It’s easy to assume that bedbugs are responsible for the itchy bite marks you found in your body in the morning. But, before you arrive at any conclusion, you should know that besides bedbugs, your mattress can be a jungle of dust mites and other insects feasting on dead skin and dried remnants of blood, saliva, sweat, and any other bodily fluids you can imagine. Show It means that just because you think you have bedbugs, it doesn’t mean that you do—and it’s a great idea to know what sorts of pests are lurking in your mattress that you might be confusing for bedbugs. So, exactly what’s under your sheets and your bedroom, overall? Read further to find out. Dust Mites Dust mites are pests that are almost visible to the naked eye. They thrive in warm and humid environments and are usually present in mattresses, upholstered furniture, carpets, and curtains. As scavengers, they don’t directly feed on humans as bedbugs do. Instead, they feed on dead skin, pet dander, pollen, and bacteria. While most people aren’t affected by their presence, dust mites and their droppings may accumulate enough to trigger allergies and asthma in some. Fleas Fleas aren’t usually found infesting mattresses. More often than not, these pests may only find their way there if they’re dislodged from your pet, which you allow to sleep in the same bed as you do. However, if you neglect to wash and change your bedding for a while, the fleas can take up residence in your bed and feed off you and your pet. From there, they can spread easily all over your home, particularly on your rugs, cushions, and carpets. German Cockroach Nymphs German cockroach nymphs are often confused with bedbugs because of the few similarities they share. Besides being elusive, the two species both live in harborages and are most active at night. Consequently, what separates them apart is that cockroaches don’t feed on humans and are often found near food and water sources. They are also more cylindrical whereas bedbugs are somewhat shorter and oval. It means that finding cylindrical-shaped insects doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bedbugs you’re dealing with. Carpet Beetles Other species that may also be found in the mattress are carpet beetles. While they’re also mistaken for bedbugs, they have distinct wings that identify them from the latter. They also don’t feed on human blood and instead, survive by feeding on wool, fur, silk, leather, and any other animal-based fabrics. What’s more, while carpet beetles can live in and around your bed, they don’t generally prefer living there as bed bugs do. Bat Bugs Bat bugs are mostly found in places where bats prefer to roost including the attics or chimneys. However, if their hosts take off for a new home, these parasites will eventually move downstairs and can show up in your mattress. While their bites can be itchy and unpleasant, bat bugs are presently not known to transmit diseases to humans. Identifying which pest is infesting your home is essential in devising the most effective treatment to address the infestation. If you are pretty sure that it’s bed bugs lurking in your mattress, you can engage the help of a bed bug control professional in Singapore to conduct an inspection. Pest Off is a one-stop pest management consultant that offers the highest standards in bed bug treatment. Get in touch with us today for pest-related concerns and issues. If you saw the pests from the list below and had to identify which was a bed bug, what would you say? Harder than you think, right? If you’re stumped, you’re not alone. University of Kentucky research found that more than 2/3 of people in the U.S. could not correctly name a bed bug if they saw one isolated from other kinds of insects. That leads us to realize there is still so much that the public doesn’t know about bed bugs. So what do—and don’t—bed bugs look like? Unfortunately, a handful of critters are often mistaken for bed bugs. Here are five bed bug doppelgangers. Flea
Tick
Swallow Bug
Carpet Beetle Adult
Cockroach Nymph
Since it can be easy to mistake bed bugs for other pests, it’s best to have a pest management professional complete an inspection and identify the pest. Correct identification is critical because pests often require different control methods, and when a pest issue is misdiagnosed, the problem may grow and become more severe without proper treatment. ResourcesMore on General Pest ControlWhat are these small bugs on my bed?Bedbugs are small, oval, brownish insects that live on the blood of animals or humans. Adult bedbugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, however, their bodies swell and are a reddish color.
What bugs could be mistaken for bed bugs?Here are 6 examples of similar-looking bugs that are sometimes mistaken for bed bugs:. Bat Bugs.. Spider Beetles.. Baby Cockroaches.. Carpet Beetles.. Ticks.. Booklice.. What kind of mites live in beds?Dust mites are microscopic bugs that feed on your dead skin cells. They live and die inside mattresses, upholstered furniture, bedding material like pillows and comforters, carpets and rugs, curtains, stuffed animals, and more.
What looks like a bed bug but is not?Baby cockroaches, or cockroach nymphs, are confused with bed bugs because of their similar coloring. Before they grow up to be easily identifiable, cockroach nymphs can be mistaken for bedbugs because of their brown hue.
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