How To Tell If It's Bed Bugs Or Carpet Beetles In Your Streator Home

If you don't know all that much about bed bugs or carpet beetles, you might get confused when these pests get into your home. Why? Because bed bugs and carpet beetles both have the ability to leave a bumpy rash on your skin. Understanding what these rashes are and how you get them is the first step in how to tell if it's bed bugs or carpet beetles you're dealing with.

Bed Bug Rash

When bed bug bites, the anticoagulant it administers into the wound can cause an allergic reaction. This will produce an inflamed region around the bite. Several bites in one location can produce a large rash. If you have one of these rashes, there are a few characteristics to look for.

  • A bed bug bites multiple times (often three times) in a straight line or zig zag.
  • Several bed bugs can bite at the same time, in the same location.
  • The rash caused by bed bugs will be around the bites.
  • Sometimes, there will be no rash around bed bug bites.
  • Sometimes bed bugs bites will develop into painful welts.
  • Bed bug bites will usually be found on skin that was exposed during the night.

Carpet Beetle Rash

When carpet beetle larvae come in contact with skin, it can cause an allergic reaction. This reaction can be small or extensive, depending on how many larvae came in contact with the skin, and how allergic the individual was.

  • The bumps in a carpet beetle rash will not be bites. They'll have more in common with the bumps caused by hives.
  • The bumps in a carpet beetle rash will appear random on the skin, rather than following a pattern like bed bug bites.
  • A carpet beetle rash will occur where the skin has touched a pillowcase, sheets, or bedding that has larvae.
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Inspection

If you can't tell what pest you're dealing with by inspecting the rashy bumps you've found, the next step is to do a detailed inspection. Here's how to do an inspection for each of these pests.

Bed Bug Inspection

  • Inspect sheets, pillowcases, and bedding for dried brown blood stains, black stains, or shed insect skins.
  • Inspect the mattress, box spring, and bed frame for bed bugs. You'll need to look in compressed areas, cracks, crevices, and holes. It can be helpful to run a credit card along seams, like you would slide it through the machine at the grocery store. If you uncover tiny white eggs, shed insect skins, black feces, or bed bugs, you'll know you have an infestation.
  • During your inspection, keep in mind that bed bugs are between 1mm and 4.5 mm long. An entire infestation can fit on one fingernail.

Carpet Beetle Inspection

If you have carpet beetles in your bed, you may not see any beetles. It isn't carpet beetles that cause rashes. Look for their worm-like larvae. These will be attached to silk, wool, and other fabrics with natural fibers. Carpet beetle larvae are large enough to see and will vary in appearance depending on the species. You're basically looking for hairy worms. Yup. It is as disgusting as it sounds. You may also be able to tell that you have a carpet beetle infestation by finding the beetles crawling around in your home. Be aware that they can be difficult to identify because they are extremely small. If you go to the internet to look at pictures, you might think that you're looking for a ladybug-sized beetle that is a mottled mix of brown, tan, white and black. But what you're looking for is a little speck of a beetle with that color variation.

Need Help?

If you have either of these pests infesting your home, you don't have to battle them alone. The team at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators can help you identify the pests you're dealing with and offer you industry-leading treatment options to arrest the infestation in your home. We use field-tested methods and EPA approved products to locate and eradicate these and many other common Illinois pests. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance. We're here to help.

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