Fleas and bed bugs are two insects that snack on human blood, but they do so in different ways. Snake bites are treated differently depending on if they are poisonous or not. Treatments for flea bites and bed bug bites are also different; it is important to know the difference between them, and treating yourself with the correct medicine will help you feel better. To help you out, we’ve put together a brief discussion discussing the main differences between fleas and bed bugs.

Characteristics

Adult fleas are brown in colour, but they are incredibly tiny, making them hard to spot. A flea’s body is flat and bristly and designed to move through hair and feathers. Fleas can fly, too, and jump 50x their own body length, using their long legs as leverage against the ground. They use their upward-facing claws to hold on to whatever they land on. Plus, their adult mouth can pierce the skin, which allows them to suck blood from your body.

Bed bugs are small, brown, flat insects. They are five millimetres long and two millimetres wide and are oval in shape. They can't fly and don't have any hind wings. Their front wings are immature. Bed bugs feed on a variety of sources, including blood from humans. Bed bugs can withstand a great variety of conditions including varying temperatures and atmospheres by reasoning that they are capable of hibernating.

Habitat

Fleas tend to live in damp, dark places. They also live in any area that retains moisture, including cushioned furniture, small cracks along the walls, and any space between the floorboards. When they are ready to reproduce, they make a cocoon to live in until they are mature enough to breed. These cocoons can last for up to five months; they become active again when they sense a mammal nearby, such as through vibrations caused by movement or their carbon dioxide emissions.

Bed bugs have adapted to a wide range of climates, so they can live in many places: in your bed, backpack, car seat, suitcase, cushions, and even your shoes. Bed bugs love fabric and dark cracks in which to hide; hence clothing stores can be common targets for bed bug infestation. Their ability to hide in plain sight makes it difficult for them to be found. They don’t stick to their food source like fleas do. Instead, they wait and feed at night when people are asleep.

Bite Patterns

Fleas tend to bite us around the ankles and legs for a few reasons. First, it is easier for them to access our lower extremities. Second, their bites typically cause swelling similar to a mosquito bite within an hour. The swellings are more scattered than mosquito bites, though.

Bed bugs can bite wherever you are, as you sleep and are unaware. They might bite places like your neck, arms, hands, face, and scalp. They tend to bite in clusters and lines. Their bites are small and leave red dots.

Conclusion

We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to helping you tell the difference between bed bugs and fleas. While this may seem tricky, the information that we’ve laid out here should help you differentiate these two pests. Now that you can identify which pests are infesting your home, it’s time to take the necessary actions to get rid of them.

If you need bed bug control in Sydney, Roach Busters Pest Control Services can help you. We have been providing a range of professional services to eradicate all kinds of pests for more than 25 years now. We are Sydney’s most trusted pest control service provider using eco-friendly and effective pest control treatments. Contact us today to book a service.