more cylindrical, while bedbugs are shorter and oval-shaped.
• Behavior: Both are cryptic and nocturnal, but cockroaches do not feed on humans.
• Location: Cockroaches are usually found near food or moisture sources, not in beds.

Fleas

Another pest often confused with bedbugs is the flea. If you notice bites primarily around your ankles and you have a pet, fleas are a likely culprit. Here’s how to distinguish flea bites from bedbug bites:

• Bite pattern: Flea bites tend to cluster around the ankles and lower legs.
• Bite appearance: Flea bites are typically smaller and more numerous than bedbug bites.
• Pet presence: Fleas are often associated with pets, while bedbugs are not pet-dependent.

Identifying True Bedbug Infestations

To accurately determine if you have a bedbug problem, it’s essential to know the telltale signs of an infestation. Here are some key indicators:

• Bite patterns: Bedbug bites often appear in a line or cluster on exposed skin.
• Physical evidence: Look for small, reddish-brown bugs, shed skins, or tiny white eggs in mattress seams and furniture crevices.
• Dark spots: Small black or brown spots on bedding may indicate bedbug fecal matter.
• Musty odor: A sweet, musty smell can sometimes be detected in heavily infested areas.

Are you unsure if you’re dealing with bedbugs or another pest. Consult a professional pest control expert for a thorough inspection and accurate identification.

The Importance of Proper Pest Identification

Misidentifying a pest problem can lead to ineffective treatment methods and unnecessary stress. Each type of pest requires a specific approach for control and eradication. By accurately identifying the insect in question, you can:

• Choose the most effective treatment options
• Avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful pesticide use
• Save time and money on inappropriate pest control measures
• Address the root cause of the infestation

Why is it crucial to seek professional help if you’re unsure about a pest infestation. Pest control experts have the knowledge, experience, and tools to accurately identify and address various pest problems, ensuring the most effective and efficient resolution.

Other Common Bedbug Imposters

Beyond cockroach nymphs and fleas, several other insects are frequently mistaken for bedbugs. Familiarizing yourself with these lookalikes can help prevent unnecessary panic and guide proper pest management decisions.

Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetles are small, oval-shaped insects that can resemble bedbugs at first glance. Here’s how to differentiate them:

• Size: Carpet beetles are typically smaller than adult bedbugs
• Color: They often have a mottled pattern of black, white, and yellow or brown
• Behavior: Carpet beetles feed on natural fibers, not blood
• Location: They’re commonly found in carpets, clothing, and upholstered furniture

Bat Bugs

Bat bugs are close relatives of bedbugs and look very similar. Key differences include:

• Habitat: Bat bugs are typically found in areas inhabited by bats, such as attics
• Fringe hairs: Bat bugs have longer fringe hairs on their thorax compared to bedbugs
• Host preference: They primarily feed on bats but may bite humans if bats are absent

Spider Beetles

These small beetles can be mistaken for bedbugs due to their size and color. Distinguishing features include:

• Shape: Spider beetles have a more rounded body shape
• Antennae: They possess longer antennae than bedbugs
• Behavior: Spider beetles feed on various dried goods, not blood

Misinterpreting Common Household Items as Bedbug Evidence

Sometimes, everyday objects or occurrences can be misinterpreted as signs of a bedbug infestation. Being aware of these potential false alarms can help alleviate unnecessary concern.

Fabric Pills and Lint

Small balls of fabric or lint can sometimes be mistaken for bedbug eggs or shed skins. To differentiate:

• Texture: Fabric pills will be soft and fuzzy, unlike bedbug evidence
• Distribution: Lint tends to accumulate randomly, while bedbug signs cluster in specific areas
• Color: Lint and fabric pills often match the color of your bedding or clothing

Skin Flakes and Dust

Accumulations of dead skin cells or dust can sometimes be confused with bedbug fecal matter. Here’s how to tell the difference:

• Consistency: Skin flakes and dust will be powdery, not solid like bedbug droppings
• Color: Human skin flakes are usually lighter in color than bedbug fecal spots
• Reaction to water: Unlike bedbug droppings, skin flakes and dust won’t dissolve or smear when wet

The Role of Professional Pest Control in Accurate Identification

While understanding common bedbug lookalikes is helpful, professional pest control services play a crucial role in accurate pest identification and effective treatment. Here’s why enlisting expert help is often the best course of action:

Expertise and Experience

Professional pest control technicians have extensive training and experience in identifying various pests. They can:

• Quickly and accurately identify the specific pest species
• Recognize subtle signs of infestation that may be overlooked by untrained eyes
• Determine the extent and severity of the infestation

Advanced Detection Methods

Pest control professionals have access to specialized tools and techniques for pest detection, including:

• Canine scent detection for bedbugs
• UV light inspections to detect pest residues
• Moisture meters to identify conditions conducive to certain pests

Comprehensive Treatment Plans

Once the pest is correctly identified, professionals can develop targeted treatment plans that address:

• The specific pest species and its life cycle
• The extent of the infestation
• Environmental factors contributing to the pest problem
• Long-term prevention strategies

Prevention Strategies for Common Household Pests

Regardless of the specific pest you’re dealing with, implementing preventive measures can help reduce the risk of future infestations. Here are some general strategies that can be effective against a variety of household pests:

Maintain Cleanliness

Regular cleaning can significantly deter pests by eliminating food sources and hiding spots:

• Vacuum floors, carpets, and upholstered furniture frequently
• Wipe down surfaces to remove crumbs and spills
• Keep food in sealed containers
• Regularly wash bedding and clothing

