Hey there, viewers!
Can’t figure out what those red, itchy spots on your body are?
Did you wake up with ones you didn’t have the night before?
It could be bed bugs.
Since there’s no specific test, let’s discuss bed bugs and skin conditions that
resemble those from bed bugs.
How do you differentiate between flea and bed bug bites?
What does a tick bite look like?
We will be talking about all of this AND more…
What bed bug bites look like and why do they bite?
Bed bug infestations are more common than you think.
One in five Americans have had bed bug infestations or know people who have.
So where do you think bed bugs live?
News flash, not beds!
Nope, contrary to popular belief bed bugs aren’t only found in beds.
Any furniture crevice can be home to these tiny pests.
Your sofas, chairs, coffee table.
Even your favorite armchair can be housing these annoying little pests.
Unless you see these insects, it can be pretty difficult to identify bed bug bites.
So many insect bites and skin conditions can resemble the bites left by bed bugs.
The question is, how do you decide if it's a bed bug bite?
First, there are over 90 species of bedbugs.
Thank goodness only two have interest in biting humans.
You can identify these bed bugs with their flat reddish-brown, oval-shaped bodies.
The good news is they don’t have visible wings.
Imagine watching a bed bug flying onto you.
Now that’s creepy.
Their quarter-inch long bodies are supported by six legs.
The bad news is the more blood they suck from their prey, the fatter they get.
So if you find a bed bug larger than two inches, maybe they’re drunk on YOUR blood!
Bites from bed bugs are usually very itchy, red in color, and no more than a quarter-inch
across.
You will mostly find these bites on your face, neck, arms, hands and feet.
In short, any body part exposed at night could be feasted upon by these pests.
Another characteristic of bed bug bites is that they often appear in a line or zigzag
of three or more bites.
These things I tell you!
They gotta be scared away before they make YOU their breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Do you sleep with your arms and back exposed?
Have you ever found red itchy marks in the morning?
Share your story with the Bestie community in the comments below.
Other bug bites that could be the problem, and how to differentiate
So you thought only bed bugs can leave you with their bites?
Unfortunately, there are a number of other bugs that wait for you to fall asleep.
From here, they will crawl out of their hiding space and bite you!
Seriously.
Spiders for instance, are more active at night.
Thankfully, they aren’t really into biting humans and try to maintain a low profile.
A spider will bite you only when it feels threatened.
But when they do, it can be hell!
Spiders have toxic venom.
Enough to cause minor injuries.
You won’t die, but you will probably remember the burn.
And if it’s a black widow, run!
They are the most ferocious.
The female has the tendency to eat its mate.
You still won’t die from a black widow bite, but you can get very sick.
Their venom is 15 times stronger than a rattlesnakes!
I sure don’t want to see one EVER!
If a spider is hiding or living in a furniture crevice like your bed, it might come out at
night.
If it gets scared, it will bite you.
A spider bite usually causes swelling, itching and rashes.
The main difference between a bed bug and a spider is that spiders don't feed on your
blood.
It isn’t looking to thrive this way.
Bed bugs see things differently however.
You can call these six-legged pests dracula.
They suck your blood and thrive on it.
Before we move ahead, here is another video you might like.
Watch this and learn more about the top 6 dishes that give you an insane amount of vitamin
B12.
Mosquitoes
You’d be hard pressed to find a list of annoying bugs that doesn’t include these
things.
With their long, tube-like mouth made to penetrate your skin, mosquitoes come out at night.
As soon as the sun sets, these blood suckers will appear out of nowhere.
The biggest threat from mosquitoes is that they don’t just leave their bite marks on
your body.
They can also cause awful, life-threatening diseases like malaria.
But more on that later...
A mosquito bite looks like a pimple.
It is a tiny welt that itches and usually goes away in a few days.
Mosquito bites are mostly random, while bed bug bites are in a zigzag pattern, or straight
line.
Fleas
Got a pet?
Does your dog or cat sleep with you on your bed?
If so, chances are high that your bites are coming from fleas rather than bed bugs.
Flea bites are often confused and mistaken as bed bug bites.
This is because both types of bites are itchy and found in clusters or straight lines.
But fleas will typically target your elbows, knees and armpits.
Old habits die hard and these are the places they usually live on your pets.
Your legs and feet aren’t safe either.
But if you find bite marks on your face and upper body, they are likely not caused by
bed bugs.
Mites
These are small critters living on birds and rodents primarily.
They are very tiny.
In fact, mites are so small that you won’t even notice their bites.
The punctures mostly go unnoticed and can be accompanied by a red rash and hard, inflamed
bump.
The skin at the site of the bite can get swollen and cause itching.
Lice
Oh the insects that live in our hair and tormented many of us during childhood.
They live on our head, hide in our hair and bite the scalp whenever they like.
Lice bites cause extreme itchiness.
Kids are especially vulnerable to lice infestations.
This is why you often see children scratching their heads.
Lice bites can also cause sores on your head.
Ticks
Tick bites can be dangerous, as they are capable of causing disease.
Especially ticks that live on animals like deer.
These one can cause Lyme disease.
The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash.
It usually develops at the site of the bite a week after it’s occurred.
Ticks have a tendency to bite moist parts of your body.
This is why most tick bites are found on armpits and private areas.
These insects are happy campers in these parts.
They can remain on your skin for more than a week after biting you.
It’s like an all-inclusive buffet to them.
Scabies
If you have a common bedding, or you share your clothing with others, you need to be
extra alert.
You can catch these small types of mite.
And they don’t shy away from biting their host.
You will get a rash and experience intense itching that becomes worse in the evening.
Because that’s the time when scabies stop playing hide and seek.
They are spiteful biters!
Rashes you can confuse as bug bites
If you get a red rash that itches, you are mostly likely going to blame it on a bug bite.
But there are several skin conditions that resemble a bug bite.
Let’s talk about a few of them in detail, shall we?
Hives
Got red bumps and welts?
Stop before you blame it on bed bugs.
It could be an allergic reaction.
Hives are extremely itchy and annoying.
They can be red, or have no color at all.
So how do you differentiate it from a bed bug bite?
Bed bug bites occur in a cluster on just one part of your body.
Hives get larger and spread to other parts of your body quickly.
You need to get to the ER immediately.
Hives caused by allergic reactions can be a sign that your situation is getting worse.
Fungal Infection
This will give you itchy bumpy rashes on your body.
They often target the moist parts of your body like your feet.
Even your private parts!
A fungal rash is itchy and can cause discoloration of the skin at the site of infection.
It can even be scaly.
Dermatitis herpetiformis
You gonna remember that name?
This is a rare autoimmune skin condition.
You will usually get itchy blisters and red skin on your lower back, scalp, knees and
elbows.
It can affect your hips too.
People who get this often have an underlying condition called celiac disease.
This chronic skin condition happens due to a reaction to eating gluten.
If you are constantly getting red, itchy blisters, try and watch your diet.
It could carry several hints.
Miliaria
This is a heat rash caused when your sweat duct is blocked or inflamed.
This affects the sweat ducts in the top most layer of your skin.
You can get superficial blisters as well as deep red lumps.
When blocked or inflamed pores trap moisture under your skin, you get heat rashes.
They are more common in newborn babies.
People living in hot tropical climates are also vulnerable to heat rashes.
The best way to deal with them is to prevent sweating and cool your skin down.
Have you ever been bitten by bed bugs?
Do you get red rashes often?
Did this video help you?
Let us know your answers in the comments below.
We would love to hear from you!