Bed Bug Carpet Beetle

If carpet beetles are living in your bed it can be hard to tell if you have them or bed bugs.

Bed bug carpet beetle.

They look like tiny furry caterpillars whereas the bed bug larvae look a lot like the larger versions but just very small. Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small. 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. You ve noticed that carpet beetles length varies a lot while bed bugs are always the same length.

Carpet beetles vary in color depending on type e g varied black furniture or common carpet beetles. Both can live in mattresses and other bedding and are attracted to the carbon dioxide you exhale as. Bed bug larvae look like little worms while carpet beetle larvae look like fuzzy bugs with little spines all over them. Carpet beetles look very very different from bed bugs when they are larger.

Adult bed bug carpet beetles. Bed bugs measure of an inch long. Carpet beetles are usually quite small but can grow to nearly ladybug size. In the pacific northwest they have a black and yellow color pattern but black and blue is common as well.

Differences between bed bugs and carpet beetles. After a larval stage they can be found in carpeting along trim in your windowsills your bedding and just about anywhere. That s because bed bugs always look the same but there are a lot of carpet beetle species. The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities.