Chigger Bites Vs. Bed Bug Bites: Telling Them Apart

You may notice groups of small raised bumps on your skin and suspect that you’ve been bitten by a bug. Two culprits may be bed bugs and chiggers. These two bugs are parasites, living off the blood of people or animals.

Their bites may look similar, but bed bugs and chiggers live in much different environments. Generally, bed bug and chigger bites are irritating and uncomfortable but not a risk to your overall health.

Bed bugs live near sleeping quarters. You may find evidence of bed bugs if you notice brown or red spots on your sheets. You may also smell something sweet and musty if bed bugs are nearby.

Chiggers group in clusters. When they attach to your body, they may feed off of it for several hours or days if you do not wash yourself or scratch them off. You may feel them on your skin and never see them because of their microscopic size.

Physical symptoms of bed bug bites:

• occur a few days or up to two weeks after the bites
• look like bites from other bugs like mosquitos and fleas
• are a bit raised, inflamed, and red in color
• itch
• appear in clusters or in a zig zag line
• show up most often on skin exposed during sleep

You may also find that bed bug bites cause:

• sleeping trouble
• anxiety
• skin irritation

Not everyone will have the same symptoms from bed bug bites. Some people are more sensitive to bed bug bites and their symptoms may be worse.

Physical symptoms of chigger bites:

• appear as small pimples that are raised and dark red
• cause itchy skin that gets itchier over time
• are grouped in clusters around areas of your body where you wear tight clothing, such as the elastic of underwear or around your sock line

You may notice chigger bites change while healing. The center of the bite may appear to have a cap that oozes if scratched.

Some people bitten by chiggers may react more strongly to the bites.

Bed bugs

You may not know that you’ve been bitten by bed bugs unless you actually see evidence of them where you’ve slept. You likely will not feel a bite from bed bugs because they release a substance that numbs your skin and keeps any blood from running out of the bite area.

Chiggers

Chigger bites can last for a range of time, depending on your exposure and how long they stay on you. If you have chiggers on you for a short amount of time, the symptoms may be mild and last only a few days. However, chiggers that stay on you for a longer length of time, such as while you sleep, may cause more severe symptoms for a few weeks.

Both bed bug and chigger bites appear as raised, red, inflamed spots on your skin.

Bed bug bites appear most frequently near areas of exposed skin and may appear in lines or in random clusters.

Chigger bites are grouped together in locations near tight-fitting clothing.

Both bed bug and chigger bites will go away with time. Treatments focus on calming symptoms so you can be more comfortable.

Home remedies

The first line of treatment for both bed bug and chigger bites is to avoid scratching them and leaving them alone as much as possible.

Make sure to wash the affected area with warm, soapy water if you suspect chigger bites. This will make sure no chiggers remain on your skin.

You can apply cool compresses to the bites, such as a cool washcloth or towel.

Medical treatment

There are many over-the-counter medication options to reduce bed bug and chigger bite symptoms.

Try pain-relieving medications like acetaminophen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to calm discomfort associated with the bites. NSAIDs also relieve inflammation.

Topical creams, ointments, and lotions may soothe the itch caused by bed bugs and chiggers. These include those containing steroids, like hydrocortisone.

An oral antihistamine may help control itching or swelling.

If the bite area becomes worse over time, it may be infected. Treating an infection may require antibiotics.

Call a doctor if you:

• have symptoms that get worse over time or do not heal after a few weeks
• develop symptoms like fever, body aches, or chills in addition to physical symptoms on your skin (a sign of an infection)
• experience an allergic reaction with more exaggerated symptoms like difficulty breathing or swollen areas of your body, especially of your throat

Medical emergency

Extreme allergic reactions may cause anaphylactic shock. Call 911 and go to the nearest emergency room.

Severe infections from a bite can also be serious so if you develop a high fever and other symptoms that make you concerned, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

The best way to manage bed bugs and chiggers is to avoid bites in the first place.

Bed bugs

Bed bug removal requires fumigation. If you have bed bugs in your home, call a professional to kill the bugs, because they can live for several months between feedings.

Keep spaces where bed bugs may live clean. Cleaning regularly will help you spot signs of bed bugs.

If you are traveling and worried about bed bugs, consider sleeping in clothing that covers most of your skin. You can also use an insect repellant.

Chiggers

Limit your exposure to chiggers by avoiding contact with grasses and weeds. Do not sit directly on lawns, and make sure to keep your landscaping maintained. Overgrown yards can contribute to more chiggers.

Wear bug spray and dress in clothing that covers most of your body when you’re outside. This may include tucking your pants into your socks or wearing gloves tucked into long-sleeved shirts.

Both bed bugs and chiggers are tiny parasites that can cause uncomfortable pimple-like bumps on your skin. These bites may cause a few days of irritation, but they are generally not harmful in the long term. Try to avoid scratching the bites to reduce chances of infection, and use home remedies and over-the-counter medications to soothe symptoms.

Chigger Bites Vs. Bed Bug Bites: Telling Them Apart

You may notice groups of small raised bumps on your skin and suspect that you’ve been bitten by a bug. Two culprits may be bed bugs and chiggers. These two bugs are parasites, living off the blood of people or animals.

Their bites may look similar, but bed bugs and chiggers live in much different environments. Generally, bed bug and chigger bites are irritating and uncomfortable but not a risk to your overall health.

Bed bugs live near sleeping quarters. You may find evidence of bed bugs if you notice brown or red spots on your sheets. You may also smell something sweet and musty if bed bugs are nearby.

Chiggers group in clusters. When they attach to your body, they may feed off of it for several hours or days if you do not wash yourself or scratch them off. You may feel them on your skin and never see them because of their microscopic size.

Physical symptoms of bed bug bites:

• occur a few days or up to two weeks after the bites
• look like bites from other bugs like mosquitos and fleas
• are a bit raised, inflamed, and red in color
• itch
• appear in clusters or in a zig zag line
• show up most often on skin exposed during sleep

You may also find that bed bug bites cause:

• sleeping trouble
• anxiety
• skin irritation

Not everyone will have the same symptoms from bed bug bites. Some people are more sensitive to bed bug bites and their symptoms may be worse.

Physical symptoms of chigger bites:

• appear as small pimples that are raised and dark red
• cause itchy skin that gets itchier over time
• are grouped in clusters around areas of your body where you wear tight clothing, such as the elastic of underwear or around your sock line

You may notice chigger bites change while healing. The center of the bite may appear to have a cap that oozes if scratched.

Some people bitten by chiggers may react more strongly to the bites.

Bed bugs

You may not know that you’ve been bitten by bed bugs unless you actually see evidence of them where you’ve slept. You likely will not feel a bite from bed bugs because they release a substance that numbs your skin and keeps any blood from running out of the bite area.

Chiggers

Chigger bites can last for a range of time, depending on your exposure and how long they stay on you. If you have chiggers on you for a short amount of time, the symptoms may be mild and last only a few days. However, chiggers that stay on you for a longer length of time, such as while you sleep, may cause more severe symptoms for a few weeks.

Both bed bug and chigger bites appear as raised, red, inflamed spots on your skin.

Bed bug bites appear most frequently near areas of exposed skin and may appear in lines or in random clusters.

Chigger bites are grouped together in locations near tight-fitting clothing.

Both bed bug and chigger bites will go away with time. Treatments focus on calming symptoms so you can be more comfortable.

Home remedies

The first line of treatment for both bed bug and chigger bites is to avoid scratching them and leaving them alone as much as possible.

Make sure to wash the affected area with warm, soapy water if you suspect chigger bites. This will make sure no chiggers remain on your skin.

You can apply cool compresses to the bites, such as a cool washcloth or towel.

Medical treatment

There are many over-the-counter medication options to reduce bed bug and chigger bite symptoms.

Try pain-relieving medications like acetaminophen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to calm discomfort associated with the bites. NSAIDs also relieve inflammation.

Topical creams, ointments, and lotions may soothe the itch caused by bed bugs and chiggers. These include those containing steroids, like hydrocortisone.

An oral antihistamine may help control itching or swelling.

If the bite area becomes worse over time, it may be infected. Treating an infection may require antibiotics.

Call a doctor if you:

• have symptoms that get worse over time or do not heal after a few weeks
• develop symptoms like fever, body aches, or chills in addition to physical symptoms on your skin (a sign of an infection)
• experience an allergic reaction with more exaggerated symptoms like difficulty breathing or swollen areas of your body, especially of your throat

Medical emergency

Extreme allergic reactions may cause anaphylactic shock. Call 911 and go to the nearest emergency room.

Severe infections from a bite can also be serious so if you develop a high fever and other symptoms that make you concerned, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

The best way to manage bed bugs and chiggers is to avoid bites in the first place.

Bed bugs

Bed bug removal requires fumigation. If you have bed bugs in your home, call a professional to kill the bugs, because they can live for several months between feedings.

Keep spaces where bed bugs may live clean. Cleaning regularly will help you spot signs of bed bugs.

If you are traveling and worried about bed bugs, consider sleeping in clothing that covers most of your skin. You can also use an insect repellant.

Chiggers

Limit your exposure to chiggers by avoiding contact with grasses and weeds. Do not sit directly on lawns, and make sure to keep your landscaping maintained. Overgrown yards can contribute to more chiggers.

Wear bug spray and dress in clothing that covers most of your body when you’re outside. This may include tucking your pants into your socks or wearing gloves tucked into long-sleeved shirts.

Both bed bugs and chiggers are tiny parasites that can cause uncomfortable pimple-like bumps on your skin. These bites may cause a few days of irritation, but they are generally not harmful in the long term. Try to avoid scratching the bites to reduce chances of infection, and use home remedies and over-the-counter medications to soothe symptoms.

What do bed bug bites look like on the human body?

Bed bugs are classified as harmful insects; they enter dwellings together with people. Parasites are very annoying, they prefer to settle next to the sleeping place, they are active at night. Insects suck blood from sleeping people. After these attacks, specific lesions appear on the skin, resembling mosquito bite marks. It is important to know how to protect yourself from the attacks of bloodthirsty settlers, to take timely measures aimed at their destruction.

Contents

How do you recognize bedbug bites and how do they differ from other insects?

Not everyone can differentiate bedbug bites from bites of other pests. These creatures feed exclusively on human blood, they do not even drink water. They parasitize on humans, can attack pets, birds and even rodents. They create secret shelters for themselves near the source of feeding – in sofas, beds, mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture. The ability to bite painfully is possessed by both adults and their offspring.

Important! For bedbugs, blood is the main source of life; without it, pests die and are deprived of the opportunity to reproduce.

In appearance, the bites of these insects are reddish spots forming paths, slightly swollen. They are located at approximately the same distance from each other. This is due to the fact that the pest does not attack one place, but bites in a chain. There is no poison in such punctures, but they cause severe discomfort. If a person is attacked by several individuals at once, many tracks remain on the body.

One series of punctures left by bedbugs overnight disappears in about 7 days. If there are a lot of pests in the home, the discomfort will be very strong. In rooms heavily infested with bedbugs, up to 500 or more bites per night remain on the body of people. These wounds are bloodless, but dried traces of blood can be seen on bedding. Often, eaten but dead parasites lie next to the red droplets, crushed during sleep by a person.

People who have not previously encountered bedbug bites often mistake marks on the body for rashes of unclear etiology. Some think they were bitten by other insects.

Mistakes in interpretation lead to the fact that the bugs remain undetected for a long time.

Differences between bedbug bites and other common insects

Mosquitoes attack in summer , making an annoying squeak, their appearance is hard not to notice. At the same time, they pierce the skin without pain. A mosquito can bite even through thin clothing. After drinking blood, it leaves a pronounced mark, which is a blister with fuzzy contours, which itches a lot. In the mosquito population, only female individuals feed on blood, they need it for better reproduction of offspring. Bedbugs attack silently and year-round, punctures on the skin hurt. They give priority to bare areas of the body, crawl under clothes. To get enough, one puncture is not enough for them, so the parasites leave tracks on the body.

Fleas prefer to parasitize animals . If the population is large, they can cause discomfort to people. Insects attack armpit cavities, waist area and lower legs. Their bites are small points that have a chaotic arrangement.

Tick bite marks large and painful, always single . The parasite can be seen visually at the crime scene, it digs into the body.

Bed bugs are domestic insects, but midges bite outdoors during the warm season , causing instant discomfort. They leave numerous punctures on the body, which are arranged randomly. Dried blood is visible in the center of the bites, irritation in the form of redness appears around.

Sometimes dermatologists confuse traces of bedbug attacks with allergies and even chicken pox . In fact, it is not difficult to differentiate the bites of these parasites. They are characterized by a number of features. It is worth catching a bug red-handed and making sure that it is present when the first suspicions appear. It is recommended to carefully inspect the bed, blanket and other accessories for sleeping. You can try to abruptly turn on the lighting at night, if there are bugs in the house, they will definitely show up.

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Favorite places for bed bug bites

Bed bugs prefer to attack exposed areas of the body, but sometimes bed bugs get under clothes. They prefer areas of the body where the skin is tender and sensitive. In such places, it is easiest to leave punctures and get to the blood, respectively, and saturation occurs quickly.

The most vulnerable areas include the face, neck, inner surface of the hands, groin, abdomen. Sometimes bedbugs bite on the legs.

Symptoms after bed bug bites

It was found that 70% of people do not notice the bites of domestic bugs , but specific marks still remain on the body, which cannot be ignored.

