Bed Bug Vs. Tick: How To Easily Tell The Difference

When you find a tiny speck crawling on your skin, it’s easy to panic. You may think a quick glance will tell you that the bug crawling on your pillow is a bed bug or the dot on your arm is a tick, but it’s not always so simple. Ticks and bed bugs can look alike. Counting the legs is one simple way to identify whether that tiny critter is a tick or a bed bug. While bed bugs are true insects with six legs, ticks are really arachnids and have eight legs.

Both of these harmful pests are extremely small, about the size and color of an apple seed or smaller. When bed bugs and ticks haven’t eaten, they are both roundish, flat insects. They are also both wingless and don’t fly or jump. While the number of legs is an easy tell, sometimes these critters are so small that it’s difficult to see and count their appendages with the naked eye. Thankfully, there are other ways to find and identify bed bugs in your home or determine that it’s really a tick.

Bed bugs do not carry dangerous disease-causing pathogens like ticks. In turn, ticks don’t infest human homes, choosing to live outside. If you keep finding ticks, there are easy DIY solutions to help keep ticks out of your yard.

When trying to identify one of these minuscule creatures, consider where you found it. Both ticks and bed bugs feed on human blood, but ticks attach and cling to the skin. If you find the pest stuck on you or your pet, it’s definitely a tick. A tick crawling on the baseboards or floor probably hitched a ride inside on you, a family member, or a pet. 

Once bed bugs and ticks have filled up with blood, their appearance changes, making them a bit more distinct from each other. After a meal, ticks will greatly expand in size, ballooning up and turning a grayish color. Bed bugs have a clear hue before feeding and a darker, brownish-red color afterward. Additionally, bed bugs develop a black dot on their stomach after eating.

You can also spot signs of bed bugs around your home, but ticks don’t leave any visible traces. Inspect mattresses, sheets, bed frames, furniture, and base boards near your bed for droppings. Bed bug waste appears like a bunch of black dots, but it will have a rust color when you try to wipe it up. This is due to the blood they consume, and it’s a clear indication of a bed bug infestation. You may also find shed skins from bed bug larvae or notice a sweet yet musty smell when there are a lot of bed bugs present. If you see these signs, it’s not a tick and your house will need treatments to get rid of bed bugs.