You may begin to ask questions when you discover that your home is infested by a kind of insect that you cannot simply identify. The questions may be accompanied by worries if you suspect that your home is infested by bed bugs. This may be primarily due to the fact that bed bugs bite, their bite may be accompanied by unpleasant symptoms and sometimes, allergic reactions, and they may be difficult to exterminate, does rubbing alcohol kill bed bugs? 

Bed bugs are small species of insect in the genus Cimex. They can be found in areas of an active infestation. If you have heard your neighbors complain about bed bug infestation in the area, then you are probably dealing with a bed bug situation. This section will help you to easily identify a bed bug when you spot one.

Harris Black Label® Bed Bug Killer is a unique, fast-acting, odorless, and non-staining formula that works by penetrating the insect’s outer shell and dehydrating them. Harris Black Label Bed Bug Killer is specifically designed to kill bed bugs and their eggs on contact. This product has been proven effective against pyrethroid-resistant bed bugs.

Harris Black Label Bed Bug Killer Liquid Spray is an EPA-registered product that kills resistant bed bugs and their eggs quickly.
The long residual prevents new bed bugs from infesting for up to 16 weeks, while the odorless and non-staining formula will not cause damage to fabrics.
Not when you have Harris Black Label Bed Bug Killer.
This EPA-registered product kills resistant bed bugs and eggs quickly, with a residual effect that lasts for up to 16 weeks.

Rest Easy – Environmentally Friendly Bed Bug Spray – Twin Travel Pack, Net 4Fl. Oz

Rest Easy’s Environmentally Friendly Travel Bed Bug Spray is the perfect way to keep your bed bug-free while on the road. This all-natural, non-pesticide spray is safe around children and pets and features a pleasant cinnamon fragrance.

Rest Easy’s Travel Bed Bug Spray is a convenient, easy-to-use twin pack that will help keep your bed bug-free while you’re on the road.
This all natural, non-pesticide product is safe for children and pets and has a pleasant cinnamon fragrance.

Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol, 1 Can

Bedlam Plus is a new generation of non-toxic, highly effective bed bug spray. It uses the Bedlam active ingredient in a water-based formula that won’t stain or leave any residue on surfaces. Bedlam Plus can be used as part of an integrated pest management program to help prevent infestations, reduce bed bug populations and control bed bug activity.

Looking to get rid of bed bugs for good?
Look no further than Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol.
This powerful product can kill bed bugs and their eggs, and has a two-week residual on wood, ceramic surfaces, and carpet.
Use Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol in any non-food area of your home for unbeatable results.
Keep bed bugs at bay with Bedlam Plus Bed Bug Aerosol.
This potent formula kills bed bugs and their eggs, and leaves a residual protection for up to two weeks.

Bugs Mistaken For Bed Bugs

If you want to prevent the spread of bed bugs, it is important to properly identify them. Bed bugs look like other insects with a red-brown or pale-brown appearance and an apple seed size. But they have specific differences that you can find when looking closer. You should be able to spot them by checking for bed bugs and finding a bed bug is the first step in knowing if you are experiencing an infestation. Bed bugs are a type of bug that can spread.

Pests Commonly Mistaken for Bed Bugs

To prevent their spread, you need to know what they look like. They are small and have an apple seed-sized body. Bed bugs usually look red-brown or pale-brown, but other types of bugs can also look like bed bugs. If you think there might be bedbugs in your home, check for them with the magnifying glass and see if there is anything else that looks like a bed bug in your house (even if it’s not really one).

1. Flea

Fleas are species of insect that belong to the class Insecta and order Siphonaptera. They are parasites, and just like bed bugs, they feed exclusively on the blood of their host which include warm-blooded vertebrates, but they are mostly found on pets like cats and dogs. While fleas prefer to stick with their host, they can be found in other areas of the house in the case of severe infestation.

Furthermore, just like bed bugs, they cannot fly but they have long hind legs that are adapted for jumping. It is reported that a flea is able to jump a distance that is up to 50 times its size. Their bodies are flattened sideways and can be easily spotted if you look closely. This is notwithstanding the fact that fleas are small as an adult measures up to 3 mm long.

Their mouthparts are for tearing into the skin of their host for easy feeding. Just like bed bugs, fleas are reddish brown in color. They are also vertically flat and oval shaped which is unlike the shape of a bed bug that is horizontal. The bite of a flea appears similar to that of a bed bug, just a little bit bigger. It may also be accompanied by swelling, redness, and itching.

