Is A Carpet Beetle A Bed Bug

Is it a bed bug cockroach or carpet beetle.

Is a carpet beetle a bed bug.

You ve noticed that carpet beetles length varies a lot while bed bugs are always the same length. Also carpet beetles feed on fabric type substances and bed bugs feed on blood. Bed bugs will hide in bedding in ribbing around mattresses in the cracks of hardwood floors behind electrical outlets behind wall coverings in. Bed bugs measure of an inch long.

The official name for the varied carpet beetle is anthrenus verbasci they are small about 3mm in length and flat in their shape. Immature bed bugs are similar to adult about the size of a poppy seed and yellowish white in color. One big difference between bed bugs and carpet beetles that can help you determine which pest you re dealing with is that bed bugs go through an incomplete metamorphosis while carpet beetles go through a complete metamorphosis. Varied carpet beetles do have brown on their backs but they look more spotted or striped with white and light colored patches mixed with brown.

Dark protruding eyes and wing like structures on either side of the head. Carpet beetles on the other hand measure between 1 16 of an inch and 1 8 of an inch long. Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small. Bed bugs do not but look similar to an apple seed with legs.

Bed bugs are in the family cimicidae while carpet beetles are in the family dermestids. The difference here is that bed bugs have a mouth made for piercing skin and sucking blood while carpet beetles have a mouth made for chewing on plants and other fibrous material. The main difference is the color. Reddish brown flattened and oval in shape.

Carpet beetles look more striped with a white and brown color palette. An important detail when understanding the difference. Bed bug larvae look like little worms while carpet beetle larvae look like fuzzy bugs with little spines all over them. If you re not sure which you have you can have an exterminator come look for bedbugs.

Also once magnified the varied carpet beetle larvae actually look like tiny furry caterpillars with little spines on them whereas the bed bug larvae look like little worms. Because carpet beetle larvae are bigger than bed bugs you may be more likely to see the beetles themselves. The carpet beetle looks like a bed bug when they are small but as they grow. They look much different from bed bugs.

Both the bed bug and the carpet beetle are problematic. That s because bed bugs always look the same but there are a lot of carpet beetle. However the carpet beetle is the smallest of the two and averages 1 8th of an inch in length while the bed bug is about 1 4th of an inch long. But the main difference is that the varied carpet beetle does not feed on blood.

Carpet beetles are also the same as small caterpillars rather than little worms. The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities.