Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSelf-ChecksDifferential DiagnosesFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Bedbug Bites GuideHow to Treat Bedbug Bites: Effective Remedies and Prevention Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Self-Checks
Differential Diagnoses
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Bedbug Bites Guide
© Verywell, 2018
It is difficult to tell bedbug bites from those of mosquitoes, fleas, or other insects. You likely won’t feel bedbugs biting as they inject an anesthetic and anticoagulant when they bite. You may develop bite marks one to 14 days after being bitten. As with mosquitoes, their saliva can provoke an allergic reaction at the site of the bite. Some people have no reaction, others have a mild one, while some can have significant swelling.
A typical reaction the first time you are bitten is a red, itchy bump, and you may see a central blood dot. When you have repeated bites, your body may react in different ways and the bites can form wheals or blisters.
The bite marks may be in a straight line, cluster, or a random pattern. One classic pattern is three bites in a line—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bedbugs are not picky eaters when it comes to location—any exposed skin will do—but they won’t necessarily go farther than they have to. Bites typically occur on the face, hands, and feet.
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See PhotoAn ankle with a rash from bed bug bites.Hemjaa / Getty Images
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.See Photo
This photo contains content that some people may find graphic or disturbing.
Environmental Checks
The only way to know for sure if your symptoms are, in fact, a result of bedbugs, is to find the bed bug infestation in your room or furniture.
You can check bedding, mattresses, furniture, and crevices in walls for bedbug infestation. Do your inspection just before dawn, which is when they are the most active. The bugs will be larger and slower after feeding. Bedbugs will quickly flee from light, so live bugs are best located in the folds and seams of mattresses and sheets. Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed, about 1/4 inch long. They change from light brown to purple-red after feeding. You may also see their eggs, which are about the same size as the adults. The eggs will often be in seams, cracks, or crevices.
You are more likely to find their molted exoskeletons and dark specks of their feces. Also look for rust-colored blood spots on bedding and mattresses, which can come from the blood in their feces or from having crushed a bedbug who was feeding. A room with a heavy bedbug infestation might have a sweet, musty odor.
1:35Click Play to Learn All About the Signs of Bedbug Bites
1:35
Click Play to Learn All About the Signs of Bedbug Bites
Most of the time you won’t go to a healthcare provider for bedbug bites. However, the bites can mimic other rashes or you might develop a skin infection from scratching, and those factors may send you to the healthcare provider.
Be prepared with a timeline of your symptoms. You should note any travel you have done, any new furniture, bedding, or mattresses, and a list of your medications and supplements. Bring photos of any suspicious specks found on your bedding or furniture.
Your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam and take your medical history. This is usually enough to make the diagnosis or rule out other causes.
Some diagnoses your healthcare provider will consider due to your bite reactions include:
How to Treat and Treat Itchy, Painful Sand Flea Bites
Environmental Diagnosis of Bedbug Infestation
If you are unsure whether what you find are traces of bedbugs, the National Pesticide Information Center lets you search for local resources that can help with identification of photos or samples you collect.You may want to enlist a professional pest control expert to determine whether or not you have bedbugs in your home and what rooms might be infested.
Bedbug bites look likesmall red lesions. They typically start off as red bumps that may develop into itchy blisters. The bites are often formed in a line or clustered in a small group. If the bites are very close together, they may form a larger rash.
Because bedbug bites look very similar to other insect bites or skin rashes, it can be difficult to narrow down a diagnosis.The best way to confirm you have bedbugs is to look forevidenceof the bugs themselves—search carefully within your bedding, in the seams of your mattress, and in the crevices between the carpet and the wall.
Bedbug bites are most commonly found on the face, neck, hands, and arms, but they can also appear anywhere else on the body.
Yes, bedbugs may feast on pets and other animals, though they prefer human blood.
How to Treat Bedbug Bites: Effective Remedies and Prevention Tips
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, et al.Bedbugs and infectious diseases.Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(2):200-10. doi:10.1093/cid/ciq102Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.Bedbug infestation.Am Fam Physician. 2012;86(7):653-8.Additional ReadingBedbugs: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/itchy-skin/bedbugs.Bed Bug FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html.How to Find Bed Bugs. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs.Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.BedbugInfestation. American Family Physician. 2012 Oct 1;86(7):653-658.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, et al.Bedbugs and infectious diseases.Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(2):200-10. doi:10.1093/cid/ciq102Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.Bedbug infestation.Am Fam Physician. 2012;86(7):653-8.Additional ReadingBedbugs: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/itchy-skin/bedbugs.Bed Bug FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html.How to Find Bed Bugs. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs.Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.BedbugInfestation. American Family Physician. 2012 Oct 1;86(7):653-658.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, et al.Bedbugs and infectious diseases.Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(2):200-10. doi:10.1093/cid/ciq102Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.Bedbug infestation.Am Fam Physician. 2012;86(7):653-8.
Delaunay P, Blanc V, Del Giudice P, et al.Bedbugs and infectious diseases.Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(2):200-10. doi:10.1093/cid/ciq102
Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.Bedbug infestation.Am Fam Physician. 2012;86(7):653-8.
Bedbugs: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/itchy-skin/bedbugs.Bed Bug FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html.How to Find Bed Bugs. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs.Studdiford JS, Conniff KM, Trayes KP, Tully AS.BedbugInfestation. American Family Physician. 2012 Oct 1;86(7):653-658.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
