Are you waking up with random bites each morning and wondering, “Are these bed bug bites?” Nobody wants to wake up in the morning to random bites on their body. When it is happening on a regular basis, it could be a justified cause for concern. The first thing to figure out is if you are actually suffering from a bed bug infestation or another sort of pest. And this can be a challenge because bed bug bite reactions differ from person to person.
The most obvious indicator for whether what you are seeing is a bed bug bite or from a different bug is if you find a live bug in or around your bed. When you find a bug in your bed, it is important that you can correctly identify it. READ MORE
What do Bed Bugs Look Like?
These are just a few different characteristics of bed bugs and what they look like:
- they are small, brownish red bugs found around your bed or living spaces.
- They are usually flat and shaped like an apple seed.
- Depending on where it is in its life cycle, a bed bug could be anywhere from barely visible to up to a 1/4 centimeter in length.
- They hatch from eggs and go through five different growth stages before they become adult bed bugs.
- They molt and leave their shell behind after each growth phase.
The shells that bed bugs leave behind could also be a good indicator as to if you have bed bugs inside your home. Read our article HERE to learn more about what bed bugs look like and how to correctly identify them.
Also read our article detailing different signs of bed bugs HERE.
What are the Differences Between Different Types of Bites?
When it comes to different types of bugs that could be staying in or around your bed, there are a few key differences in their behavior that could indicate the culprit.
It is important to recognize that not all bugs bite in the same manner. Additionally, different bugs will release different substances into your body that will make you react differently. This can make it easier to distinguish between different sorts of bug bites and identifying what the problem pest is.
We found this great article with pictures showing the difference between a bed bug bite and a flea bite. The quick summary is that bed bugs tend to bite in a linear fashion while flea bites tend to be in the creases of your skin. Also, fleas tend to bite on the lower portion of your body so red bumps higher up could indicate bed bug bites. Read the Article Here
Can You Tell the Difference Between Bites?
We often get asked what a bed bug bite look like and “Do I have bed bug bites?” The short answer is that they look very different for different people.
Some people react very strongly to bed bug bites while other people’s bodies do not react at all.
A Little Personal Story
When we had bed bugs, our daughter complained that she was getting bit at night. For a month we told her that she probably had mosquitos in her room because there was nothing distinctive about the bites that made us think otherwise. When you have never dealt with bed bugs or bed bug bites before, it can be easy to dismiss the initial signs of an infestation.
When we found out we had bed bugs, we thought maybe they were only in her room; however, months later, our son found a couple of bloodstains on his bed and then found a couple of bugs.
This was the first indicator that there could have been bed bugs in his room, as he did not react to any of the bed bug bites.
When we finally eradicated the bed bugs in our house using a heat treatment, we realized that he had had bed bugs in his room for a LONG time based on the number of dead bugs in his room. Read Our Story
Do I have Bed Bugs in Multiple rooms?
What does bed bug bites look like? Two people in the same house reacted very differently to the bed bug bites, and in our experience, this is not uncommon. With this information, if you are living in a house with multiple rooms and you are noticing bed bug bites on yourself, it is important to not rule out the possibility of the bugs being in other rooms in the house. Bed bugs hide very well so just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean you don’t have them!
To help with this, there are trained canines that can identify where bed bugs are in your house to ensure a proper heat treatment in infested areas. READ MORE
Can You Diagnose Bed Bug Bites?
Because we are not health professionals, we always recommend that people consult with a doctor if they are wondering what type of bite they have and to find out whether it is a bed bug bite or not. The most appropriate course of action is to see your doctor to ask them if the bites you have are from bed bugs.
Depending on the nature of the bites and the frequency of their occurrence, it can even be a challenge for medical professionals to determine the cause of random bites.
If I do not Have Bed Bugs, What Else Could It Be?
Do I have bed bug bites? We received a call from a woman, Joyce, who woke up with dozens of bites one morning. She had not seen any bed bugs but was convinced that they were the culprit because the bites appeared overnight. We even lined up a K9 inspection for Joyce as dogs can smell bed bug eggs. Due to the amount of spots the had on her body, Joyce made an appointment with her physician and was diagnosed with shingles! We wished her well and told her we hoped she never gets bed bugs!
Just because bites or marks appear overnight does not mean that you have bed bugs.
There are many different bugs that bite humans, and it can often take sometime before the marks from the bite begin to show. With bed bugs, it can sometimes take a day or two for bite marks to appear on the body. With Joyce, she did not even have any sort of bug bite.
The fear of having bed bugs makes us start to perceive other ailments or infestations as a bed bug problem. This just shows hard difficult it can be to correctly diagnose a bed bug bite. READ MORE
Can I Perform a Heat Treatments for Fleas?
When people are experiencing bug bites that are not from bed bugs, they are often from fleas. When this has happened to potential customers, we have been asked if we will perform a heat treatment for fleas. Our answer is to that question is no.
While the heat would still be lethal to fleas, as they can die in temperatures above 100F, the habits and movements of fleas are much different than that of a bed bug. With this being said, we are not convinced that a heat treatment would completely eradicate fleas. Fleas have a much more mobile lifestyle and move quicker than bed bugs. Bed bugs prefer to stay close to their feeding area and not move much while feeding. This makes them the perfect pest to treat with heat.
These differences between the two bugs make it difficult to parallel treatment styles between the two. It is recommended that you seek other forms of pest control if you are struggling with fleas.
Heat Treatments for Bed Bugs
If you have evaluated all of the facts and consulted the appropriate resources and determine that you are actually facing a bed bug infestation, then we are the best solution for you! Heat treatments kill bed bugs in every stage of their life cycle, even the eggs. We offer heater rentals so you can affordably treat your own home. If rentals are not the route for you, we offer full-service treatments in New England where we do all the work!
If you have any reason to be concerned about bed bugs, just give us a call. We offer a free phone consultation to determine the best treatment plan for you. While we can’t answer the question, “Do I have bed bug bites?” with absolute certainty, we can help you determine if there are other signs of bed bugs in your home. And we want to help you get rid of them, if you do! We are here to help you get rid of bed bugs for good.
If you have any other questions, feel free to check out our FAQ page HERE.