Reduce Clutter

Clutter provides hiding places for pests and makes detection more difficult. To minimize this risk:

• Organize storage areas and reduce unnecessary items
• Keep clothing off the floor
• Avoid storing items under beds or in other dark, undisturbed areas

Seal Entry Points

Prevent pests from entering your home by sealing potential access points:

• Repair cracks and crevices in walls, floors, and foundations
• Install weatherstripping around doors and windows
• Use screens on windows and vents
• Seal gaps around pipes and utility lines

Control Moisture

Many pests are attracted to moisture, so managing humidity and water sources is crucial:

• Fix leaky pipes and faucets promptly
• Use dehumidifiers in damp areas like basements
• Ensure proper ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens
• Address any standing water issues around your property

When to Seek Professional Help for Pest Problems

While many minor pest issues can be handled with DIY methods, certain situations warrant professional intervention. Here are some indicators that it’s time to call in the experts:

Persistent Infestations

If you’ve attempted to address a pest problem on your own without success, it may be time for professional help. Signs of a persistent infestation include:

• Continued sightings of pests despite treatment attempts
• Recurring evidence of pest activity, such as droppings or damage
• Increasing numbers of pests over time

Health and Safety Concerns

Some pest infestations can pose serious health risks or structural damage. Seek professional help if:

• You’re experiencing unexplained bites or allergic reactions
• There’s evidence of pests in food storage areas
• You notice signs of structural damage, such as wood destruction by termites

Difficult-to-Treat Pests

Certain pests are notoriously difficult to eradicate without specialized knowledge and tools. These may include:

• Bedbugs
• Termites
• Cockroaches in multi-unit buildings
• Wildlife infestations (e.g., raccoons, bats)

Large-Scale Infestations

When a pest problem extends beyond a small, localized area, professional intervention is often necessary. This may be the case if:

• Multiple rooms or areas of your home are affected
• The infestation has spread to neighboring units in an apartment building
• You’re dealing with a pest that reproduces rapidly, like rodents

How can you determine if your pest problem requires professional help. Consider the extent of the infestation, the potential health risks, and your comfort level in dealing with the issue. When in doubt, it’s best to consult with a pest control professional for an assessment.

The Future of Pest Control: Emerging Technologies and Approaches

As our understanding of pest biology and behavior evolves, so do the methods for controlling and preventing infestations. Here’s a look at some of the innovative approaches shaping the future of pest control:

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

IPM is a holistic approach to pest control that focuses on long-term prevention through a combination of techniques:

• Biological controls using natural predators or parasites
• Cultural practices that make environments less hospitable to pests
• Physical and mechanical controls to exclude pests
• Targeted use of pesticides only when necessary

Smart Pest Control Devices

Technology is playing an increasingly important role in pest management:

• IoT-enabled traps that send alerts when pests are detected
• AI-powered cameras for real-time pest monitoring
• Automated bait stations that adjust based on pest activity

Genetic Control Methods

Researchers are exploring genetic techniques to manage pest populations:

• Gene drive technology to reduce fertility in pest species
• Sterile insect technique to disrupt pest breeding cycles
• CRISPR gene editing to develop pest-resistant plants

Biopesticides and Green Solutions

There’s a growing emphasis on environmentally friendly pest control methods:

• Plant-based repellents and insecticides
• Microbial pesticides derived from naturally occurring organisms
• Pheromone-based traps and disruption techniques

How will these emerging technologies shape the future of pest control. As these innovations continue to develop, we can expect more targeted, efficient, and environmentally friendly approaches to managing pest problems in both residential and commercial settings.

Things That Seems Like Bedbugs but Aren’t

Things That Seems Like Bedbugs but Aren’t

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What you think could be signs of bedbugs could actually be something else.

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• Just because you think you might have bedbugs doesn’t necessarily mean that you do.
• Though you likely have reasons for thinking that there are bedbugs in your bed or couch, you might actually be misinterpreting these signs as signs of bedbugs when, really, the problem is something else.
• However, if you have signs of bedbug bites, you might want to get your bed checked out, just in case.

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If you think you have bedbugs, chances are there’s a good reason for that. Maybe you’ve noticed strange marks on your body that you think could be bedbug bite, maybe you’ve seen what could be a bedbug in your bed, or maybe you’ve felt itchier than normal when you first wake up in the morning. But just because you think you have bedbugs doesn’t necessarily mean that you do. If you’re concerned about the potential of bedbugs, knowing what sorts of things you might be confusing for signs of bedbugs is definitely important.

You’ve found small bugs in the cracks and crevices of your home.

Other bugs are often mistaken for bedbugs.

wabeno/ iStock

Though you might think that finding bugs in other part of your house, particularly small “cylindrical-shaped insects,” might mean that you have bedbugs on your hands, that doesn’t necessarily indicate that that’s what you’re dealing with.

“German cockroach nymphs are often confused with bedbugs,” Dr. Sydney Crawley, PhD, a public health entomologist with Scotts Miracle-Gro, told INSIDER. “However, cockroach nymphs are more cylindrical in shape, and bedbugs are shorter and oval. Both of these insects are cryptic, live in harborages, and are most active at night. .. but cockroaches do not feed on humans and are usually found near food or moisture.”

So if they’re not in your bed or on the couch, that’s a good initial indicator that they’re likely not bedbugs, even if they look like they could be.

Your bites are around your ankles — and you also have a pet.

Bites just around the ankle is probably fleas.

anamariategzes/ iStock

It’s not necessarily super common for bedbugs to bite around your ankles, so if you really only have bites around your ankles and also have a pet, it could be another kind of insect that’s causing your problems.