And the symptoms are quite characteristic:

• The puncture sites are round in shape and vary in diameter. In the center, a miniature hole made by the proboscis is noticeable.
• As for the color of the bites, they can be either pink or red. Almost always these places are a little swollen.
• Punctures are grouped in paths, insects move along the line of capillaries, leaving a chain of 3-6 or more bites.
• Punctures spaced 2-4 cm apart.
• Lesions present on exposed areas of the body.
• At the moments of the bites themselves, there is discomfort, but insignificant.
• These places itch, itch and become inflamed. The intensity of discomfort is affected by the individual reaction.

Bedbugs bite all year round, both in warm and cold seasons. Fresh bite marks usually appear in the morning after night. During the day, pests hide in their shelters. During daylight hours, bedbugs attack only if they are very hungry.

How dangerous are bed bug bites?

One version says that bedbugs carry infectious diseases, but scientists have not yet found confirmation of this. There is a possibility that parasites transmit pathogenic microorganisms that provoke the development of dangerous diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis. Some believe that the waste products of insects contain Burnet’s rickettsiae. We are talking about intracellular parasite bacteria that provoke an increase in body temperature and have a toxic effect on the body. Sometimes they can cause SARS.

Important! The main danger of bedbug bites is that they deprive people of the opportunity to sleep and rest normally.

Due to regular sleep disturbance, people become irritable and their productivity decreases. Bedbugs that have settled indoors in large numbers make the life of the household unbearable.

Blood-sucking insects can leave 500 bites or more, which is a large part of the body. Due to systemic bedbug bites, some people develop a skin rash – this problem becomes chronic. It is impossible to exclude the development of an allergic reaction with all the negative consequences. The response of parasites to insect bites may include swelling, watery eyes, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. Dangerous consequences include hives and even suffocation. Symptoms of neurosis often appear, some begin to think that parasites are crawling over them – this negatively affects overall well-being.

Multiple bedbug bites can cause angioedema, this is rare, but it does happen. With individual intolerance, anaphylactic shock may develop.

Involuntary scratching of itchy bites is fraught with infection, inflammation of lesions on the skin.

If there are many punctures, and the attacks of bedbugs are regular, signs of anemia may appear – a decrease in the concentration of iron in the blood. This condition is especially dangerous for young children.

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How to protect yourself from bedbugs

In order to prevent the appearance of bedbugs in the house, it is necessary to repair all cracks in the walls. Do-it-yourself pest control is rarely effective. Folk remedies against these pests help little. The most reliable way to protect against bedbugs is to contact a professional pest control service. This should be done at the first suspicion of the presence of parasites in the house. Representatives of the Dezstantsiya service examine a house or apartment, identify pockets of accumulation of parasites, after which the quality and quickly exterminate the entire population.

Sanitization is carried out using specialized equipment using combined insecticides, which are characterized by prolonged action. Pesticides are sprayed by a fog generator. We use only chemical methods for the destruction of bedbugs in the apartment, as they have proven their speed and effectiveness. During such processing, there should be no residents and pets in the apartment.

This technology of spraying insecticides is considered the most effective, it ensures their uniform distribution throughout the site, penetration into places with difficult access.

Professional sanitation breaks the breeding chain, destroys adults and their larvae. An event aimed at combating bedbugs does not harm people and pets. The very next day you can sleep peacefully, because most of the population dies at the first contact with insecticides. The few surviving individuals are in a state of paralysis, their vital activity quickly stops due to intoxication.

Our disinfection and disinfection service is results driven and gives a guarantee for the destruction of bedbugs . This means that if you suspect the reappearance of bedbugs, you can always contact us again free of charge. Keep in mind that perhaps the problem lies not in your apartment, but in the housing of dysfunctional neighbors. Our experts will tell you what to do in this case and achieve forced pest control for them.

For your convenience, we are ready to leave for processing 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

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Who can bite at night? Recognizing an insect by its bite

Bites during the day : In the daytime, bites may occur from fleas. If you have pets, this probability tends to 100% Bites at night : If the bites on the body are at night, then most likely you are bitten by bedbugs or mosquitoes. In bedbugs, the bites are focused in one place and lined up along which the bedbugs walk. It is also important to know that bed bugs may not bite all family members. This may be due to various factors (the presence of outerwear, the thinness of the skin).
Mosquito bites, on the other hand, are more chaotic and scattered throughout the body.

Nocturnal bites of insects, parasites that feed on human blood, are by no means rare. Pests prefer to become active during the dark hours of the day and are quite capable of turning a person’s life into a living nightmare.

