On many occasions, our commercial pest management has been called out to, or consulted about, a potential bedbug infestation that turned out to be fleas. It’s understandable, since both flea and bedbug bites are very similar to each other. But there are key differences you can use to narrow down which of these biting pests may be infesting your home.

How do You Know if you Have Fleas or Bedbugs?

The primary way to know you have an infestation is when bites manifest on your body. Both these insects are very tiny, with bedbugs being keen hiders, and fleas quick jumpers, meaning you're unlikely to spot them as you go about your day-to-day activities.

How to Check for Fleas in a House

The easiest way to identify if your infestation is fleas, is through your pets, the flea’s preferred food source. If you don’t have pets, don’t come into contact with pets, or treat your pets with a monthly flea pest control medicine, an infestation will be very rare.

 

Fleas can be active day or night. They will hide on and feed off your pets, causing them to scratch themselves excessively. They also hide in fur-like materials, such as carpets, soft furnishings, and plushies. Fleas will also shed “dirt” granules that dissolve into a brown-red smear if rubbed into a wet paper towel. 

How do You Know if You Have Bedbugs?

Bedbugs are more active at night. They will not approach when you are awake and moving about, so the bed and clothing near it will be the area where they congregate. Bedbugs will hide in almost any crack they can fit into, so you will find them anywhere from the seams of your mattress to electric sockets and the joint seams of your bedside table.

 

Bedbugs don’t leave dirt granules, but smears and spots in clusters near where they hide, as if the area was dabbed with a marker pen. Like flea dirt, it will dissolve if rubbed with a wet paper towel and leave a transfer smear.

What’s the Difference Between Flea Bites and Bedbug Bites?

Flea bites tend to be smaller, but this can be difficult to discern by eye. What’s easiest to identify is the bite patterns. Bedbugs usually feed from the same area in a cluster, or travel and bite if the first bite wasn’t sufficient. This will create clusters or linear bite patterns.

What part of the body do bedbugs bite the most?

Bedbugs usually bite the extremities close to their hiding spot, so bites will be clustered around the extremities like the head, arms, and legs.

 

Fleas, on the other hand, find it difficult to penetrate human skin and will target the thinnest areas of the body. They will target ankles, wrists, and areas where the body bends, like armpits and inner elbows. Flea bites are much more scattered, due to the fleas being more agile, able to jump or crawl to their preferential biting spot with ease.

Can You Feel Bedbugs Crawling on You?

Many people anxious that they have a bedbug infestation can feel phantom sensations, but in reality, it's very unlikely. Due to their tiny size, disposition to feed when you are asleep, and anaesthetising bites, bedbugs can be unnoticeable. In severe infestations, the combined weight may be noticeable to you. It's a similar case with fleas, though the impact of their legs when they jump can be noticeable for some people.

What Can You Do?

The first line of flea pest control is to flea treat your pets monthly and maintain a consistent cleaning schedule that includes soft furnishings. This will reduce the population of fleas and disrupt their life cycle, and ensure any infestation does not become established. Generally, you don’t need to call in pest control for fleas, except in cases where the infestation has grown out of control or requires immediate removal.

 

Bedbugs however, are notoriously difficult to eliminate without help from a commercial pest management firm. Thoroughly cleaning clothes and soft furnishings can catch bedbugs early, but if they have established themselves in hard-to-reach areas, you need professional help.

 

Whether you have fleas or bedbugs, a proactive approach to eliminating the infestation is your solution. Our pest control UK company has been treating both domestic and commercial pest management clients for both of these pests for many years, professionally and discreetly. If you ever need additional help identifying an infestation, call us for a no-obligation survey.