How to Differentiate Between Fleas and Bed Bugs?
Are you waking up with itchy, irritating bites all over your body caused by seemingly invisible pests? Then you could be dealing with bed bugs or fleas and differentiating between the two is crucial to ensuring you pursue the correct treatment.
Adult fleas are brown, up to 3mm long with a flat body and can jump up to 50x their body size. Bed bugs are also brown but can appear reddish in colour depending on when their last blood meal was. They are slightly bigger than fleas, growing up to 5mm in length and 2mm in width with a flat, oval appearance. Bed bugs are also notoriously hard to eradicate as they are extremely resilient and can withstand extreme temperatures and conditions.
What Habitats Do Bed Bugs & Fleas Prefer?
Both bed bugs and fleas prefer dark places like in between couch cushions, floorboards and even in your shoes โ places where they can hide easily. Additionally, fleas prefer damp environments, choosing dark areas that retain moisture. As fleas stick to their food source, they are easier to find than bed bugs which only come out at night to feed while you are asleep before retreating back to their hiding places.
How Do I Know If Iโve Been Bitten?
A flea bite is similar to a mosquito bite. The prick is felt instantaneously and generally occurs around the feet, legs and ankles although swelling around the bite zone is smaller than that of a mosquito. The bite marks will typically not be in a cluster but spread out randomly.
As bed bugs feed while you are asleep, they can bite anywhere but will typically choose exposed skin like the face, neck, arms and hands. Bed bug bites will swell and appear in a linear cluster, with a small red dot at the centre of each bite.
Just like mosquito bites, scratching an itchy bed bug or flea bite puts you at risk of an infection however only fleas are capable of transmitting parasites like roundworm and tapeworm.
If you are being bitten contact Sydneyโs Best Pest Controls experienced customer service team on 1800 819 189 for free advice and quote
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