Of course, everything depends on the type of attacking parasite and the degree of contamination of the premises. Often, bleeding or itchy blisters are attributed to dermatitis and other skin diseases. It is almost impossible to notice domestic pests during the day – fleas or linen lice, like bedbugs, prefer to sit quietly at this time. But one has only to go to bed and plunge into sweet dreams, as the parasites go hunting. So how to understand: does the bug bite at night, or is the problem in a completely different pest?

Specialists of the Sanepidemstanciya.com service recommend:
If itchy bite marks appear on your body during a night’s sleep, you should pay attention to their appearance, shape, and localization. Remember that left unattended indoor pest infestation is especially dangerous for children, pregnant women, the elderly and allergy sufferers.

Recognizing nocturnal visitors

Hiding in the folds of bed linen or only temporarily visiting the bed at night, the threat may be associated with an attack by one of these pests:

1. Mosquitoes . They are activated at night in the summer, in the presence of a humid environment in the basement, they can be located in the living quarters of the first floor all year round. Bites can be located on any part of the body.
2. Fleas . The bites of these pests are localized in the neck, on the legs, arms, chest.
3. Bed bugs . They leave chains of bites mainly on the back, arms, buttocks. They attack during the deepest sleep – from 3 to 7 in the morning.
4. Linen lice . It is almost impossible to see a pest hiding in the seams of bedding. Bites appear at night, are located in the area of ​​​​localization of blood vessels (groin, armpits).
5. Cockroaches . Contrary to popular belief, they can bite. If access to water and food is blocked in an infected room, insects can attack people. Areas near the nose and lips are affected.

What are mosquitoes afraid of?

Having determined who can bite at night in bed, you can move on to action. If mosquitoes have become the source of painful bites in a house or apartment, you can easily solve the problem using a wide range of tools and methods. The most “long-playing” is the use of ultrasonic electronic repellers. Unlike fumigators, the device can be used throughout the night without affecting human health.

No less popular are simpler and more affordable means. Fumigation devices can be designed for use with plates or liquids evaporating from a container. But it is not recommended to leave such a device plugged into the network for a long time. In addition, at night you will have to refuse airing.

The bug as a threat

If adults or children are bitten by a bug at night, characteristic marks remain on the body, which are difficult to confuse with any other skin lesions. The track of traces mainly on the back, thighs, buttocks causes severe itching and becomes a source of irritation. In addition, in the course of its life, the pest emits a very specific smell, by which the appearance of bedbugs can also be detected over time.

It is important to understand that it is impossible to get rid of an insect without the use of modern means and technologies for disinfestation. Features of the life of bedbugs do not imply the possibility of poisoning them through food or water. Blood-sucking insects easily hide under wallpaper, inside furniture, household appliances, they can live in children’s plush toys, upholstery of upholstered furniture, mattresses. The further the situation goes, the more difficult it will be to completely get rid of pests. And only professionals have drugs and technical means that can radically change the situation.

Linen lice: how to fight?

Who can bite at night in bed if bite marks are localized in the elbows and under the knees, on the neck, under the chest and other most hot spots of the human body? Such traces are left by lice, which differ from their counterparts only in that they live and lay eggs not on the body, but directly in the bed itself. It is worth paying attention to the fact that it is almost impossible to recognize the presence of parasites. During the day they are not active. And in the absence of contact with the source of food – the human body, insects may well live without food for many months.

Do-it-yourself pest control is a serious problem that can cause a lot of trouble. Of course, you can get rid of all bedding, spend time boiling clothes, but without a complete sanitization of housing, it will be impossible to guarantee the absence of risks of re-infection.

Fleas: where do they come from?

When a bug bites at night, the localization of wounds on the body quite clearly indicates their belonging. But what if a small rash is localized in various parts of the body? First of all, you need to make sure that small black fleas, which pet owners are used to seeing, do not jump on the floor. Contrary to popular belief, they rarely attack humans, preferring creatures with a higher body temperature. But if earthen parasites or their other varieties get into the housing, painful bites cannot be avoided.

It is important to understand that flea control has its own specifics. Insects move quickly enough, lead an active nocturnal lifestyle. And to recognize them from a photo, distinguishing them from other species, is possible only under a magnifying glass. Regular cleaning, if the number of pests is already off scale, will not be enough. We’ll have to use much more intense chemicals.

What to do if you are bitten by an insect?

Finding itchy bites on the body requires immediate action. The first thing to remember is sanitization – hydrogen peroxide and other disinfectant solutions will help to avoid infection. To prevent the development of allergic reactions, it is worth taking an antihistamine. If an independent study of housing does not provide intelligible information about which particular insect has become the source of problems, do not hesitate.