Bed Bug Bites vs. Flea Bites

The subject of this article is “bed bug bites vs. flea bites”. It is important to know the difference between bed bugs and other insects and their bites. Sometimes it is hard to make the difference, especially if you have never been bitten by any of these insects. There is one thing they all have in common: they bite! Bite marks look different, but all of these insects can irritate your skin. However, prevention and removal are not the same for all of these insects. Therefore, it is important that you know exactly what kind of parasites you are dealing with.

Bed Bug Bites

Bed bug bites are not always easy to spot. First, these bites are not painful right away. In fact, bed bugs inject their saliva into your skin while they are sucking your blood, and this saliva acts as a sort of anesthetic. That is the very reason why their bites are not painful and you don’t even feel them. You will notice the bites after a week, when you see a red bump on your skin. Bed bug bites can develop into bad rashes on your skin. These rashes usually appear on your legs, arms, neck and shoulders. People with sensitive skin can experience skin irritation. Some people instinctively scratch these bumps during their sleep, which can only make things worse and cause skin inflammation.

Unlike fleabites, these bites rarely lead to complications and they usually go away after ten days. That is the average for most of people. Bed bugs cannot infect you with any disease. It is true that they are annoying and they spread very fast, but they can rarely cause serious skin problems. The rash they cause can be painful and itchy, but the rash usually goes away spontaneously without any special treatment. To prevent them, you can apply special lotions and creams before going to bed. You can ask your dermatologist for some good advice on this.

Flea Bites

Similar to bed bugs, fleas are also parasites and they feed on blood. The difference between bed bugs and fleas is that bed bugs live inside your furniture, while fleas live on animal coats. Fleas can also be seen in small furry animals. They attach to the host’s skin and they remain there, sucking the host’s blood. They also spread very fast.

Fleas are smaller than bed bugs, but they can cause allergies in humans, especially in children. Fleabites can be found on ankles (or legs), while bed bugs usually go for the upper body parts. Bed bug bites look different from fleabites. Fleabites are random, while bed bug bites are grouped.

Comments

7 Comments on Bed Bug Bites vs. Flea Bites

  1. Romeo on Tue, 12th Apr 2011 12:59 pm

    2. First I thought I had fleas! However, I got informed about skin rashes and I finally realized I have been beaten by bed bugs. I think that fleabites are more dangerous than bed bug bites. Fleas can transmit other diseases, while bed bugs can’t. However, they are annoying! My skin rash looked horrible. Some of it was on my face. I scratched it in my sleep and made a mess on my cheek. Now, I have two dogs and I started blaming them! But when I checked the dogs, they didn’t have a single flea bite. I have never been bitten by a flea, so I was confused. I panicked and went to see a dermatologist. I was afraid that this was something more serious and it could spread onto my entire face. Fortunately, it wasn’t that serious! Got some lotions and my face recovered after a week or so.

  2. Tanya on Tue, 12th Apr 2011 4:31 pm

    3. I cant tell what I have, my bites seem to be a mix of both of these bites. I only have 2 small groups of bites 4 on my lower back (above my but crack) and 3 on my inside of my calf.
    Both bites I got i noticed them but they werent itchy, the next day they swell up really big and are really itchy and the next day after that they swell down and almost look like they have a small blister in the middle of them with a redish “halo” around them and there not itchy anymore. then acouple days later when the swelling goes down even more then they have a small red dot in the middle of them and eventually slowly fade away, the ones on my back are almost gone and the ones on my leg are currently still in the “small blister” looking stage, now the weird thing is the ones on my back are not quite is line but are grouped together and the ones on my leg are in a triangle. Now i know both like to bite more than once… but how do i tell whats biteing me? I have searched my bed everyday since i got bit the first time and cant find ANY sign of bed bugs no bugs, no skeletons of there skin, no feces and no eggs… Now my dog doesnt have fleas but she has been going to the vet recently and am wondering maybe one jumped on her while she was there and it just happend to go into my room when she jumped on my bed? or i have a friends house that i go to every weekend and they have 2 dogs, maybe they have fleas? but none of my other friends have said they are bit?
    Could I be allergic to the flea bites and no one else seems to get a reaction to them? I need help figureing this out! if anyone can help me i would appriciate it!
    Thanks
    Tanya

  3. Jennifer on Thu, 14th Apr 2011 1:10 pm

    4. First, you should check your dog for fleas. If you don’t see them, it doesn’t mean they are not there. Fleas can be very small and it will take time to grow big enough for you to see them. You can ask your vet to give you some products for dog care, to prevent fleas from reproducing and eliminate those who are already there.

