r/Bedbugs • • Mar 06 '15

Useful Information Bedbug ID and common misidentifications

601 Upvotes

Bed bug identification resources:

Note: flattened body, rusty brown coloured (less so in younger nymphs, which are more translucent). Thin 4 segmented antennae. 11 segmented abdomen. Short legs (6 of them) and reduced wings incapable of flight.


These are insects or other invertebrates commonly misidentified as bedbugs!

Not bed bugs.

  1. Carpet beetle larvae (Dermestidae) and adult - More Info

  2. Bat bug (Cimex adjunctus pictured) - More Info

  3. Cockroach nymphs - More Info

  4. Tick (nymphs) - More Info

  5. Woodlouse - More Info

  6. Kissing bugs - More Info

  7. Booklice/barklice - More Info

  8. Smooth spider beetle - More Info

  9. Drugstore beetle - More Info

Note: If it has wings or more than 6 legs, it is not a bed bug. Do not mistake antennae for legs, look at the illustrated guide to avoid confusion.


Please comment with any other common mis-IDs and I will add them!


r/Bedbugs • • 4h ago

Pretty sure this is bed bugs

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9 Upvotes

There is maybe 2 bigger sized on boxspring and tiny rice looking things I think are eggs, plus all the tiny ones. Just want confirmation so i can make plans accordingly. Apologies for low quality second pic


r/Bedbugs • • 57m ago

Requesting community support Found a dead bed bug after treatment and I’m… stunned

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• Upvotes

I just moved into a new apartment, and this dropped off of my mirror when I moved it. I’m sure you can imagine my heart dropped right along with it! I’ve had some form of treatment multiple times now, and I’m at the end of my rope. I could use some outside perspective.

I found it dead (have no idea for how long or how to tell) and I can’t tell if I need to sound the full alarm + go decontamination mode again. I caught bed bugs for the first time from my neighbor over 2 years ago. I got a fungicide treatment from my management company (one round and poor application) because they didn’t allow heat treatment. They claimed it would solve the problem. I moved to a new building months later after doing everything I could afford to get rid of them (putting things into the dryer then sealing, diatomaceous earth, plastic tubs sealed with pest strips for 2 months, etc.) yet found one in my new bed another few months later. There wasn’t an established nest anywhere the inspector could find and minimal droppings. I got 3 rounds of fungicide treatment, again unable to do full heat due to my flooring/building. I didn’t see anything for months. No new spots, no bugs, nothing.

Today I flipped a large stand up mirror upside down to move it, and this bastard floated right out. Is it possible it’s been dead and sitting there for a while? The back of this mirror is covered in diatomaceous earth, so I don’t know what killed it or where it came from beforehand. I just bought all new furniture and thought this was FINALLY my fresh start. I’m simply at capacity with this and don’t know what to do.

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read this rant. Despite the lost feeling, I needed to get this out of my head.


r/Bedbugs • • 46m ago

Identification Is this a bed bug?

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r/Bedbugs • • 1h ago

Please help!

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I know that having bed bugs does not make you disgusting, but the thought of having bed bugs has terrified me my entire life. I bought a used car a week ago. No one in my household travels or really goes anywhere other than work. We live with my mom and she works in public transportation, so she very well could’ve brought one home on accident. The next night after purchasing my car, I found a single bed bug in our bed, on top of our sheets. I was absolutely mortified, and of course we have no way of knowing where it came from or how long it’s been here.

I have since removed all fabric from the room, working on washing, drying, and putting everything into sealed bags, but not only is this mine and my husbands things, but also my dad’s things that passed away 2 years ago. We also have a family friend who works for pest control. He gave us a spray so we essentially sprayed the whole house. I’ve sprayed our bed frame, dresser, and nightstand as well. We have also used foggers from the store right after finding the bed bug, but after further research, I know those can just not work. We have treated my car twice as well. We put encasements on the mattress and box spring preventatively. We also put interceptors at the legs of our beds and sticky traps all over the house. None of us have shown signs of bites but I know that doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t have them.

My husband, 1 year old, and I live with my mom and have lived here since my dad passed away. We have never had this issue before in the house, but my mom tends to hoard things a bit and there is a lot of clutter in our house so going through everything has honestly been a nightmare.

I’m a stay at home mom so I’ve basically spent the past week with my 1 year old and going through everything I can. There’s bags of stuff everywhere and I’m so overwhelmed and anxious over this. I’ve tried to inspect every single thing I come across. I haven’t been able to sleep well without feeling like there’s bugs on me. I overall am just not mentally well after finding this bug. I look like a crack head bagging stuff up and throwing it outside until I can wash it, scratching and feeling for bugs when they just aren’t there 😭😭

We used the pest control spray on our couch as well because we all sit on it.

I feel like I’m in my worst nightmare. My husband says we haven’t seen anymore so we don’t have them, but it’s only been a week and just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t here, especially considering the amount of stuff that still needs to be looked at.

I’m attaching pictures of the singular bug I found as well as what I found on the mattress encasement today. We put the encasement on after spraying, so I’m trying to determine if we have more visitors in our bed 😭😭
Are these droppings?


r/Bedbugs • • 20h ago

Disgusting new details emerge from Perth’s bed bug flight

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perthnow.com.au
65 Upvotes

I don’t even want to travel anymore.


r/Bedbugs • • 2h ago

Is this a bed bug fecal smear.

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2 Upvotes

r/Bedbugs • • 31m ago

Identification Are These Bed Bug Fecal Matter?