Bill Horgan, the president of Debug Pest Control, told INSIDER that these are likely signs of a flea infestation, rather than an issue with bedbugs.

The bugs near your bed have wings.

Bedbugs don’t have wings.

porpeller/ iStock

If the bugs you’ve spotted have wings, that’s a good sign that you don’t have bedbugs — because bedbugs don’t have wings.

“Carpet beetles are often confused for bedbugs and may be found in the bedroom, but they have distinct wings,” Crawley said. “Additionally, their larvae look like caterpillars.”

Your bed looks completely clean.

Bedbugs leave lots of damage to your mattress.

pinkjellybeans/Shutterstock

If you suspect that you might have bedbugs, taking a closer look at your bed is typically going to be your next step. But if you take a closer look at your bed and you don’t really see much out of the ordinary, that’s another good sign that you might not have bedbugs.

“Bedbugs leave behind tiny blood stains or small black dots that look like mold or like black pepper sprinkled in the seams of your mattress or creases in the corners of your sheets,” Eric Hoffer, the owner of Hoffer Pest Solutions, told INSIDER.

If you’re itchy, but you haven’t spotted any of these sorts of things, bedbugs might not be the cause.

You’re simply itchy.

Lots of things can cause itchiness.

Shutterstock

There are tons of things that could cause itchiness beyond bedbugs, so while that might be an initial thought, it might not actually be the true cause. If you suspect bedbugs, however, you’re likely going to keep an eye out for actual bugs.

Hogan said that if you don’t see any bugs and haven’t traveled relatively recently, you may want to consider things like detergents, medications you may be taking, allergy issues, and more because one of those other things might be what’s actually causing the itchiness.

The bites are spread out, in places where you weren’t touching your bed, or in very small groupings.

Bedbug bites usually appear where you have touched the bed.

Wikimedia

When you’re dealing with bedbugs, you should expect large clumps of bites or bites where you were touching your bed, generally speaking. If you have bites that are spread out, in small groups, or in seemingly strange or random places, that might mean it’s not bedbugs after all.

“Although bites acquired during the night can point to a bedbug problem, it can also mean that you’re dealing with some other pests,” Karen Thompson of InsectCop.net, told INSIDER. “Anything from mosquitoes to fleas can leave bites while you’re sleeping. The trick is to pay attention to the spot where the bugs leave the bites as well as how the bites look. If the bites are near the place where your body meets the surface of your bed and they are in large clusters then you most likely have bedbugs.

“However, if you wake up with a few bites here and there or there are small groups of red, itchy bites on your body (clusters of no more than three or four bites) then more likely you’re dealing with either mosquitoes or fleas.”

The bugs look like bedbugs but aren’t in or super near your bed and you’re just not sure.

Flea (L) and bed bug (R).

Flickr/gailhampshire/AP/Carolyn Kaster

Just because the bugs look like what you’re expecting bedbugs to look like doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s what they are.

“Some insects look like they are small bedbugs that have fed on blood when they have not (e.g., spider beetles),” Crawley said. “It is normal to think you have bedbugs when you see something that looks so similar to a bedbug, and you maybe haven’t ever seen one in person and are basing your views on internet images.”

When in doubt, call in a professional, but if the bedbugs aren’t in or near your bed, couch, or other plush furniture, it might be something else.

Your bites are all on your lower body, backs of your knees, or inside your elbows.

Flea bites are more common on the lower half of your body.

PARNTAWAN/ iStock

Where you get bites can help you figure out if it might be bedbugs or not as well.

“If a pet has carried fleas into your home, they’re most likely living in your carpet — so they’ll bite the lower half of your body and aim for warm, moist areas like the backs of your knees or the inside of your elbows,” Hoffer said. “Bedbug bites are more common on the upper half of your body, around the face, neck, and arms.”

If you have pesky bites on your body, however, it might be a good idea to go to the doctor so that they can help determine what the cause may be.

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9 Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs

Red welts cover your skin, and you’ve seen little red-brown bugs crawling on the mattress, but are you sure it’s bed bugs? Bed bugs can be mistaken for many other insects. Here are nine bugs that look like bed bugs.

You need to know what pest you’re dealing with to develop your action plan. The last thing you want to do is pay for an expensive treatment that doesn’t target the nuisance pest.

Adult Bed Bug
Photo Credit: Piotr Naskrecki / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bug nymphs are smaller than adults and are whitish-yellow. When full of blood, they look bright or dark red. Without any blood, their bodies are translucent and almost invisible. Bed bugs themselves are the size of a poppy seed when they hatch from eggs. Bed bug eggs are about the size of a pinhead or an apple seed and are pearl-white.

Now let’s take a closer look at 9 common insects that are often mistaken for bed bugs:

9 Bed Bug Look-Alikes

1. Baby Cockroaches

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Baby Cockroach: patrickkavanagh / Flickr / CC BY 2. 0

Baby cockroaches (cockroach nymphs) are often confused with bed bugs because of their similar coloring. These young varieties of the most common cockroaches include German, American, brown-banded, and Oriental cockroaches. Cockroaches have a flattened, oval appearance, long antenna, and long bristly legs.

Depending on the species, color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown and from tan to black. Because they’re nymphs, they haven’t grown their cockroach wings, which also leads people to confuse them with bed bugs.

Where cockroach nymphs hide: Cockroaches thrive in moist areas, especially where food is prepared or stored. Prime breeding grounds include restaurants, grocery stores, commercial kitchens, sewers, and steam tunnels. You may even see cockroaches hiding in your crawl space, bathroom, or basement.

