Ticks vs Bed Bugs: Your Guide

Updated March 2021

When you have a tiny pest pestering you, you’ll do anything to get rid of it, but first, you need to identify the culprit. Luckily, there are some easy ways to tell the difference between two small-but-mighty pests: ticks and bed bugs.

Ticks vs Bed Bugs

Ticks

Appearance: Adult ticks have eight legs as adults (only six as larvae), and grow to be about the size of an apple seed. The color varies. When the tick consumes blood, the abdomen will swell.

Location: You are most likely to find ticks outside. If there is a tick inside, it hitched a ride indoors on you or your pet.

Bites: Bites can produce a tell-tale bull’s eye rash if it is a deer tick capable of spreading Lyme disease. (The tick might even still be in the center, swollen with your blood!) If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause irreparable brain damage, and the onset of a variety of conditions including depression and anxiety.

Signs of an infestation: There are rarely tick infestations. If there are multiple tiny bugs present in your home, you are likely not dealing with a tick problem.

Bed Bugs

Appearance: Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown, have six legs, and are about the size of an apple seed. Eggs, on the other hand, are so tiny, you won’t be able to see them with your naked eye!

Location: Bed bugs aren’t limited to the bed; you can find them anywhere, including on the couch, rug, public transit, and your own car. They are known for infesting hotel rooms, so it’s important to always check around the mattress when you arrive for your stay. They might just hitch a ride back to your home in your suitcase!

Bites: Bites are small, clustered, red, and possibly itchy or burning a few days after exposure. They often appear in groups along your body.

Signs of an infestation: You might wake up with an unexplained rash, find little blood stains on your sheets from bites, and find exoskeletons when you look harder.

Tiny Pests Can Be a Big Problem.

That’s why Green Pest Solutions is here. We have preventative measures to keep ticks and other pests from calling your yard their own and the tools necessary to kick bed bugs out. The Green Band Protection System takes the common sense approach of controlling pests, and the diseases they spread to a new family-friendly level, while still protecting the people, pets, and plants from any ill effects from a pesticide spraying process inside your home. Call us today at 855-312-7157 for more information.