    Now your rash can be an allergy. Or, perhaps you got it at the vet’s, from some other animal. On the other hand, those marks on your skin can be fleabites. Bed bug bites are also possible in our case. Don’t be surprised if you can’t find any bugs in your bed. They are only active during the night. During the day, they hide, so you cannot see them. Instead of guessing, it would be better for you to visit your dermatologist and see what it really is. Come back to tell us what it is, ok?

  4. Anna on Mon, 18th Apr 2011 1:53 pm

    5. I think that fleabites are far more dangerous than the bed bug bites are. I mean, bed bugs are annoying and their bites are certainly irritating, especially the ones on your face and neck, but at least they cannot cause any health issues, can they?? Fleas are horrible and gross. My dog used to have serous skin problem because of fleas. They were so numerous that you could see them walking around on my dog’s head. He was scratching his skin like he was mad. He made scars and his skin was bleeding for days. He was in pain because of these bloodsuckers. We couldn’t get rid of them so easily. He had to get some injections for preventing I-don’t-know-what. I was afraid he would even die, because he was so exhausted and looked really bad. So, I am afraid of fleas and I truly hate them. Comparing to fleas, bud bugs are nothing.

  5. Tanya on Mon, 25th Apr 2011 6:19 pm

    6. I checked my dog for fleas and she had nothing. Didnt end up going to a dermatoligist and havent had any more bites since… very strange though, still alittle paranoid when i sleep but it didnt seem to be anything… I still think maybe a flea got me or maybe there was a spider in my bed.. but the bites just looked gross so im glad im not getting them anymore..

  6. John O. on Tue, 13th Dec 2011 9:51 pm

    7. My dog had fleas, and I was bitten last year. He had so many of them, and I was desperate! I had no idea where he got them, because I really pay a lot of attention to his hygiene. I keep him in my backyard, and I have always been cautious when it comes to ticks and fleas. I don’t have any other pet, and he rarely gets into contact with other dogs. He can’t stand cats, so he could not get any fleas from the local cats. Everyday, when I play with my dog, I check him for fleas. He’s never had anything within the coat. Then, I saw him scratching, but I thought it was nothing. The following day, he was scratching even more, and I got worried. I searched for fleas and I found several eggs. It was evening, and I planed to go to the pet shop first thing in the morning. However, when I got up the next day and looked at him, he seemed to have so many fleas all around his body! I was terrified and angry with myself for not noticing this in time. Somehow, we managed to solve this problem, but my vet told me about possible problems could come from fleas. I could not believe that fleas could be so dangerous! Bed bug bites are bad, but they can’t kill your pet, and they can’t spread any illness. Fleas can transmit all kinds of illnesses that can affect both humans and animals. If I had to choose between fleas and bedbugs, I would say “I’ll take bedbugs”. Of course, I hate bugs and I certainly would not want to have any of these, but if I had to choose, I would rather be bitten by bedbugs! Fleas are disgusting and dangerous.

  7. Mel on Tue, 3rd Apr 2012 4:59 pm

    8. I thought I had bed bug bites based on the bites I was getting which were about as large as CD’s, very hot, painful etc, but with a move fast approving I decided to take action to prep for the move and fight the bedbugs. I bought covers, I ditched furniture and a whole other gamete of things and during the move itself we discovered they weren’t bed bugs at all but fleas.

    Apparently I am highly highly allergic to flea bites. The bite itself isn’t a good indication mostly because we can all reaction different. I was relieved and freaked out at the same time because I was aware that fleas can spread disease but are easier to get rid of. I am two days into my new house and have been bitten once. Heading to the store tonight to grab flea spray, my dog hasn’t a bite on her, OR her body isn’t reacting..

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