Bedbug bites look like swollen, red, itchy spots, often appearing in a zigzag formation. The insects bite at night when you’re asleep, usually about an hour before dawn.
If you wake up with a bite, though, bedbugs may not be to blame. Their bites look very similar to those of other insects. Here’s how to confidently identify bedbug bites and what you can do to treat them.
Swollen, red bedbug bites can appear on any uncovered part of the body while you sleep, says Steve Durham, an entomologist with EnviroCon Pest Control in Tomball, Texas. At-risk areas often include:
The back of your neck
Shoulders
Arms
Legs
Bedbugs prefer to feed on human blood, but they can also survive on the blood of mice, rats, or other animals. You probably won’t catch the bugs in the act of biting, though, because the bedbug injects an anesthetic and an anti-clotting substance to numb the area as it bites you.
For most people, bedbug bites result in itchy bumps that develop at the site of the bite within a day. The bites usually look like mosquito bites and will appear as a swollen red spot that might itch.
Many people see bugs during or shortly after a bite or sting, helping them identify the culprit. But some bugs, such as bedbugs, mosquitoes, or spiders, may bite while a person is sleeping, so it may take some effort to work out which type of bite it is from the skin symptoms alone.
These may vary based on the following features:
The size of mark at the site of the bite (may be less visible on dark skin)
The level of pain or itchiness
The size, shape, and number of rashes
The color and appearance of bite marks
The pattern of bites, such as grouped together or in a zigzag formation
The location of the bites on the body
How raised the bumps are
Whether the bug is still attached to the skin, such as during a tick bite
You may notice a single bite, while other times several bites will appear in a line. “In most cases, they occur in clusters or zigzags of flat, itchy bites,” Durham says. “One bedbug will usually bite more than once, so the severity of your infestation can have a big impact on the severity of your physical reaction to the bites.”
Bedbug bites differ from other bites in a few ways:
They can appear anywhere on the skin that clothing doesn’t cover while you’re sleeping. Flea or chigger bites, on the other hand, usually only appear around your ankles, Durham says.
They sometimes bite in a zigzag pattern.
Bedbug bites don’t normally have a red dot in the center, while flea bites usually do.
Bedbug bites tend to stick around longer than mosquito bites, though they look very similar.
But the bites will look different from person to person, and some people won’t develop any reaction. “The same bedbug could bite two different people and one could have no reaction at all and the other can have an extreme reaction with a swollen arm or itchy rash,” says Eric Braun, a board-certified entomologist and the technical services manager for the national pest control company Rentokil. Some people end up developing a rash that looks like eczema.
It’s also possible that you won’t see a reaction the first time a bedbug bites, since it can sometimes take the body a while to respond. Some people will have an immediate reaction. For others, it could take two weeks to emerge. Your body will likely become more sensitive to bedbug bites over time, and if you experience repeated bites, it could be only a matter of seconds before your body shows a response.
In most cases, the only way to say for sure whether it was a bedbug that bit you is to search for evidence of bedbugs living in your home. "Once you start to notice the itchy bites, the second giveaway is the presence of small blood spots on your sheets or mattress, usually resembling patches of rust,” Durham says.
Durham advises the following methods for seeking out bedbugs:
You’ll likely only see them in their hiding spots or crawling across the floor since, unlike other insects, bedbugs cannot fly or jump.
Check along the edges of your mattress. You may see the exoskeletons that bedbugs have shed as they matured.
You may notice a musty smell that indicates bedbugs in the area.
It can be helpful to check your bed with a flashlight during the middle of the night, when they’re more active.
Bedbug bites don’t normally require treatment by a doctor, but there are a few precautions you should take at home. Start by cleaning the area with soap and water to lower your risk of infection and to relieve itchiness. If the bites are itchy, pick up a corticosteroid cream at your local drugstore and apply it to the area. The bites generally will heal within a couple of weeks.
Some people develop allergic reactions to bedbug bites, which can include:
Fever
Difficulty breathing
Hives
A swollen tongue
Others may develop an infection in which the bite starts oozing pus. If you experience either of these reactions or you develop blisters where the bites occurred, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a dermatologist.
To treat an allergic reaction, the doctor may prescribe:
An antihistamine
A corticosteroid
An epinephrine injection
If an infection develops in the area, a medical professional might prescribe an antibiotic or recommend an over-the-counter antiseptic. Finally, a corticosteroid or an antihistamine in pill or liquid form may help with severe itchiness.
A cold compress or ice pack will constrict the overreactive blood vessels and reduce itching.
Bedbug bites can itch, and knowing you have bedbugs in your home can be distressing. But being bitten won’t negatively impact your health. “Thus far, bedbugs have not been shown to transmit any diseases to humans,” says Jerry Lazarus, the president of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination.
That’s a key difference between bedbugs and mosquitoes, which Braun says are sometimes called the “deadliest animal on the planet.” Bedbugs bite and feed on blood like mosquitoes, he says. “However, they do not transmit any disease. The risk of getting ill from the bite isn’t there.”
The bigger concern with bedbugs is the effect they can have on one’s mental health, since having bedbugs can be both stressful and embarrassing.
A zigzag pattern of itchy, red spots on the back of your neck, shoulders, arms, or legs may mean that you’ve had a bedbug bite within the last day, but this pattern can vary.
Bedbug bites can appear on any area of exposed skin and look very similar to mosquito bites, although their bites stay on the skin for longer.
Reactions to bedbug bites are highly individual, and you may become more sensitive to these bites over time, meaning that a reaction becomes more severe or develops in seconds.
If you suspect bedbugs, try checking the seams of your mattress for small, rust-colored stains.