Cockroach nymphs in your home may be a sign of an infestation.

Health risk: Because bacteria sticks to a cockroach’s body, cockroaches may spread illnesses such as salmonella and gastroenteritis. People allergic to cockroaches may experience asthma attacks, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

2. Booklice

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Booklice: Shutterstock

Booklice, which range in color from translucent white to gray or brown, are easily mistaken for adult bed bugs and baby bed bugs.

Where booklice hide: Booklice enjoy a moldy meal from the paste of old book bindings and wallpaper. If booklice are in your stored pantry items, this may be a sign mold is growing on your food.

Health risk: These bugs are a nuisance, but pose no threat. Their damage is typically minor.

Fun fact about booklice: Booklice, also called psocids, are not actual lice. Although they resemble lice in appearance, these little bugs feed on mold and fungi rather than blood.

3. Carpet Beetles

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Carpet Beetle: Udo Schmidt / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Adult carpet beetles vary in length, are oval-shaped, and can appear to be bed bug look-alikes. There are many species of carpet beetles, including the black, common, furniture, and varied carpet beetle.

These small pests feast on your animal origin materials, including furs, wools, feathers, or leather. Despite their name, they’re not fans of eating the synthetic materials of today’s carpet. They’ll make an exception, though, if your carpet has a blend of synthetic materials, animal fabrics, food, sweat, and oils.

Where carpet beetles hide: You’ll usually find carpet beetles around the edges of rugs and carpets, underneath upholstered furniture, or underneath baseboards.

Health risk: Carpet beetle larvae don’t pose much danger to you, but they can cause significant damage to your carpet or your favorite wool sweater. The damage usually appears in one ruined patch, rather than many scattered holes. Carpet beetles also leave behind molted shells.

4. Spider Beetles

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Spider Beetle: Katja Schulz / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Spider beetles may resemble a bed bug that has just feasted on blood.

What is a spider beetle? These bugs look like small spiders due to their long legs and large, rounded abdomens. The American spider beetle has a reddish-brown to black, shiny, globe-shaped abdomen and pale yellow legs, head, thorax, and antennae.

Where spider beetles hide: Spider beetles may forage in grain mills, pantries, warehouses, and attics that contain bird, rodent, or bat droppings.

Health risk: These pests can bite, and they may infest your foods.

5. Bat Bugs

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Bat Bug: NY State IPM Program at Cornell University / Flickr / CC BY 2. 0

Like bed bugs, bat bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head attached to the prothorax. The main difference between these two look-alikes is that bat bugs have longer (and more) hairs on their thorax.

Where bat bugs hide: Bat bugs develop in colonies of roosting bats, most often occurring in attics, behind walls, or in chimneys. When bats leave or are removed from the home, the remaining bat bugs may move into your living space and hide in dark crevices and fabric folds, including your mattress.

Health risk: Bat bugs primarily suck the blood of bats and will bite humans only if their bat host is unavailable. Although bat bugs are not known to transmit any diseases to people, their presence can cause anxiety and insomnia in some people.

6. Ticks

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Tick: NIAID / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Ticks are blood-sucking parasites, like bed bugs, and they can resemble each other until you look closely. The key difference? The number of their legs. Bed bugs, which are insects, have six legs; and ticks, which are arachnids, have eight.

Ticks not only feast on human blood but attach to pets, livestock, and wild animals, too. There are many types of ticks, each with different physical traits. Most ticks are small, dark in color, and flat when unfed.

Where ticks hide: Ticks are most commonly found attached to their host or outdoors in moist, shady areas with tall grass or overgrown vegetation. Occasionally a tick may be found indoors after being brought inside. Tick infestations indoors are rare, but they can occur if a female tick lays her eggs in your home.

Health risk: Ticks can pass many pathogens, such as Lyme disease, to people, pets, and other animals. If these diseases are left untreated, many can become life-threatening. It’s as essential to know how to remove a tick as it is to know how to identify a tick.

7. Fleas

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Flea: Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. / Flickr / CC BY-SA 3.0

Fleas can be another bed bug impostor. Fleas can move quickly through fur, woven fabrics, and hair due to their narrow bodies, spiny legs, and backward-pointing bristles. Their hind legs make them excellent jumpers. These blood-suckers feed on cats, dogs, mice, birds, people, and many other warm-blooded animals.

Where fleas hide: Dogs offer a feast for fleas. Cats do too. In fact, pets are the chief way that fleas get inside homes from the outside. Look for flea larvae in floor cracks, carpets, mattresses, or pet beds. Fleas especially like places where they can feed on food, animal waste, and adult flea feces.

Health risk: Though rare, fleas are capable of passing diseases (including typhus and plague) to people. Some people and pets may also experience severe allergic reactions to a flea’s saliva. Your pet may experience anemia due to blood loss.

8. Head Lice

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Head Lice: Gilles San Martin / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2. 0

Is it a bed bug or lice? These two pests often are mistaken for each other. Lice are host specific, so lice infesting dogs can’t migrate to you, and you can’t transmit this pest to your dog.

Head lice affect only people and are typically gray but can take on their host’s hair color. The female is about 1/16 to 1/8-inch long, whereas the male is a bit smaller. Head lice cannot jump or fly. If you have head lice and don’t get treatment, the lice will continue to feed on your blood and may excrete dark red feces onto your scalp.

Where head lice hide: Head lice typically gather near the lower back of the head and behind the ears.

Health risk: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), head lice may cause severe itchiness in the scalp and lack of sleep. Excessive scratching may increase your chance of developing a secondary skin infection. Knowing safe and effective ways to remove lice can help you manage these risks.

9. Mites

Photo Credits:
Bed Bug: AFPMB / Flickr / Public Domain
Mite: Tokkes / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

Mites and bed bugs can look similar to some people.

There are thousands of mite species, many of which live on animals. Mites are tiny, and many can be seen with the naked eye. They measure 2 mm (or less) in length, have eight legs, and have little to no segmentation.

Where mites hide: Mites have a free-range lifestyle. Some feed on decaying organic matter, whereas others forage on insects and other mites. Some mite species inhabit their host’s ear canals, lungs, intestine, and bladder, particularly in domestic animals.

Health risk: House dust mites can cause asthma. According to the World Health Organization, certain mites produce scabies, a contagious, intensely itchy skin condition in which tiny mites burrow into the skin.

Do You Have a Bed Bug Problem?

Bed Bug Nymph
Photo Credit: Piotr Naskrecki / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Although bed bugs have many doppelgängers, some signs may point to a bed bug infestation. For starters, where did you find the suspected bed bug? Not all bed bug look-alikes are hiding in the mattress, so where you find the bug can help you with identification.

Where to find bed bugs: If you found the bug in the bed, then odds are higher that you may have bed bugs. Is your head itchy? Then you’re probably not dealing with bed bugs. Keep in mind that bed bug bites are not enough to determine an infestation because bed bug bites look similar to mosquito bites and flea bites.

How to find bed bugs: Conduct your own investigation. (See How to Check for Bed Bugs for detailed instructions.) What pest in the bug lineup of photos above is the best match? If it looks like the cockroach nymph, for example, you don’t have a bed bug problem but may have a different pest problem to solve.

Bed bug removal is costly, so be sure you are dealing with a bed bug and not a cockroach or other pest control problem.

How Much Does Bed Bug Treatment Cost? 

Bed bug treatment costs around $5,300 for your whole home and approximately $310 for one room. The typical cost is between $917 to $1,917. It all depends on what the infestation looks like. Also, getting rid of bed bugs might take multiple treatments. To get an accurate idea of what you’ll spend, get a quote from local exterminators.

FAQ

How Do You Get Bed Bugs?

Only one bed bug on your clothes, in your luggage, or inside your purse can hop a ride into your house. You can get them from anywhere really – motels and hotels, college dorms, or even bargain yard sales via that nifty sofa you needed for your family room.

Can You See Bed Bugs During the Day?

If you see a bed bug wandering on your floor or wall, it may be a straggler looking for a place to build its empire (that is, a bed or sofa). If your home is already infested, the best signs of bed bugs are their fecal droppings, which look like tiny black spots on fabrics.

How Do You Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

Before you can even begin to get rid of bed bugs, you must make sure that it’s bed bugs infesting your house, but after that, you deep-clean, including vacuuming. That’s often not enough, for even one female bug can start another infestation. You must choose an extermination method, such as cold or steam. But your best bet is plain ol’ prevention.

When to Call a Pest Management Pro

When your bug investigation hits a dead end and you’re stuck identifying the bug you found, call an expert.

A pest control professional near you can help identify the bug that caused your welts, draft a treatment plan, and close the case of the mysterious bug you found in your home.

Main Photo Credit: Aleksey Gnilenkov / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Jane Purnell

Jane Purnell is a freelance writer and actor in New York City. She earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia and enjoys a warm cup of French press coffee.

Posts by Jane Purnell

What house bugs look like and how to distinguish them from other insects

• By Wil Malinoshevsky
• About bedbugs

Our experience shows that a person living in the city and at least occasionally traveling abroad needs to know what bed bugs look like. If only because these insects may end up in his apartment and they must immediately be correctly identified and removed as quickly as possible. And even if the insects found in the house are not bugs, in order to understand this, you need to know what a home bug looks like.

Last instar bed bug nymph

Honestly, a person who has ever seen a house bug and knows that it is a bug will never confuse it with any other insect. Is it possible to know what, for example, an adult bug looks like, but be confused, not later identifying its own small nymph. And if you do not recognize the bug in the nymph, then you will not take the right measures in time, you will not start fighting them and give the bugs a chance to survive.

We had many cases when people mistook for bedbugs, for example, wood lice, grinder beetles, a couple of times people sent photos of larvae of kozheed beetles under the guise of domestic bugs – they do not look like bedbugs at all, but not knowing what bedbugs look like , people can even mistake such insects for them.

Therefore, it is enough to look at the video and photo of bedbugs at different stages of development in order to understand how they differ from other insects that can be found in the apartment, and then be able to recognize them at the first meeting.

What are house bugs

The most important thing and the first thing to start with: let’s define the concepts of what a house bug is in general. Strictly speaking, there is no biological species with that name. In common parlance, bed bugs are called bed bugs, the entire life cycle and reproduction of which occurs only in human housing. Of the several thousand bedbugs known to science today, only one species is capable of living and breeding in human housing in Eurasia, in particular, in Russia and Ukraine: the common bed bug, in Latin Cimex lecturarius. No other bedbugs live permanently in human housing. At least in the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere. Guard bugs can sometimes fly here, or soldier bugs, predatory bugs crawl in, but they are not able to live permanently and even more so breed in human housing.

So, we need to figure out exactly what bed bugs look like.

