Black Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs

Bedbugs don't always have wings or more than six legs.

Flattened bed bugs have rusty brown coloration (less so in young nymphs). There are four segments on the antennae and eleven segments on the abdomen. There are six short legs and reduced wings, making it impossible to fly.

Bedbugs are often mistaken for these 9 insects:

• Bat bugs
• Spider beetles
• Baby cockroaches (cockroach nymphs)
• Woodlouse
• Kissing bugs
• Drugstore beetles
• Carpet beetles
• Ticks & booklice/barklice
• Fleas, head lice & mites

Bed bugs are extremely difficult to eliminate.

There's a high chance they've penetrated your mattress (and probably your clothes, too).

Immediately replace your mattress (as a precaution) with a safe, high-quality mattress (e.g. the Saatva Classic is by far your most likely chance of securing an amazing mattress with superior airflow).

You should have a waterproof encasement on your mattress. All your clothes should be washed and dried at the hottest temperature, too.

In severe cases, you may need to fumigate your entire bedroom.

Saatva Classic has plenty of airflow, which helps keep bedbugs at bay. Aside from being extremely comfortable, saatva has fantastic policies, too.

Replace your mattress immediately.

If your mattress is infested with bed bugs, invest in a high-quality mattress with incredible airflow like the Saatva Classic.

Saatva Classic is an extremely durable and comfortable mattress that is designed to keep bed bugs away!

Finding and eliminating bed bugs is a notoriously difficult task. The damage bed bugs can cause ranges from itchy bites to psychological distress. Their bites can cause a variety of reactions, from no physical evidence to severe allergic reactions.

Bed bugs are close relatives of bat bugs, but they only eat bat blood.

Most often, they establish colonies in attics, behind walls, and inside chimneys, where bats roost, and rarely move into human living areas. In many ways, they are similar to bed bugs.

Similar to bed bugs, bat bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head.

There is one main difference between these two look-alikes: bat bugs have longer (and more) hairs on their thorax.

Spider beetles feed on wool, wool products, hair, fabrics, food products, and animal droppings.

Their bodies are rounded and shiny, and they range in color from dark reddish brown to black. They have small, globular, and elongated abdomens.

The size and appearance of baby cockroaches are similar to bed bugs, but their shape and antennae are different.

In contrast to bed bugs, they tend to hide in dark enclosed spaces near food and water sources.

You're more likely to find woodlice in the garden than in your house - they live under rocks and stones in cold, dark soil.

The tendency to maintain a dry, warm indoor environment makes it difficult for woodlice to survive indoors since they thrive in moist conditions.

Some woodlice, however, can find refuge indoors under certain conditions - although you're more likely to find them in the house by accident. There may be an underlying damp problem in your home if they seem to be taking root.

The woodlice are harmless and pose no health threats. Despite their appearance, woodlice do not adversely affect wooden upholstery.

Triatomine bugs (also known as kissing bugs) can be found indoors, in cracks and holes in substandard housing, or outdoors.

In general, triatomine bugs live near an animal they can feed on, called a blood host. Triatomines feed mainly on mammals (including humans), birds, and reptiles at night.

Some people have an allergic reaction to the saliva of triatomines. They can experience severe redness, itching, swelling, welts, hives, or, rarely, anaphylactic shock.

Anaphylactic shock sufferers should consult their physicians for medications to use in case of a bite.

Drugstore beetles infest many items kept in unsecured containers. Spills and crumbs in kitchens and pantries are common targets. Drugstore beetles can go weeks without food.

The term is derived from an insect active in drugstore infestations. Even though they are not nearly as common in drugstores now, they are reported to consume some prescription drugs. It's difficult to prevent them from piercing aluminum foil.

Mostly, drugstore beetles cause contamination of the products they infest. Pest larvae cause the most damage because they live, eat, and excrete waste inside the products they infest.

Adult carpet beetles have large, oval-shaped bodies and small heads, and can measure between 2 and 5 millimeters in length.

They can usually be seen near windowsills or on carpets, they feed on flowers and plants.

In contrast to bed bugs, ticks are arachnids, meaning they have 8 legs, rather than 6. Bed bugs have antennae on their heads, while ticks do not.

Ticks spread diseases such as Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever by transmitting bacteria, parasites, and viruses through their bites.

Booklice have white markings on their abdomens and translucent bodies.

It is important to note that Booklice do not bite or feed on the blood of humans or animals, unlike bed bugs.

They prefer damp and warm places.

Fleas are another bed bug impostor. The narrow bodies, spiny legs, and backward-pointing bristles of fleas allow them to move quickly through hair, fur, and fabrics.

Fleas jump well with their hind legs. They feed on cats, dogs, mice, birds, people, and many other warm-blooded animals.

Pets offer a feast for fleas, and they are the main source of flea infestations. Check carpets, mattresses, or pet beds for flea larvae. They prefer places where they can feed on food, animal waste, and flea feces.

There is a possibility that fleas can carry diseases (such as typhus and plague). Flea saliva can also cause severe allergic reactions in some people and pets.

Head lice are gray in color, and only people get them.

Head lice usually gather behind the ears and at the back of the head. Your lice will keep feeding on your blood if you don't get treated.

Lice can cause severe itchiness, lack of sleep, and secondary skin infections.

Animals are home to thousands of mite species. Despite their tiny size, mites are often visible to the naked eye. Their size is 2 mm (or less), they have 8 legs, and they lack segmentation.

While some mites feed on decaying organic matter, others feed on insects and other mites. Most mite species live in animals' ear canals, lungs, intestines, and bladders.

Some mites transmit rickettsial diseases, including typhus fever, as well as several viral diseases. Itchy, contagious scabies is caused by tiny mites burrowing into the skin.