However, unlike bed bugs, fleas are vectors and may transfer disease from one host to another. Transmittable diseases include but are not limited to viral, bacterial, and rickettsial diseases such as murine typhus, Rickettsia typhi, bubonic plague, Bartonella henselae, myxomatosis virus, Rickettsia felis, Hymenolepiasis tapeworms, and Trypanosome protozoans.

2. Swallow Bugs

Swallow Bugs are species of bug in the class Insecta and family Cimicidae. Just like the bed bugs, this type of bugs feed on blood, but they prefer to feed on that of a swallow. Although swallow bugs are choosy, they may make do with human blood in the absence of their bird host. They can be found in homes, nesting, and feeding just like bed bugs.

Cimicids look just like bed bugs as they are small, flat and oval-shaped in appearance but their exoskeleton is covered with long hair compared to that of the latter. They are flightless, but they possess a non-functional wing pad. Their bite appears just like that of a bed bug and may be accompanied by swelling, itching, redness, fever, and allergic reactions. This is the reason why swallow bugs are easily confused with bed bugs.

Although, viruses and many other pathogens can be transmitted from a host to cimicids, swallow bugs rarely transmit them to other hosts. interestingly, the insects are not killed by the viruses transmitted to them. The viruses hepatitis B, Trypanosoma cruzi, and HIV may be transferred to some birds but there is no recorded evidence of viral replication in both cimicids and their host. The virus may persist in swallow bugs for about two weeks. They rarely pass diseases to human hosts.

3. Spider Beetles

Spider beetles belong to the class Insecta and family Ptinidae. Their name “spider beetles” is due to their appearance, which is similar to that of a spider. They look more like fleas than bed bug in terms of their size and shape. An adult spider beetle may measure up to 5 mm long. This makes them easy to spot with the naked eyes and feel between two fingers.

Spider beetles are usually reddish brown to light brown in color. They have two round body segments that are round, as well as long and slender legs. Many species of spider beetles are flightless, and they have two long antennae that may seem like another pair of legs. Unlike bed bugs and fleas, spider beetles do not feed on blood, but on grains, seeds, and dropping.

Their activities are usually intense at night, and so this may be the best time to confirm spider beetles infestation in your home. Many store-bought insecticides may effectively get rid of beetles.

Related Articles

• what can i put on my body to prevent bed bug bites
• do spiders eat bed bugs
• bed bug bite disinfecting sheets and bedding
• how to get rid of ground moles with dawn soap
• bed bug repellent for skin

4. Black Carpet Beetles

Black carpet beetles are bugs in the class Insecta and family Dermestidae. They have round bodies and look very much like well-fed bed bugs. Just like bed bugs, an adult black carpet beetle may grow up to 5 mm long, but the larval form measures about 7 mm. They are reddish brown in color too, but their body is covered in bristles. Some species are patterned with white, black, and yellow.

One way to differentiate a black carpet beetle from a bed bug is that the latter have wings and it can fly. Adult black carpet beetles feed on nectar, pollen, and skin shed of bed bugs which may make you even more confused when you find them in bed bug nest. The larval form black carpet beetles prefer to feed on natural fibers, carpets, clothing, and furniture. The insects may be extremely destructive in the home.

Black carpet beetles do not bite vertebrates to feed on their blood, but rashes or an allergic reaction may result from exposure to their fur.

5. Ticks

A tick is another insect that can be easily confused with a bed bug because of its physical features. Ticks belong to the class Arachnida and order Ixodida. They are really small, but they can be spotted without magnification tools if you look really closely. Although they mostly appear in a light brown shade, ticks may vary in color.

They are ectoparasite thatsurvives by feeding on the blood of their host that may include but not limited to bird, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Although they also feed on humans, they prefer animal hosts. Before feeding on the blood of their host, ticks may appear flat like bed bugs with a similar body shape. But after feeding, they will appear engorged with blood.

Unlike bed bugs that have six legs, ticks have eight legs. They also have a hard shield on their dorsal surface, a structure that looks like beak housing their mouthparts for hard ticks and mouthpart beneath the body for soft ticks. Both families of ticks are able to identify their host by its smell.

Ticks are known vectors, and they may transmit diseases from one host to another. diseases transmittable by ticks are infections that are caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and protozoa such as rickettsialpox, typhus, Boutonneuse fever, Lyme disease, African tick bite fever, Flinders Island spotted fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Queensland tick typhus, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Colorado tick fever, Q fever, tularemia, relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Bourbon virus, bovine anaplasmosis, tick-borne meningoencephalitis, and Heartland virus.

6. Cockroach Nymph

Cockroaches belong to the class Insecta and order Blattodea. Cockroach nymphs are small and white in color after they hatch but they quickly turn to reddish-brown sheds. This is the reason why cockroaches(nymphs) are easily confused with bed bugs. However, cockroach nymphs, unlike bed bugs do not feed on blood, but they can trigger allergic reactions and asthma attack.

Furthermore, cockroach nymphs are cylinder-shaped and a little bit longer than bed bugs. They hide in crevices and cracks just like bed bugs do for easy access to warmth and food. Cockroach nymphs are more active at night, and they may be more of a nuisance than a pest. You may use store-bought insecticides to get rid of cockroaches.

7. Booklice

Booklice belong to the class Insecta and order Psocoptera. Due to their appearance, they may be easily confused with bed bug nymphs rather than adult bed bugs. They are small and adults may range from 1 to 10 mm long. They also differ in terms of color ranging from brown to gray. They are considered as a pest of stored products.

The insects do not bite vertebrate for their blood. Booklice feed on lichen and algae, pollen, and insect remains. They have three body segments, wings that cannot be easily spotted, but they cannot fly.

8. Bat Bugs

Bat bugs and bed bugs both have brown, oval-shaped bodies that are about the size of an apple seed. They both live in caves or other areas where bats are around. Bat bugs’ only difference from bed bugs is that they have longer hairs on their head. Bed bugs love to bite people in bedrooms, but bat bugs won’t be there because they don’t like being near people. Bat bugs look a lot like bed bugs.

They are brown and have hair on their head. They are shaped like an apple seed and can’t fly, but they live in caves or near bats.

9. Head Lice

Adult head lice are about 2-3mm long. They spread quickly and if one is seen, it means that there are many more. Adult lice live on the head of a person for up to 30 days, and they need to eat every day. Adult head lice are about 2-3 mm long. They infest the head and neck.

Lice move by crawling but they cannot hop or fly. If one is seen, it usually means that others are nearby too. The adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to grayish-white. Females are usually larger than males, and can lay up to 8 eggs per day Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person’s head, and they need food every day for survival.

Without eating meals regularly, the lice will die in 1 or 2 days

10. Mites

Mites are a type of insect that is related to ticks. Mites are small, and most people can’t see them. They bite animals and people. Mite bites don’t hurt as much as bed bugs, but they may cause some irritation or swelling.

Bed bug bites look different from mite bites because bed bugs have wings and they go in lines or shapes like zig-zags while mites just bite all over your body without any clear shape or line. Technically, “Mites” can be many different things. Mostly they are related to ticks but resemble bed bugs in some ways. Mites live on your skin and you don’t notice them until they leave bite marks. The bites are usually not harmful, but sometimes people react badly to them and have some swelling, too.

Bed bug bites have a different shape than mite bites because bed bugs live on the mattress or other places like that instead of on your skin.

11. Termites

Termites are an indoor pest. They can be destructive to your home. Termites have a different food source than bed bugs do, and they feed on dead plants and trees. Termites usually eat wood, but sometimes they eat other things like paper or cardboard too.

You won’t have to tell if it is termite or bed bug because you can see them with the naked eye. Termites are bugs that live inside your house. They eat wood and other dead plants and trees. They don’t usually attack people, but they can make your home dirty and messy. The best way to tell if you have termites is by looking at the wood in your house for a small hole or pile of sawdust on the floor near it.

If you do see a bug, it is most likely not a bed bug because they come out at night when we sleep and feed on our blood while we are sleeping in bed instead of eating dead plants like termites do.

Do Bed Bugs Have Wings?

What are bed bugs? What do bed bugs look like? Bed bugs are small, flat, oval-shaped bodies. Bed Bugs do not have wings. Their wing pads are undeveloped and not suitable for flight. Bed bugs can’t jump so they rely on crawling or climbing to reach a human host.

Why don’t bed bugs fly into houses? Although some people think that pests fly into homes, it is actually because of open doors or windows. Bedbugs cannot fly into a house on their own without help from humans. Bed bugs are insects that have small, flat, oval-shaped bodies. They are wingless and don’t fly into houses. Bed bugs are small insects, and they can’t fly. They come into homes when people bring them in. This can happen in many ways including being on the clothes that someone brings into their home or from a hotel room, shelter, or other places where bed bugs may live. Once inside a house, these insects spread quickly because they use fabric to transport themselves between rooms. Bed bugs cannot fly so they need to live close to where people are. They bite people and wait until they get home from work or school. The bed bugs can travel inside clothing. They go to dorm rooms, homeless shelters, hotels and motels, homes, schools, or on public transportation like taxis and rental cars. If the bed bugs do not have anywhere else to go when they get inside a house then they will stay there because they cannot fly away.

