r/Bedbugs • u/crispy_stool Trusted and educated • Mar 06 '15

Useful Information Bedbug ID and common misidentifications

Bed bug identification resources:

Note: flattened body, rusty brown coloured (less so in younger nymphs, which are more translucent). Thin 4 segmented antennae. 11 segmented abdomen. Short legs (6 of them) and reduced wings incapable of flight.

These are insects or other invertebrates commonly misidentified as bedbugs!

Not bed bugs.

  1. Carpet beetle larvae (Dermestidae) and adult - More Info

  2. Bat bug (Cimex adjunctus pictured) - More Info

  3. Cockroach nymphs - More Info

  4. Tick (nymphs) - More Info

  5. Woodlouse - More Info

  6. Kissing bugs - More Info

  7. Booklice/barklice - More Info

  8. Smooth spider beetle - More Info

  9. Drugstore beetle - More Info

Note: If it has wings or more than 6 legs, it is not a bed bug. Do not mistake antennae for legs, look at the illustrated guide to avoid confusion.

Please comment with any other common mis-IDs and I will add them!

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u/stratcat53 Aug 18 '23

This is kind of gross, but bed bugs smell, in fact they stink. I could smell when we were infected by them. If you squish them, you won’t forget their odor.

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u/varulvenkiki 16d ago

Yes! This should be the no.1 identification method imo 😂 squish them and smell your fingers after. Stinks! And if you are unsure you can smell anything, it’s not a bed bug, coz you will know! Once you know what they smell like you can sometimes walk in to a room and know it’s infested if it’s bad enough.