Bed bugs and fleas are two very different insects. But both can make people uncomfortable to live with and can be considered pests. The main difference is their size, life cycle, food preference, and habitat. Bed bugs are flat and oval-shaped, which makes it easy to hide in small spaces or surfaces. And they will hide in woodwork, mattresses, box springs, tufts of carpet, under wallpaper or behind any type of clutter. Fleas on the other hand are small but thin and slender with long legs. They look like large flecks of pepper on your pet’s coat. They prefer to stick close to where your pet sleeps such as pet furniture and beds. Ticks and fleas are bloodsucking parasites and classified as arachnids because they have 8 legs. The two most common species of ticks and fleas to infest dogs are the cat flea and dog tick. But what does a tick look like? How do you tell the difference between a tick and a flea? Do you have bed bugs or fleas? You’re not alone. Both are notorious pests that can invade anyone’s home. Bed bugs and fleas each have their own ways of invading your home, and it can be difficult to tell them apart when they’re not in their peak season. Both are also known for transmitting disease, which only adds to the confusion. If you find yourself wondering how to identify fleas vs bed bugs , this article will cover the main differences between the two pests.

How To Know If You Have Bed Bugs Or Fleas

Introduction

As if the idea of bugs crawling on your bed isn’t unpleasant enough, bed bugs and fleas can also cause health problems. Not only do they bite you and leave painful, itchy welts, but they can also carry diseases like Lyme disease and plague. So how do you know if you have bed bugs or fleas? Keep reading to find out!

Biting

Bed bugs are a serious problem that affects millions of Americans every year. While it’s best to avoid getting them in the first place, if you already have them, there are several ways to tell whether or not they’re biting you (and how bad their bites are).

Bed bugs feed on blood, so they’ll bite you several times in a row—usually at night when they’re active. The first bite is usually the most painful and may cause swelling or itching at first. When bed bugs feed on humans, they leave red marks or welts as evidence on your skin. These marks can also be accompanied by irritation and itching due to allergic reaction to their saliva (which contains anesthetic properties). In addition, since bedbugs prefer exposed skin such as arms and legs when feeding on humans, it can help identify whether or not you have bedbugs by noticing where else those bites might occur!

Exoskeletons

Bed bug exoskeletons are the most reliable way to identify bed bugs. They are white or brown in color and should be found in the bed or near it, as they shed from their hosts when molting. There are some other insects with similar characteristics to those of a bed bug’s exoskeleton, but these can be distinguished by examining their bodies for an ovipositor (sting for female mosquitoes) or wings (mosquitoes).

Bed bug bites often start as small red bumps that swell into welts over a few days. If you notice this type of reaction on your skin after sleeping in a hotel room, contact your doctor immediately so they can determine if you have been bitten by an insect carrying disease—or if you’ve just encountered one of those nasty little critters called “bed bugs.”

Location

When you start looking for your potential problem, it’s important to know where to look. Bed bugs tend to hide in the bed, whereas fleas will be found in and around the pet—though they can bite humans as well.

Size

• Bed bugs are tiny, so you may have a hard time seeing them. They’re about 4-5mm long and look like little brown-and-black dots (they can also be yellowish or red).
• Fleas are larger than bed bugs, but you’ll still be able to see them with the naked eye. You may see them on your pets, or even crawling on your clothing after coming into contact with an infested animal or its bedding. The size of fleas varies slightly from species to species—the cat flea is smaller than the dog flea or human flea; it’s about 2mm long by 1mm wide at its widest point.

Skin Discoloration

The bed bugs or fleas that you have been suffering from may have left you with a skin discoloration. The pests can cause small, reddish bumps to form on your legs, arms, face and neck. These bumps can be very itchy and will not go away until the pest has been treated. If you notice that these bumps are present in an area of your body where they did not exist earlier, this could be a sign that something is wrong with your skin.

You should also check for hives or rashes on the surface of your skin if you are experiencing any other symptoms associated with bed bugs or fleas. Hives are red welts that appear suddenly on the surface of your skin; they tend to itch as well as burn when touched by other people (or even yourself). A rash is similar but usually occurs in areas where there was no previous irritation or itching sensation present before its appearance; however some rashes can arise from prolonged exposure to irritants such as strong chemicals or pet dander because their chemical composition makes them more sensitive than normal human epidermis tissue would be under similar circumstances when exposed directly through touch alone without any protective clothing covering them during contact between two different individuals’ bodies during social interaction situations such as eating meals together at restaurants while waiting tables together at lunchtime every day after work hours when everyone else gets off work early so they don’t have enough time between 3pm – 7pm anymore unless someone comes back early then goes home again after dinner service starts later than 6pm so they don’t need anyone else working until noon tomorrow morning when everybody else comes back tomorrow night instead! So watch out those who might think about leaving early today because we’re closing early tonight due to ‘routine maintenance’ repairs needed over at one location only two miles away but actually located closer than expected; thus saving us lots money now thanks again!”

To figure out if you have bed bugs, look for bites, exoskeletons, the size and location of the bug.

If you think you have bed bugs, look for the following:

• Bites on your skin. In addition to being itchy and irritating, these bites are usually in a straight line or in a row.
• Exoskeletons of dead bugs (also known as shed skins). These may be found near the mattress or box spring, where they’ve fallen off of hiding places such as headboards and bed frames. If you don’t see any exoskeletons but still have itching coming from somewhere in your home, call an exterminator to come inspect it anyway—the problem might be fleas instead.
• The size of the actual bug itself—bedbugs are small (about 1/4 inch long) brown insects that move quickly when disturbed but tend not to fly around like some other pests do (such as cockroaches).

Conclusion

In summary, bed bugs and fleas are both very different pests and need to be treated as such. If you find yourself with a new pesky house guest, it’s important for you to know the difference between these two pests so that you can correctly identify them and get rid of them before they become a problem.