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• Upvotes

I live in an apartment & our next door neighbors had to completely move out due to a bed bug infestation. They had to get rid of most of their possessions, that's how bad it must have been. Now I'm super paranoid. Pest control came to inspect our unit but he was in & out in 5 minutes. Today, I discovered these little black specs on a small area of a bedroom wall, toward the bottom. This is the shared wall, adjacent to the neighbors. Gulp. Thoughts?


r/Bedbugs • • 42m ago

Bedbug or carpet beetle?

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Found this on my bed and can’t make out what it is.


r/Bedbugs • • 55m ago

Identification Found this squished outside my balcony, just double checking

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Havent found any other bugs inside or outside


r/Bedbugs • • 1h ago

Identification Is this a bedbug?

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r/Bedbugs • • 2h ago

is it a bedbug?

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1 Upvotes

URGENT. is this a bed bug?


r/Bedbugs • • 6h ago

Identification Help identifying bug

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2 Upvotes

Woke up to this crawling on my mattress near my face, need help in identifying if it’s a bed bug or not before i lose my sanity 😭


r/Bedbugs • • 2h ago

I found this on my pillow. It was a brown speck and it smeared tanish brown. Oddly enough it washed out with a dab of water. Does it look like a fecal smear

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1 Upvotes

r/Bedbugs • • 3h ago

Identification Help with identification! 1st day in hotel

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1 Upvotes

r/Bedbugs • • 3h ago

Can someone identify if this is a bed bug?

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0 Upvotes

I live in Florida and it was found on my bed.


r/Bedbugs • • 4h ago

Identification Do I have an infestation?

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1 Upvotes

Saw a small bedbug on my mattress this evening. Observed a few bite marks on my chest too.

Do I have an infestation, and how bad potentially is rhe situation?

(Hostel room mattress, I have no idea how old it is).


r/Bedbugs • • 6h ago

Bedbugs on a Plane

1 Upvotes

Bedbugs were "crawling over our belongings, our clothing, our Qantas blankets, and they were even crawling along the window."

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/bedbugs-found-planes-economy-seats-force-major-airline-cancel-flight


r/Bedbugs • • 7h ago

How reliable is a certified dog and inspection for bedbugs.

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1 Upvotes

r/Bedbugs • • 7h ago

Requesting community support No one can kill my bedbugs

0 Upvotes

Well.

It's me again, mario.

After 2 tiring months of fighting, posting, etc Ive paid and hired(?) (sorry english not first language some words escape me) fumigators. So. They were awful people and negligents. I had to re save every clothes of mine on trash bags and start washing again..... So I called another professional, 40 years working with bed bugs.... And he didnt find ANYTHING on my room. Like, at all. He started suspecting fleas. I was begining to think I was crazy.

BUT I also have a theory that after all Ive done, theyre no longer on my room, but on the hall, sofa or even on my flat mates room. She hasnt done ANYTHING to be cautious or prevent, saying that she didnt have any problems at all. Not bb cover for her matress, no dsily wash, not anything. So, now she confesses that she is starting to also get biten. So 1, im not crazy, we have some bugs. 2, I still think theyre bedbugs because of the bites and timings and persistence. We dont have animals, so fleas would be weird, but im open to anything right now.

What do you think its happening???? Why hasnt no one seen any bb yet? I swear Im going crazy 😭

Im reaaaallly tired. I dont have clothes to wear. I always wear the same outfit outside and its starting to get weird and i go almost nked at home because i just cant keep using the washing machine everyday. Im so so so tired and depressed, even thinking about suing the company for not doing their work right. Im even thinking about moving away, but im too scared to carry them with me.

So please..... Do you have any idea whats going on? This started with a cursed suitcase that came from Greece last year..... God dammit, if I knew they live THAT long i would have thrown the case in the trash 😭


r/Bedbugs • • 14h ago

Saw this on my apartment living room wall.

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3 Upvotes

Notified management immediately. I looked everywhere. Tore my room and mattress apart and found nothing else.

How screwed am I?


r/Bedbugs • • 10h ago

Identification Bedbugs? ...or something else?

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0 Upvotes

Hie,

I have found these tiny plastic like bits on my mattress cover and floor. They don't smear when wet, and I have found nothing remotely looking like a bug. But there are so many and it is disconcerting. What do we think these are?


r/Bedbugs • • 16h ago

Identification Is this a bed bug?

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3 Upvotes

Found on pillow. Nothing happened when I tried to crush it. Looks like a mix of pale/translucent and a darker orange color. Very small.


r/Bedbugs • • 11h ago

Does this look like bb feces

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1 Upvotes

Found these in my hostel bed after a few nights, are these the type of signs that bedbugs leave?


r/Bedbugs • • 23h ago

Requesting community support Bed bugs or bat bugs?

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9 Upvotes

These chuds :(

No idea where they spawned in from and really confused since they’re wandering around mid-day by my windows and getting stuck on their backs. I swept and left for a night and found another on the ground today.

I live in an A-frame loft(started renting about 2 months ago) and have seen 0 upstairs near my bed or any fabric in my bedroom. I’m just a bit confused since I also deep cleaned a second-hand couch I got a month ago and found 0 on there or the lint roller after i cleaned. No stains except the floor in the middle of my apartment and I have no signs of bites.

I’m wondering if they may be bat bugs? There are signs of old bat guano outside my front window where the dead ones were concentrated.

I’m just confused since there are so many of them just on the window sill and center of my apartment floor.

Many insects like ground beetles, acorn weevils, parsons spiders like to wander in from outside and I’m sure have some method of getting in from
the window.

I have an exterminator coming tomorrow but I have reservations about his services.

My roof is too steep for a swallows nest and I haven’t seen a bat in the nook at the top either.