Bed bugs, fleas and ticks are commonly misidentified and confused with one another. These parasitic pests are actually very different from each other. This will article will focus on what the differences are in identification, behavior and diet.
Identification
Ticks are classified as arachnids (8 legs), while fleas and bed bugs are actually insects (6 legs). Ticks are easy to spot because they grow in size after taking blood meals. Fleas are much harder to see because of their small size and ability to jump quickly out of sight.
Ticks
source: UFL.edu
Ticks are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Their small size allows infestations to grow unchecked, and large populations require professional removal. Ticks are also small but engorge themselves on blood until they’re double their original size, which makes it easier for people to detect their presence.
Fleas
Fleas and ticks have very different sizes. Fleas typically measure less than 1/8 of an inch in length. Sometimes people confuse fleas with lice or gnats.
Bed Bugs
In adult form, bed bugs measure roughly the size of a kernel of corn or an apple seed, which runs roughly 5 mm in length. With a trained eye, human beings can easily spot adult bed bugs against the typical whites of bed sheets.
Nymphs, on the other hand, measure at most 1 and 1/4 mm and are clear or off-white in color, which makes identifying the insects in the nymphal stage challenging.
Diet or Feeding Habits
Ticks
Ticks will bite humans, but prefer the blood of animals.
Fleas
Both fleas and ticks rely on blood meals for sustenance.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs prefer the blood of people but occasionally bite animals.
Behavior
Ticks and bed bugs also live in very different environments. While ticks send most of their lives in wooded, grassy areas, bed bugs live indoors and are commonly found in mattress seams and the cracks in headboards.
Ticks
Ticks latch on the body and remain feeding in one spot for quite some time.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs attack several areas of the body and then retreat once satisfied.
Fleas
Disease Transmission
Fleas carry tapeworms and typhus, while ticks spread tularemia, babesiosis, and Lyme disease. Always check your pets and children for ticks and fleas after they’ve spent prolonged amounts of time outside.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are not known to transmit any serious diseases.
Ticks
On the other hand, ticks are responsible for the spread of several debilitating illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Ehrlichia, tularemia, and Lyme disease. Many of these cause flu-like symptoms such as vomiting, muscle aches, fever, and headaches.
Fleas
Fleas are capable of infecting people with life-threatening diseases such as typhus.
Removal
Once an infestation of fleas or ticks has been identified, property owners should call a professional pest removal team. As both ticks and fleas carry diseases that can be deadly, it is important to act quickly. Bed bug populations can also get out of hand fats, which makes professional pest control the only option to guarantee proper removal.