What bed bugs look like

The photo below shows a cluster of bed bugs:

You must have noticed some very characteristic features of the appearance of these insects:

1. Their body is strongly compressed dorsally, that is, from the back, but wide enough horizontally. Simply put, they seem to be flattened at the top;
2. Bed bugs do not have wings. This is a characteristic feature of domestic bed bugs – they do not need to fly, but at the same time they need the body to be as flat as possible and allow them to climb even into the narrowest cracks;
3. They have a simple and nondescript coloration. Adults are dark brown, older nymphs are also brown, but slightly lighter, and the smallest nymphs are generally pale yellow.

Here we see bedbugs in an enlarged form, with a strong approximation. Their real dimensions are 5-7 mm in length in adults and from 1 to 4 mm in length in nymphs.

Simply put, an adult bug is about the size of a small button and about the same, by the way, body shape, flat when viewed from the side and rounded when viewed from above. In the video below, you can well estimate the size of the bug relative to the finger:

The largest adult bug fits easily on the nail of the little finger of an adult. On this basis, it is easy to distinguish it from street stink bugs. They are larger and, at least, will not fit on the little finger.

This is the most general characteristic of bed bugs in general – size, body shape and color. But there are features of their appearance depending on their age and some other factors. Moreover, sometimes the same bug can differ from itself in different states so much that it can be mistaken for different insects.

Appearance of hungry and fed parasites

The most striking differences are noticeable between hungry individuals that have not fed for a long time, and individuals that have satiated.

At a minimum, bedbugs have translucent body covers, which, coupled with the lack of wings, makes the pumped blood in their abdomens very noticeable.

Simply put, a hungry bug is just brown, and a full one is already red, because this very blood is visible through the integument of its body. Moreover, if in adults the difference, although noticeable, is not so striking, then in larvae the body after saturation is greatly transformed. Before feeding, they are pale yellow, after feeding they are scarlet, similar to drops of blood with paws.

For example, look at a nymph who is just starting to drink blood – here she is yellow and translucent:

. ..and on her a few minutes later, after her entire intestines were filled with blood:

She is bright scarlet, not at all like herself a few minutes ago.

You probably noticed that after saturation, the belly of the bug stretched out a little in length. This is not an illusion, the way it is: due to the elasticity of the joints of the segments, the abdomen stretches when the intestines are filled with blood, which allows the bug to get the maximum amount of food in one bloodsucking. Since we are lucky to find a victim, we must take everything from it. As a result, a short, round and flat bug after saturation becomes long, elongated and swollen.

On the left – a hungry bug, on the right – full

By the way, it is very easy to crush him in this state, since such a blood-filled body is less durable than a flat and emaciated one. Therefore, sometimes people can crush bed bugs while tossing and turning in their sleep. And in the morning, noticing small blood stains on the sheets, they can understand that bedbugs live in their sleeping place or near it. And in general, if you simultaneously found some unfamiliar insects in the bedroom and a blood stain on the bed, then most likely these insects are bedbugs.

By the way, in hungry bugs that have not eaten for several weeks, the body becomes so flat that it looks like some kind of dry crust. In general, it does not seem that any organs can work normally in this torso. But normally, it rarely comes to such depletion: usually bedbugs have the opportunity to eat at a normal frequency for them, once every 2-3 days.

Mating hungry bed bugs

What bed bugs look like at different ages

The smallest nymphs differ slightly from adult bugs and from older nymphs. In an enlarged view, in a photo or video, with a strong approximation, they look like small yellow bugs, and when viewed with the naked eye, they look like small yellow spiders.

By the way, it is the nymphs of the first age that people with poor eyesight may not be able to see with the naked eye. The length of these nymphs is about a millimeter, and due to the yellow color of the body covers, they actually merge with the boards of the bed frame or with light bedding. But in any case, they are very different from adult, broad brown bugs.

Look at a hungry young nymph – you can see that her body is translucent and not at all as dark as that of an adult bug. In general, it is not very similar to a bug, and therefore it is precisely when such nymphs are found that people do not always recognize bugs in them.

That is, we have already found out that bedbugs can look somewhat different in different states and at different stages of their development. Let’s make such a subtotal of those shapes, sizes and colors of bedbugs that you may see in your house:

1. Adult hungry bug – flat, wide, brown, 5-7 mm long, similar to a dark button;
2. An adult well-fed bug is slightly swollen, wide, burgundy in color, the color of thick blood, elongated, its body has a slightly worm-like shape;
3. Older hungry nymph – similar to an adult hungry bug, only slightly smaller and lighter, light brown. After saturation, it looks like an adult well-fed bug;
4. Hungry nymph 2-3 instar – small, 2-3 mm long, flat, translucent, inconspicuous, pale yellow;
5. Well-fed nymph 2-3 ages, similar to a drop of blood with a head and paws, quite elongated in length;
6. The smallest nymphs of the first age, just emerging from the eggs. They are generally extremely small, hardly visible to the naked eye, although in principle they are noticeable, the shape of the body of which is generally difficult to identify.

If you see any of these insects in your apartment, then you should know that this is a house bed bug.

What is the difference between female bedbugs and males?

It is possible to distinguish between a female and a male only at the adult stage, that is, in adult insects. Nymphs of bedbugs are not children of people in whom all systems are formed and only grow as they grow up. Their reproductive system is fully formed only after the last molt, and only then it is possible to consider the differences between males and females.

Left is male, right is female

In females, the end of the abdomen is rounded and symmetrical, while in males, on the last segment of the abdomen, a copulatory organ is visible, which is turned to the left and looks like a kind of tip on the abdomen, which, due to its curvature, violates the symmetry of the abdomen. But in general, bedbugs do not have any radical differences between the sexes, if you do not specifically look closely, then these differences are not striking.

