Bugs in the Bedroom: Bed Bugs, Fleas and Lookalikes
Finding a bug in bed is unsettling, but many bedroom bugs are harmless lookalikes. The key is a good look at the bug itself: where it was, what color and shape it is, and how many legs it has. Our guides show the differences side by side.
Pests you may find in the bedroom
Bed BugsCimex lectulariusAn apple-seed-sized, flat, oval reddish-brown bug with no wings, usually found along mattress seams together with tiny dark fecal spots and pale shed skins.
FleasCtenocephalides felis (cat flea), the main flea on U.S. cats and dogsA pinhead-sized, reddish-brown insect flattened side to side that jumps instead of flying, often spotted on pets or on white socks around the ankles.
Brown Marmorated Stink BugHalyomorpha halysA shield-shaped, mottled brown bug about 5/8 inch long with white bands on its antennae and alternating light and dark bands along the edge of the abdomen.
SpidersAraneae (common U.S. household spiders)Eight legs, two body sections (a front part bearing the legs and a rounded abdomen), and no wings or antennae. Insects have six legs and three body sections.
Brown RecluseLoxosceles reclusaUniformly tan to brown legs and abdomen with no stripes, bands or spines. A dark violin-shaped mark on the front body section, with the violin's neck pointing back. Six eyes in three pairs, which you need a hand lens to see.
MosquitoesCulicidae (mainly Culex, Aedes, Anopheles spp. in the U.S.)A slender fly with long, thin legs and a long, needle-like beak that lands on skin to feed. The wings are covered in tiny scales.
Carpet BeetlesDermestidae (mainly Anthrenus verbasci, Anthrenus flavipes, Attagenus unicolor)Adults are rounded, ladybug-shaped beetles smaller than a grain of rice, often mottled white, brown and yellow, usually found on windowsills; larvae are small, hairy, striped 'fuzzy worms'.
Wolf SpidersLycosidae (e.g. Hogna carolinensis, Tigrosa aspersa)A large, hairy brown-to-gray spider that runs along floors. Its legs often have lighter bands, and its eyes shine green in a flashlight beam at night. Females may carry spiderlings on their backs.