What Do Bed Bugs Look Like? Well waking up in the morning with red, sore bumps on your body? It’s a sure sign you have a bug problem. Rather than speculate about mutant spiders and their bites, it’s time to think! Red, raised bumps on the body are usually bites, but where from? Mosquitoes? Ants? Or – the worst possible answer – bed bugs?
If you’re worried about an infestation of bed bugs, you need concrete proof. The problem is that most people have no idea what bed bugs look like. A bed bug changes it size during each stage of the development cycle. This makes them harder to spot during the earlier stages. However, if you have seen an insect in your bed, don’t panic. You need to know it’s a bed bug, first!
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs – to the human eye – are not as hard to spot as you think.
- Adult bed bugs look much like a beetle or baby cockroach. The size of an apple seed, it is light to brown in color. Its body is flat when not fed. They don’t have wings and their bodies bulge after eating. Adult bugs are usually found around the headboard and mattress of the bed.
- Nymphs are tiny baby bed bugs and are translucent in color. When they mature, they change to look opaque. Nymphs molt five times before they’re considered adult bed bugs. Their size makes them harder to detect unless they’ve fed, where they’ll be red in color.
- The eggs of the bed bug are the size of a poppy seed and white in color. While you can see them with the naked eye, it can be hard to confirm what they are. The best thing to do is to ask a professional to identify them for you!
Bed bugs are known how to hide very well, and this makes it far harder to spot them. They stay out of sight to avoid being removed, and they’re mostly active at night for this reason!
Signs of an infestation
It’s always best to know what to look for when it comes to worrying about an infestation. Some of the signs include:
- Red or black smears caused by crushed bugs
- Dark spots that look like a dot of a pen mark. This is bed bug excrement.
- Eggs and eggshells
- Nymphs leave cast skins when they molt
Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs – But Aren’t!
Some bug can look like bed bugs, but they’re not. Some of these you should look out for include:
- Book louse. Baby bed bugs and book louse babies look alike, but these don’t feed on humans the same way that bed bugs do!
- Fleas. Often mistaken for bed bugs because these do love to eat human blood, fleas look nothing like them. They jump, and they prefer animals as their host rather than humans. They’ll still bite you, but you’re not the tasty diet they like!
- Bat Bug. The closed bug to a bed bug, bat bugs can only be identified as different under a microscope.
- Carpet Beetles. The adult carpet beetle and their larva are commonly mistaken for bed bugs by an untrained eye. It is best to collect your bugs you are finding and show them to a professional. Never treat areas when you have no idea what type of insect you are dealing with.
If you think that you may have bed bugs in your home, give Seattle’s best pest detection a call now!