By the way, we are sometimes asked what the queen bee looks like. It doesn’t look like it because bed bugs don’t have a uterus. They do not have a social structure and some kind of hierarchy in which there would be a uterus, as the main breeding female, by analogy with ants and bees. All females of domestic bugs are the same, all teem in a common nest, all reproduce with the same intensity.

What a bedbug nest looks like

You can also see what the nest of house bugs looks like. The video below shows several of these nests on a sofa:

Again, a nest is not quite the right word to describe their places of accumulation, since a nest is more often understood as some kind of organized and to some extent equipped dwelling, if not as complex as a wasp nest or an anthill, then at least resembling a hole in crickets. Bedbugs do not have this, because they do not show themselves with any creative activity. But nevertheless, in the most suitable places they accumulate in large quantities, live here for a long time and such accumulations of them are clearly visible.

At a minimum, in these shelters there are a lot of bed bugs of different ages, and due to the large number of them, it is easy to notice them here. Here, in large quantities, there are skins shed during molting, the remains of dead insects, eggs and excrement. That is, all this accumulation is rather motley, nasty, and it is impossible to confuse it with anything else, since no other insects in such quantities accumulate in sleeping places and near them.

From experience, we say that most often they either do not notice at all, or they discover, but do not mistake the smallest nymphs for bedbugs. Firstly, they can literally hide in the narrowest fold or near the seam on the fabric, and secondly, they are so different from adult bugs that they are not considered bugs.

We often have clients who see these larvae and say they are not bed bugs because the bugs are supposed to be wide, round and brown. You need to understand that there should not be any insects in the room in general and especially on the bed, no matter how they look. And most likely it will be bugs that will live in a sleeping place, for which it is important to get to a sleeping person as quickly as possible. Therefore, if you find any insects on the sofa or bed, you must get rid of them as soon as possible.

Differences between different types of bugs

It is interesting that there are quite a few types of bed bugs, more than a hundred, and all of them are very similar in appearance and without special knowledge and special equipment, that is, it is almost impossible for a non-entomologist without a microscope to distinguish them. Of these more than a hundred species, only two can constantly live in a person’s housing, near his bed, and bite him, and almost a hundred others do not live near the bed and do not bite a person.

They are called bed bugs simply because the common bed bug was described as the first species in this family as a companion of man and a synanthropic species, and it got its name for its characteristic lifestyle and unique habitats. And he was singled out in a separate family, since he was noticeably different from other hemipterans.

Then, when scientists began to describe other species of the same family, but living in bird nests, in colonies of bats in caves, in rodent burrows, they were forced to call them bed bugs simply because of their biological relationship. It so happened that there are many types of bed bugs, they look similar, but most of them are not bed bugs in their way of life.

So, for example, the swallow bug that lives in the nests of swallows looks like:

And so – Cimex hemipterus, the second species in the family, which feeds mainly on human blood, but is found mainly in the tropics:

In fact, no one except entomologists needs to be able to distinguish between types of bed bugs. If bugs live in your house, it doesn’t matter what species they belong to – they must be destroyed immediately. But being able to distinguish them from other insects is sometimes useful, just in time to take the right measures to destroy them. Plus, in most cases, people want to know what bed bugs look like when they meet some kind of insect in the house, but they can’t figure out if it’s a bug or not. So, with whom can you really confuse bed bugs?

How to distinguish bed bugs from other insects?

Most of all, in terms of size and shape of the body, 3 types of synanthropic insects are similar to bugs, more precisely, to their nymphs, especially those that have been fed:

1. Book louse
2. Simple clothes louse
3. Red cockroach nymphs

But in fact, it is very easy to distinguish them from bedbugs.

The book louse is about the same size as 3rd-4th instar bedbug nymphs, about the same straw-yellow color as a hungry bedbug nymph, but has a slightly different body shape. The body of the book louse itself is elongated, spindle-shaped, not wide and not flat.

Book lice on paper

In shape, it may be somewhat similar to the body of a well-fed bug nymph, whose body is stretched in length from the blood, but such a nymph will be scarlet, and book lice are always yellowish. That is, a bedbug nymph cannot be yellow and elongated in length, the same as a book louse. It is either yellow and wide, or long, but red.

Plus, the book louse has a fairly large head relative to the entire body – larger than that of a bug nymph of the same size. That is, if you know what a bug larva looks like, it will be quite easy to distinguish it from a book louse.

We were sent photos of hay-eaters a couple of times asking if they were bed bugs. Hay eaters are similar to book lice, but differ in an even lighter color. And they differ from bedbugs in the same way as book lice.

Photo of a hay eater sent by a viewer of our channel

The body louse has an even more elongated body, almost white. When she sucks blood, she becomes somewhat similar to a small bug nymph, but she can be distinguished by the fact that she bites, usually under clothing, when a person is awake. Bed bugs rarely bite an awake person and do not get under his clothes.

Nymphs of red cockroaches are similar to adult bugs in body shape – they are also wide. But that’s where the similarity ends. Cockroach nymphs are almost black, darker than bedbugs, while lighter adult cockroaches are much larger than bedbugs, more slender and have wings. Plus, red cockroaches have a very characteristic recognizable pattern on the pronotum of two black stripes on a red background. Bed bugs don’t have them.

The bug cannot be confused with black cockroaches due to the significant difference in size.

Sometimes people confuse bedbugs with fleas. But this happens only when it is fleas that bite a person and he does not see them because of his poor eyesight. They often call or write to us and ask about bedbugs, and when we start asking how and when these alleged bedbugs bite, the person describes situations in which he sits on the couch, an insect climbs on his feet and bites, or gets into a car and they begin to bite him, sometimes even people call and tell how they are bitten on the legs in the garden. In all these cases, fleas are confused with bedbugs simply because fleas bite, and people know only bedbugs of all the insects that bite in the house.

