What is the difference between flea and bed bug bites

Bites that look like raised, flat red bumps, usually in rows of three. Should those bites, which are usually located on the shoulders, arms, legs, back and face, start to swell or become blister-like in appearance, you should consult your doctor immediately, since these could be signs of infection. Flea bites, as we said, are generally located on the lower parts of the body: the ankles and lower legs, as well as in the folds of skin behind the knee or in the bend of the elbow.

Flea bites tend to:. Possess a red halo at the center of the bite. Arrange themselves haphazardly, largely because these pests jump from feeding spot to feeding spot. Instances of flea-borne diseases are fortunately pretty rare in the US, although a flea bite can technically spread a number of dangerous diseases, such as murine typhus, Tularemia, and Bubonic plague!

While fleas generally make their way into your home via your pets dog or cat , it makes no difference to these parasites- bed bugs are the hitchhikers par excellence of the bug world. These signs include:. Bed bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets. Rusty—colored blood spots due to their blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress furniture. If you thought that tracking down bed bugs was hard, try chasing down fleas.

Being parasites, fleas depend on warm-blooded animals for sustenance i. Look for them, and their eggs, in soft furnishings such as carpets, pet bedding, clothes and upholstered furniture. Here we are going to talk about 3 ways to tell the difference between bed bugs and fleas. Bed bug bites are known to appear as clusters of reddish-brown welts around the area of the bite. On average, bed bugs bites start to itch within 2 — 3 hours after being bitten. Bed bugs will usually target the upper torso, while fleas target the lower extremities like the legs.

Because bed bugs, as the name suggests, often make their nests in or around bedding material like sheets and mattresses. Since they often nest toward the head of the bed, bed bugs will gravitate toward the upper torso and the arms when they feed. Though a bed bug mattress protector could fix that. Your legs are typically within leaping distance for fleas. We sometimes get bitten because migratory fleas will wind up jumping from the backs of our furry friends and onto our lower limbs.

Size and color are important factors in determining any kind of insect bite. And while the differences may seem minor at first glance, there are several clues to help distinguish a flea bite from a bed bug bite. Flea bites are smaller and usually appear bright red in color. These bites are so closely grouped together that they might even form patterns across your skin. As mentioned earlier, bed bugs are nocturnal creatures.

During the day, they gather together in secluded hiding places. Aside from the coloration, there are a few shared traits between flea bites and bed bug bites. These often relate to the symptoms that accompany each bite. During a feeding session, bed bugs and fleas inject saliva into the bloodstream.

Their saliva contains anticoagulants to keep the blood from clotting, and antihistamines to prevent any immediate itching. This allows them to drink human blood without incident. Unfortunately, bites from both creatures can be potentially dangerous. This is because both bed bug bites and flea bites have a chance of severe infection.

This usually occurs from excessive scratching that creates an open wound on the skin. Bed bugs prefer humans and rarely bite animals if people are nearby.

On the other hand, fleas would rather feed on cats or dogs, but may settle for humans when necessary. Keep in mind that simply finding bites on people or animals is not a sufficient way to identify bed bugs vs. Since everyone reacts differently to the pests, not all bed bug or flea bites look the same. Method of travel is another noticeable difference between bed bugs and fleas. Bed bugs crawl slowly and cannot fly or jump. In contrast, fleas have strong legs and move by leaping long distances.

Because fleas and bed bugs live on or near their hosts or in homes, getting rid of either pest presents some challenges. Cleaning mattresses and bathing pets may reduce populations but will not stop an infestation. Contact the specialists at Orkin for help with identification and removal. To my knowledge, bed bugs don't just disappear, which is what makes me think that they may be bat bugs or bird bugs. I have a suspicion that I brought home bed bugs from a hotel I was in for work a week ago.

Do I need to have someone come and fumigate? My fiance and I were getting bitten on our legs a few months ago. Eventually it stopped, but I started getting bitten again a few nights ago. What types of chemicals does your company use to help control bed bugs?