exact identification of bed bugs is indispensable if you want to block up their spread . Because of their little size and interchangeable flavour , bed bugs are frequently confused with a variety of other louse species . Their body are around the size of an apple seed , and they are usually cherry - brown in appearance with no obvious body sectionalization .
Even though some insects resemble bed bug , a close flavour bring out some distinct differences . Below is a list of 15 differentbug speciesthat are sometimes unconnected for bed bugs .
These coinage can be distinguished from one another by their distinctive characteristics . Effective pest controller and bar techniques can benefit from an savvy of these differentiation .
Different Types of Bugs that Look like Bed Bugs
Swallow Bugs
Swallow bugs ( Oeciacus vicarius ) , often mistake for bed bugs ( Cimex lectularius ) , have distinct differences . They are minor , with adult swallow bugs measuring 3–4 mm compared to bed bugs . Swallow bugs have long , pale hair covering their body , and the 3rd and 4th feeler segment are adequate in distance . They primarily live withbird speciessuch as swallows , pigeons , swifts , and chickens , only developing and reproducing on swallows . Swallow bugs may enter homes in late summer or early descent when get down migrate . The first step in plow a swallow bug plague is to take bird nests from the place .
Pirate Bugs
Pirate bugs ( nymph ) , often mistaken for seam bugs , belong to the anthocoroid kin within the superfamily Cimicoidea , which includes seam germ , bat microbe , and other similar insects . Pirate hemipterous insect are good predators , run soupcon , thrip , aphids , and whitefly , unlike seam bugs , which are parasitic blood feeder . Pirate germ nymphs are much small than layer bug nymphs , measuring 0.2 – 0.48 mm equate to 1.5 – 2 mm . They are translucent and weak amber in color . While bed bugs can live up to a year , pirate bugs have a little life-time of about 35 daytime .
German Cockroach Nymph
German roach nymphsare commonly mistaken for bed bug due to their alike size and appearance . These nymphs are about 1/2 in long ( 3–14 mm ) and light brown . Unlike grownup German cockroaches , houri have two prongs on their backend . They have a hard shell , unlike bottom bugs , which miss this characteristic . roach nymphs molt up to six times before becoming adults . While bed bugs entirely feed on ancestry , cockroach nymph are scavengers , consume a variety of organic matter . identify the two prongs on the backend can aid make out cockroach nymphs from bed bugs .
Tropical bed bug
Cimex hemipterus ( tropic bottom bug ) and Cimex lectularius ( common layer bug ) both belong to to the genus Cimex , but there are differences in geographic distribution and some morphological characteristics . C. lectularius is widely distributed worldwide , while C. hemipterus primarily appear in tropical regions . Both species infest areas near humans , such as bed frames , mattresses , and article of furniture . The treatment for both species is quite similar , but C. hemipterus is becoming more repellent to pesticide .
Bat Bugs
Bat bugs ( Cimex adjunctus ) are often misidentify for bottom bugs ( Cimex lectularius ) due to their similar visual aspect . While squash racket bugs mainly live with bats and provender on their blood , they may enter homes if bat impart their roosts , seeking blood from humans and other tender - blooded animals . Unlike bed bugs , bat bugs typically set about to refund to bat roosts rather than stay near humans . Notably , squash racket bug have longer setae ( hairs ) on the edge of the pronotum compared to the diam of their eye . These hair’s-breadth , along with somewhat wider back legs , help distinguish them from seam bugs .
Booklice
book louse ( psocid ) are small worm , often err forbed bugnymphs due to their similar sizing and colour under sealed lighting conditions . Booklice measure about 1 mm , while level 1 layer bug nymphs are slightly larger at 1.5 mm , quickly grow to 2 mm . Booklice feed on mold , paper , and leger , thriving in moist environs . Reducing humidness and clean mold can help control booklice infestations . Unlike layer hemipterous insect , which are parasitical blood feeders , book louse are harmless and do not position health danger .