In fact, if you consider an insect, then it is almost impossible to confuse a bug with a flea. They have absolutely nothing in common in appearance. Fleas are very small, 2-3 mm long, black, shiny, jumping very well. The bugs are larger, lighter in color, and cannot jump.

And once we had a situation where a person called and consulted about the fight against bedbugs, because he found small dark brown insects in the sofa. He has no bites, but he regularly finds insects in the sofa.

It seems to be a typical picture for infestation with bedbugs, when a person is insensitive to their bites.

But then, when they sent us a photo, it turned out that these were not bugs, but grinder beetles. They can be of different sizes depending on the species, with some being as brown as bed bugs, while others can be grey, green or even black. These beetles have a body that is not as wide as that of bedbugs, and they have wings and hard elytra. Bed bugs do not have wings.

furniture grinder

We are also regularly sent photos of larvae of kozheed beetles, which outwardly have nothing to do with bedbugs. It’s enough just to see once what a bug looks like, so that you never confuse it with such a larva.

Kozheed larva

Once we were sent a photo of a fake beetle for identification, asking if it was a bug. And the photo was sent from New York. A very interesting situation, because according to the main features, this beetle is really similar to a well-fed bug – it is dark brown, swollen, with a wide abdomen. But its main difference is the wings, which hide the segmentation of the body. That is, in a well-fed bug, transverse constrictions on the abdomen are clearly visible, but this beetle does not have them.

pretend beetle

It happens that people bring ticks on their clothes or on their bodies from a walk on the street, and do not know if it is a tick or a house bug. Everything is simple here: count his legs. If there are 8 of them, then this is a tick, if 6, then some kind of insect, perhaps just a bug.

And one more characteristic situation: in late summer and early autumn, street bugs often fly into apartments. These are stink bugs. They are not dangerous except for the fact that they smell very unpleasant when frightened. They differ very well from domestic bugs in the first place in size – they are 2-3 times larger than bed bugs, while they have normally developed wings and fly well. They do not hide in sleeping places, but on the contrary, they usually sit in plain sight, on windows and on curtains, crawl well and confidently along the walls. Moreover, they are not able to reproduce at home. Their coloration is not very noticeable, but clearly different from the brown color of the body of bed bugs. That is, it is quite simple to distinguish these species even for an uninitiated person.

So if you see some kind of insect at home, then look at it carefully, preferably through a magnifying glass, and if it is a bed bug, call the exterminators and call them right away so as not to delay their destruction and prevent significant reproduction.

If these are not bed bugs, you need to find out who they are, because in addition to bed bugs, many other extremely undesirable insects can settle in the house, and if this is exactly what happened, then you should also start exterminating them as soon as possible.

If you find any harmless aliens – calmly open the window and give them into the hands of gravity so that you don’t have any insects at home.

Order the destruction of bedbugs!

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are long-term companions of man. They are mentioned both in historical and fiction literature of different countries and peoples. So what are these insects? Understanding!

Bed bug (lat. Cimex lectularius ) is a common blood-sucking insect.

Most often, bed bugs live in heated residential areas with a high density of people living in them.

The bed bug and its larvae feed exclusively on the blood of humans and domestic animals. The size of adults is on average 5-7 mm, males are slightly smaller than females. On average, the female lays about 5 eggs per day. During her life, the female can lay about 500 eggs. The development of the larva to an adult occurs in a month, and the total life span of the bug is 12 months. At low temperatures and the absence of a power source, the bugs fall into a state similar to suspended animation. In this state, without food, bedbugs can live up to one year. At temperatures above 50 ° C, the bugs and their larvae die instantly.

Bedbugs are predominantly nocturnal, during the day they usually hide in furniture, under wallpaper, in clothes, and other furnishings.

With a prolonged lack of food, bed bugs can attack a person during the day.

Under adverse conditions, bedbugs are able to migrate between rooms through ventilation ducts, and in summer – along the outer walls of houses. An adult bug can crawl from 25 cm to 1 m in one minute, and a nymph up to 20 cm.

Bed bugs deliver the greatest harm to people with their bites, depriving them of normal rest and sleep, and thereby reducing their working capacity.

In addition, in some cases, bites can lead to allergies or become a traumatic factor – at night, bedbugs can interfere with sleep, and during the day, itching from bedbug bites interferes with work or study. Secondary infection is also possible when scratching the bite site. The ability of bed bugs to transmit pathogens directly through a bite has not been established.

Children are especially sensitive to bedbug bites.

During the attack, the bug, moving along the skin, leaves a “path” of bites. But in most people, bite marks are practically invisible. In this case, a person learns about the presence of bedbugs in the house by brown marks on the bed, which are formed when the bedbug is accidentally crushed during sleep.

Bed bugs can be dealt with mechanically – searching for and destroying bed bug nests. Physical method – exposure to high temperatures on the affected room. Chemical method – treatment with special preparations, to which bugs, larvae and their eggs are sensitive. The chemical method is the most effective.

To combat bed bugs, disinfectants intended for this purpose, which have passed state registration, are used.

These funds are sold in specialized departments of stores and can be used by citizens on their own.

In the case of a high population of premises with bed bugs, it is recommended to use the services of specialized organizations that carry out pest control work.

To prevent the appearance of bed bugs in your home, you must follow these rules:

• Clean your house systematically with a vacuum cleaner.