WHAT DO BED BUGS LOOK LIKE & HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM

Posted by Peststopsolutions.com on January 31st, 2020

Finding what you think are bed bugs in your home is enough to send anyone into panic mode.  However, there are some bugs that look similar to bed bugs, so correctly identifying them is going to be vital to determine whether you may have a potential infestation and need to call in an exterminator. 

What do bed bugs look like?

Adult bed bugs are small and similar in shape and size to an apple seed pip and have six legs and two antennae.  They are flat and oval and are approximately 5mm (3/15") in length and can grow to approximately 10mm in length.  When unfed they are a lighter brown color but become a dark brown/red color when they have fed on a blood meal. Their body shape also changes and becomes engorged and elongated. 

Identifying features

Head - short and broad with a prominent eye on each side of the head.  Bed bugs have a proboscis, which is like a beak that they use to pierce a person's skin and suck up their blood for food. 

Thorax - the thorax is in between the head and abdomen and allows the body to move.  The bed bug's legs and wing pads are attached to the thorax. 

Abdomen - the abdomen is segmented and cleverly enables the bed bug's body to elongate when it's taking in its blood meal.  After feeding, this area will look darker in color and swollen.  You can also tell the sex of a bed bug by the shape at the end of the abdomen, the male's tip is more pointed and the female is more rounded.  

Bed bugs cannot fly even though they have wing pads, but they are able to crawl quickly to get to their meal.

Here are some great pictures and images of bed bugs close up that will help you quickly identify if you have bed bugs.