Difference Between Carpet Beetle And Bed Bug

Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small.

Difference between carpet beetle and bed bug.

But you will immediately see a difference between these two pests if you know what you re looking for. Carpet beetles are found in almost every region of the world. An important detail when understanding the difference. The second difference and the biggest nuisance is the fact that bed bugs feed on human blood while carpet beetles feed on animal fibers.

The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities. The main difference is the color. In order to prevent the damage they cause you have to identify the signs of their infestation. But the main difference is that the varied carpet beetle does not feed on blood.

Carpet beetles and bed bugs have vastly different coloring. For those of you who are a little bit more impatient i ll say that there are 5 main differences between carpet beetles and bed bugs. However the carpet beetle is the smallest of the two and averages 1 8th of an inch in length while the bed bug is about 1 4th of an inch long. The official name for the varied carpet beetle is anthrenus verbasci they are small about 3mm in length and flat in their shape.

Here s how to tell the difference. If the bug you have crawling around in your bed is black brownish or red it may be a bed bug but if it is white gray and tannish it is most likely a carpet beetle. Many people confuse the common and relatively harmless carpet beetle with bed bugs. There is a lot of difference between a moth and a carpet beetle.

They are not just limited to ruining your carpets. Bed bugs eat human blood and carpet beetle larvae feed on wool and animal based materials. The difference here is that bed bugs have a mouth made for piercing skin and sucking blood while carpet beetles have a mouth made for chewing on plants and other fibrous material. A carpet beetle has the potential of ruining more things than a moth can.

Bed bug larvae look like little worms while carpet beetle larvae look like fuzzy bugs with little spines all over them. One big difference between bed bugs and carpet beetles that can help you determine which pest you re dealing with is that bed bugs go through an incomplete metamorphosis while carpet beetles go through a complete metamorphosis. Bed bugs are bigger and have flat bodies than bed bugs. The first notable difference is that of size as bed bugs are twice as big as carpet beetles.

Bed bugs are in the family cimicidae while carpet beetles are in the family dermestids.