Do Bed Bugs Have Wings? Can They Fly?

Bed bugs do not have wings and cannot fly. Bed bugs are crawling insects with six legs that live around your bed. They drink blood for food and only go outside if you carry them or something like that. Bed bugs are scary, but there is nothing scarier than flying ones! Bed bugs do not have wings and cannot fly. They are crawling insects with six legs. The only way they can fly is if you accidentally carry them onto a plane.

Do Bed Bugs Fly and Have Wings?

Do Bed Bugs Have Wings? Bed bugs are small, flat, oval-shaped bodies. They do not have wings.

In the past, bed bugs have shown up suddenly. Some people think that they fly, but they do not. Bed bugs crawl on six legs and do not have wings. Human activity can be attributed to their sudden appearance. They attach themselves to luggage or clothes and ride with people from one place to another. Bed bugs, when they show up, can seem to come out of nowhere. Some people have asked if bed bugs fly. No, bed bugs cannot fly. Bed Bugs crawl on six legs and do not have wings. But any rapid transportation that can carry them around is because of humans. They attach themselves to luggage or clothes and ride with humans.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bugs are small and flat. They do not have wings. Adults have wing pads, but they are not fully grown yet. Bed bugs can be brown in color or reddish after feeding. Nymphs may be hard to see because they are small and move slowly, but adults are easy to see with the naked eye and may also be found in hiding places like cracks or crevices. Bed bugs are small and have oval bodies. They do not have wings, but they do have wing pads. Adults are brown in color, but their color changes after feeding. Bed bugs move slowly and measure about 4-5 mm long. It can be hard to see them with the naked eye, so look carefully for cracks and crevices where they might be hiding!

However, it is important to note that bed bug infestation is not caused by poor environmental hygiene. Bedbugs either move on their own or are transported from one place to another. They prefer to stay in high-density areas. Bed bugs are insects that feed exclusively on the blood of their host (mostly humans) but the good thing is that they can survive for a whole year without feeding. What’s the difference between dust mite bites vs bed bug bites?

Other Bugs Are Mistaken For Bed Bugs

Bed bugs get around by jumping on people. They can hide in clothes, bags, or somewhere on your body. They are getting more common because they can hitch a ride with you and then come back to where you live. Bed bugs are a type of bug that can come in contact with humans. They are called “hitchhiking” bugs because they travel on people and their belongings.

These bugs are attracted to places where people sleep, so you will most likely find them in bedrooms or other rooms where many people stay for a long time. However, these pests can travel around another way – if they hitch themselves onto your clothes, bag, or something else you’re carrying when you travel. Bedbugs have been making a comeback lately, so it’s important to be careful and not let them hitchhike into your home! Bed bugs live in your bed, on your furniture, and anywhere else you find them. They can be found in suitcases, backpacks, clothing and even on your body.

Bed bugs rely upon humans to help them get to new areas where they are free to set up new infestations. They also spread by going between the walls of buildings and along wires that are not treated with insecticides. Scientists have done experiments where they paint the backs of bed bugs before releasing them into an apartment building so that they can see how they spread inside a building without being killed by insecticide treatments. Bed bugs like to live on your clothes, backpacks, suitcases, briefcases and jackets. But they also can travel around the world.

They are small and thin so they can get into a new place by going through a wall or even along wires from one room to another in your apartment building. Scientists have done experiments where they painted the backs of bed bugs with paint and then released them in different rooms. They watched them over a few months until they found out how many people were living there because of bed bugs. Bed bugs are still around. It turns out that bed bugs can also move to other apartments.

They can live on used furniture and clothes too. This is not a new problem for humans. We faced this problem from the time we first walked upright and left our caves. But as we started to travel around the world, so did bed bugs! We made them worse by inventing modern beds where they could thrive! Bed bugs can end up in your home.

It turns out that even if you are not close to anyone with bed bugs, they can be carried into your home. If someone has used clothing or furniture from a person with bed bugs, it can carry them into your property. As humans developed and traveled around the world, so too did the bed bug. They like to live near humans because we are their food source! And for any unlucky people who have found themselves dealing with bed bugs, there is no need to worry as this has been happening since people were first standing on two feet and walking out of caves!

How To Identify True Bed Bugs From Potential Imposters?

Bed bugs go through five stages. They look different at each stage. The first stage is 1.5 mm, the second 2 mm, the third 2.5 mm, and so on until they become adults which are about as big as a rice grain or apple seed. You may think you have bed bugs when you don’t. Five stages of a bed bug’s life are similar to the different sizes of a person.

