Before you panic and think you have a
bed bug infestation, you need to consider the following: there are other bugs that look like bed bugs. One of these bugs is bat bugs.
It’s important to remember that professional pest removal services can prevent or control any type of bug infestation, especially bed bugs. However, you can work to determine the source of your infestation by familiarizing yourself with bugs that resemble bed bugs.
You can also take measures to understand what bed bugs look like, so you’re prepared if you spot them.
What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?
Although a
bed bug bite can affect everybody differently, there are similarities these bites share. For starters, bed bug bites cause raised bumps. These bumps might be in a random pattern, a zigzag, or in a line.
The bump might appear to be a type of acne or blemish, with a dark red center and a lighter skin tone surrounding it. The round bump might even present as a blister with clear fluid.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Adult bed bugs are easy to see. They’re wingless, reddish-brown, and the size of an apple seed. Immature bed bugs are whitish-yellow and translucent.
Adult bedbugs (before eating) and 3/16 of an inch long, oval, and flat. When they consume blood, they get swollen like a tick.
When nymphs (the youngest life stage for a bed bug) hatch, they’re almost impossible to see unless they move about or have recently fed. When they eat, they turn bright red.
Bed bug eggs are the size of a pin head and are pearl white and very difficult to spot. Trained professionals can detect these insects and work to remove them from your home.
If you see anything that resembles this, contact a professional pest control service.
What Bugs Look Like Bed Bugs?
There are several bugs that resemble bed bugs. Here are several to be on the lookout for:
- Bat Bugs
- Booklice
- Sow Bugs/Pill Bugs
- Ticks
- Spider Beetles
- Carpet Beetles
- Baby Cockroaches
- Fleas
Here are some characteristics of the most common bugs that look like bed bugs.
Baby Cockroaches
Baby cockroaches can be the same size and color as bed bugs. They’re wingless and have flat bodies. They’re also reddish-brown in color.
Baby cockroaches have narrow bodies that are often shaped like pills. Bed bugs are oval-shaped.
Baby cockroaches also have very long antennae that are usually longer than their bodies, whereas bed bugs have short antennae. If you think you have a
cockroach infestation, it’s just as important to have a pest control company evaluate it at once.
Carpet Beetles
Carpet beetles also have oval-shaped, large bodies. They’re about 2-5 mm long.
Furniture carpet beetles and varied carpet beetles both have a mottled pattern. This pattern is yellow, brown, and white in color, making it easier to tell them apart from bed bugs.
Black carpet beetles closer resemble bed bugs. They’re oval in shape and have a solid brown color. The difference is that bed bugs are flatter, and black carpet beetles are rounder.
Bat Bugs
Bat bugs are closely related to bed bugs. However, they don’t feed off people like bed bugs do. They feed on bat blood. This means if you see bat bugs, you may have a
bat infestation that requires immediate attention.
Bat bugs aren’t dangerous and don’t spread disease. But they do live near bat colonies, which can present their own issues. Bat bugs look identical to bed bugs and have flat, small, oval bodies.
They also have 2 antennae and 6 legs. You can tell them apart because both bat and bed bugs have fuzzy, short hairs that are all over their bodies.
These hairs are called setae. Bat bugs have denser, longer setae as opposed to bed bugs. You’ll most noticeably see their setae around the bat bug’s abdomen.
Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs
There are several bugs that look like bed bugs and, although some are more dangerous than others, all should be thoroughly investigated by a professional pest control company. When left for too long, a small colony of bugs can quickly become a large infestation.
No matter what type of pest infestation you have, Serene Property Services can help. We offer pest control services all throughout Sussex County, NJ, including Sparta, NJ, and the surrounding area of Warwick, NY.
Call us today to schedule an appointment.