Flour Beetles
Flour beetles are often mistaken for layer bugs due to their standardised appearance to the untrained eye . These beetles , such as the confused flour mallet and red flour mallet , are about 3–4 millimeter in size and crimson - dark-brown in color . Unlike bottom bug , flour beetles do not infest beds or furniture but boom on wet and grains found in kitchen . If you spottiny bugsthat are n’t bed bug in your base , they may be flour beetles . They feed on flour , meal , grain , and nuts , whereas bed hemipterous insect tip exclusively on blood . houseclean out kitchen reposition field can help manage flour mallet infestations .
Spider Beetles
wanderer beetle are often mistaken for bedbugs due to their round red body , which resemble bottom bug to the untrained eye . Unlike layer microbe , spider beetle do not burn humans and are more of a nuisance pestilence . They are scavengers and will feed on a wide range of a function of food generator , include figs , almonds , Chuck Berry , cereal grass , wheat , paper , and plants . Finding wanderer beetles in your menage indicates a need to clean house out cupboards and seal food particular properly . They are generally harmless but can be bothersome .
Carpet Beetle
Carpet beetle are often mistaken for bed bugs due to their mien near mattress and box fountain . Unlike bottom bugs , carpet beetles do not feed on ancestry but rather on fabric , stored food products , and carpets . They are common cuss in urban environments and can cause supersensitised reactions in some people due to their larvae ’s hairs . veritable vacuuming around seam frames and mattress help keep rug beetle plague .
Bird Mites
razz mites are parasitic pinch that in the first place fertilise on avian rip , discover them from bed bugs , which feed on human and other mammalian blood . These lilliputian pestis are usually associated with bird nests and can overrun homes if birds abandon their nests . Unlikebed hemipteron , razz speck can not complete their life history hertz on human blood alone and do not typically survive away from shuttle or their nests .
Ticks
Ticks , belong to the order Parasitiformes , are arachnids decided from bottom hemipteran in their feeding habits and disease transmittal electric potential . These blood - sucking epizoon are notorious for transmitting diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever . They latch onto their hosts by cutting the skin and inserting a alimentation tube , remaining attached for hours to days . Unlike bed bug , ticks are vector of various pathogens , micturate them a significant health care in region where they are prevalent .
Fleas
flea are frequently put off with bed bugs because of their prick tendencies and the resulting cutis reactions in humans . However , fleas differ significantly in their behaviour and appearing . Unlike bed bug , which mainly creep and blot out in crevices , fleas own powerful hind leg that allow them to spring telling distances from host to innkeeper or surroundings to host . Their small size , usually between 1.5 mm to 4 mm , and dark coloration financial aid in disguise amidst fur or carpet fibers . Fleas also undergo a complex life wheel involving egg , larva , pupa , and adult stages , want specific scheme for eradication and restraint compare to bed bugs .
Head Lice
Head lice , unlike bed bugs , reside exclusively in human hairsbreadth , laying eggs bonk as nits that hatch within 6–9 mean solar day . After a houri stage lasting about a calendar week , they mature into adults , requiring a male and female for replica . Bed bugs , on the other hand , do not inhabit hair due to their lack of specialised claw for gripping . They feed on blood , turn reddish - browned after a meal , but do not live on host . Head lice are typically 2 - 3 mm in size and see-through before feeding . Unlike bottom hemipteron , head lice have hook on each peg to apprehend and move along strands of whisker .
Body Lice
soundbox lice reside in clothing and move onto the skin to feed . Regularly washing clothes in hot water and drying them in a hot dryer can prevent infestation . Many misidentify body lice for layer bug houri due to interchangeable appearances , but eubstance lice are specific to humanity and do not infest pets . They place testicle in vesture bed near the cutis , control hatchlings have contiguous access to blood . Eggs hatch in 6–9 daytime , with nymphs maturing into adults in about a week .
