Bed Bug Bite Vs. Flea Bite Difference in Symptoms and Treatment

It is not possible to tell the difference between bed bugs bites and flea bites. If you get an insect bite in your home, fleas and bed bugs are the most likely culprits.

All insects feast on you in different ways and will leave different marks if you know what to look for.

Flea Bites

Do you know it? Flea Bite is the most commonly found on the legs, feet, waist, or armpit but can appear anywhere the insect has access to.

Flea Bites Will Look

Red, swollen, somewhat blotchy, and will continuously itch.
They commonly come with rashes as well. Flea bites also tend to appear in small clusters and can have a white “halo” shape immediately around the puncture mark. Fleas will bite your legs, feet, waist, armpits, and pets too.

Bed Bugs Bites

Moreover, bed bug bites are different from flea bites and look like small, hard, swollen lumps related to a mosquito bite and appear most often on the hands, neck, and arms.

Bed Bug Bites Will Look

Itch, but they do not provoke the rash response fleas can trigger
Bed Bugs tend to feed in a line, so their bites will have a more linear pattern than the cluster of flea bites.
Bed bug bites lack the halo feature but often appear inflamed and can blister over time

Also Read: WHAT DO BED BUGS LOOK LIKE?

When Looking for Fleas, Pay Attention to The Following:

Insects prefer animals, and any pets you have will likely be itching or biting themselves. They may also develop patches of lost fur. You can use a flea comb to check your pets for any fleas or flea-eggs stay alert when combing because they can be surprisingly fast.
Another sign of fleas are specks of what appears to be dirt. This is flea feces, and the small dots will leave red rings of blood if you touch it with a wet tissue.
Finally, you can try wearing long white socks. This will make it easier to tell if the brown fleas are jumping on you.

Evidence of Bed Bugs, On the Other Hand, Can Often Be Found on Your Bed

When cleaning or changing sheets, keep an eye out for rusty stains that may have resulted from you rolling over and crushing a bed bug in your sleep.
They may also be dark sports that seem to have bled into the fabric. This is bed bug feces.
A bed bug has a flat, oval shape with a reddish-brown appearance. Bed bugs do not jump or fly and are relatively easy to capture if you want to trace one to get it tested for confirmation.

Health Risk of Fleas and Bed Bugs

Barring a rare allergic reaction, flea and bed bug bites are more often an annoyance than anything else, and bed bugs primarily not known to carry any diseases harmful to humans.
Flea bites are slightly more worrisome, however, since fleas are known carries of typhoid, tapeworms, and plague, although all three of these are rare in the U.S.
The most significant risk would be a flea infestation combined with a cat since the flea can transmit a condition called cat scratch fever. If the infected cat scratches you, it could result in loss of appetite, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and headaches, but it can become more severe if you are immune-compromised.

Treating Flea bite and Bed Bug Bites

Calamine lotion or cold compresses can soothe a bite and reduce the itchiness. If you have scratched and broken open a blister, you should wash the area with warm soapywaterand then pat dry as a precautionary measure against infection. Some natural remedies can relieve the itching:

Mix water and baking soda into a paste that your apple to the bites. Leave it on for one hour before washing off with warm water.
Dab at the bites with cotton balls dipped in lemon juice, with hazel
Coat bites with aloe
Take a warm bath with a half cup of peppermint oil, baking soda or Epsom salt.

Getting Rid of Fleas and Bed Bugs

The hardest part about dealing with flea bites and bed bug bites is getting rid of the source. Fleas breed remarkably fast and can replenish their numbers if not taken out in a single sweep.

It’s best to consult with a pest control expert on what your options are. Depending on the severity of your problem, it may be possible to get rid of the bugs without resorting and fumigation.

Vacuum Bed and Floor Regularly

After identifying that fleas are in your home or your bed, firstly, you should vacuum bed and floor regularly. You should also vacuum bed sheets, pillow, or mattress. Cleaning through vacuum eradicate all fleas, not only them but also their eggs on the bed. After that, you should also clean the space because fleas’ eggs can hatch in the vacuum. So, you should carefully dispose of fleas and bed bugs.

Use an Insecticide

After vacuuming, you should use an insecticide to get rid of them thoroughly. You should use toxic-free pesticide. Many pesticides are available in the local market. You can also order it online. But here is a useful natural insecticide powder that works well in repelling redbugs or fleas.

You have to take one cup of each rue, fennel, rosemary, peppermint, and wormwood. Now mix all these ingredients in a bowl and make a fine paste by grinding. Now fill up this powder in dry salt or sugar shaker and shake this powder in all your bedsheets, home as well as on your pets. You can also use toxic substances.

Build A to Stop Further Infestation

It’s challenging to get rid of all of the flea and red bugs thoroughly. So you should build a plan and strictly follow them because it is common to see fleas return days or weeks after. That’s why you should clean your home regularly and vacuum, also clean the yards.

Conclusion

Hope, so the above methods work well to eliminate all fleas and redbugs from your home. If you have any problem, you can comment below. Thank you for visiting us!