They are in this order: First stage nymph (1.5 mm) Second stage nymph (2 mm) Third stage nymph (2.5 mm) Fourth stage nymph (3.5 mm) Fifth Stage Nymph (4.5 mm). Then the adult is about as big as an apple seed and has a shape like that of an apple seed too! Bed bugs are tiny, brownish bugs that like the dark. They can’t fly or jump. If they get bigger, it means they have had blood lately.

Bed bugs don’t like the light either and only come out at night. To find bed bugs, you can: Strip your bedding Set up traps Catch any signs of bed bug activity Bed bugs are small and round, not big and square. They’re brown with a darker center. When they get blood, they get bigger.

Bed bugs do not have wings and can’t fly or jump. They have six legs and a short antenna. They usually don’t show up during the day because that’s when people are awake to see them if they’re there. You can tell for sure if you have bed bugs by seeing their signs: Setting bed bug traps, stripping your bedding, checking for bites on your skin or blood stains on your sheets, etcetera.

Bed Bug Hiding Places

Bed bugs like to hide where they feed. They usually hide near you, the person they will bite. When there are many bed bugs, they can spread and also hide in other places. They can be on furniture or clothes.

Or in a chair or near windows. Bed bugs hide in places close to the person they bite. They like to hide in places like under your mattress and bed springs, which are close to the person who sleeps there. When the infestation gets worse, bed bugs can move away from these hiding places and start hiding in other rooms too. Bed bugs can be found on things like: Bedsprings, seams of mattresses, hems of sheets Headboards, furniture and drawers Clothes, backpacks and suitcases Chairs, sofa cushions and covers (blankets) Carpets curtains (curtains) windows or doors

Do Bed Bugs Walk Up Walls?

Bed bugs usually only walk on the floor but they can also climb up walls if they need to. They will climb up the wall and go to the ceiling to avoid chemicals or repellents that you may have put along the baseboard. But, bed bugs do not have sticky pads on their feet like other insects do. Their feet have tarsal claws, and sometimes when climbing a slippery surface, they fall off of it. Bed bugs can walk on walls.

They don’t really like to do this, but they will if they have to. For example, if you put chemicals or repellents along the baseboard of your bed, then bed bugs will climb the walls and go to the ceiling so that they can avoid those chemicals or repellents. But these are bed bugs not navy seals. Bed bug feet don’t have sticky pads like other insects do, so they sometimes fall off from surfaces that seem smooth and/or slick from their perspective.

Appearance of Bedbugs

Still confused about what a bedbug looks like? This brings us to the appearance of a bed bug. Bed bugs are small insects, but they can be seen with the naked eyes since an adult may measure about 3 to 5 mm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide. The color of an adult bed bug may range from copper brown, light brown to reddish brown but a nymph may appear white or translucent. Bed bugs are flat and oval-shaped. They have prominent eyes that can be easily spotted if you look closely and four-segmented antennae.

Furthermore, bedbugs do have wings that are vestigial and look more like pads. Their wings are not easy to spot and they do not support flying. Bed bugs are capable of biting as they have mouthparts that are adapted for cutting through the skin of a host and bloodsucking. They usually bite three times in a row either on the neck, arm or shoulders. Bedbugs rarely bite in the armpit and at the back of the knee.

Although bed bugs are not known vectors, their bite may be accompanied by swelling, redness, itching, fever and other allergic reactions attributable to sensitivity to proteins in the saliva. The manifestation time of symptoms resulting from a bed bug bite may vary from one person to another. Bed bugs are a parasite, but they hardly remain on their host after a successful feeding session. They can be found in crevices of your bed, drawers, wardrobe, in your mattresses, pillows, and the likes. Our guide on creating homemade bed bug trap.

Bed bug identification can help to control bedbug infestations.

It is even more devastating when you have been bitten all over by the strange-looking insect. There is absolutely nothing to worry about if you find yourself in a situation like this. A study conducted by researchers from the University of Kentucky found that about ⅔ of Americans cannot differentiate a bed bug from other similar insects. The easier it is to identify the species of insects that have infested your home, the easier it will be to devise methods to get rid of them. Our guide on creating homemade bed bug repellent for skin.

In addition, it will be easier for you to protect yourself from the negative impact of the infestation. For this reason, we decided to create this post to provide you with a detailed list of bugs that look like bed bugs but are not so as to make it easy for you to tell one from the other. Scroll down for more information, does tea tree oil kill bed bugs?