How to Identify Small Bugs in Your Bed or Bedroom

Waking up and finding an unexpected tiny visitor in your bed can be disconcerting, to say the least.

Most people immediately think of bed bugs, but there are many other types of small bugs that might find their way into or around your bed looking for food or a place to hide. Fortunately, most of them are much easier to deal with than bed bugs.

If you’ve found a small bug in your bed and are having trouble identifying it, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll cover the most common bedroom intruders (in New York, at least) and help you learn how to identify them.

Small Bugs Found in Beds:

1. Bed Bugs

2. Cockroaches

3. Fleas

4. Ticks

5. Ants

6. Spider Beetles

7. Carpet Beetles

   1. Bed Bugs

   Bed bugs are nocturnal bloodsuckers that thrive in environments close to their human hosts. They are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, as well as our body heat and odors.

   Consequently, these cues lead them to crawl into our beds during the night. During the day, they like to hide in dark and narrow spaces, such as mattress seams, bed frames, cracks, and crevices.

   Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a bed bug:

   General Appearance

   • Size: About the size of a small apple seed. Adults range from 1/6–1/4 inch (4–7 mm), while nymphs (baby bed bugs) can be as small as 1/16 inch (1.5 mm).

   • Color: Reddish-brown, though after feeding they can appear redder due to consumed blood.

   • Shape: Oval and flattened from top to bottom, but becomes long and bloated after feeding.

   • Identification: Bed Bug (Adult), Bed Bug (Nymph)

   Other Signs

   • Bites: Red, itchy bites that may appear in lines or clusters

   • Bloodstains: May be evident on sheets, especially if bed bugs are inadvertently crushed during feeding.

   • Fecal Spots: Tiny black or brown specks on bedding and mattresses.

   • Shell Casings: As they mature, bed bugs molt and leave behind these translucent exoskeletons.

   • Eggs: Tiny, white, and about the size of a pinhead.

2. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are nocturnal scavengers that flourish in environments with easy access to food and water. Drawn to crumbs, spills, and even the slightest of food odors, they often venture into human habitats.

While they primarily favor kitchens and bathrooms, a sighting in a bedroom isn’t unusual, especially if food is consumed there. By day, these pests prefer dark, concealed spaces, like under furniture, within wall cracks, and behind clutter.

Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a cockroach:

General Appearance

• Size: Varies by species, but common ones like the German cockroach measure around 1/2–5/8 inch (13–16 mm).

• Color: Typically brown to dark brown, but some species, like the American cockroach, are a reddish-brown.

• Shape: Elongated and flattened, with thread-like antennae and wings that rest flat against their backs.

• Identification: German Cockroach, American Cockroach, Oriental Cockroach, Brown-Banded Cockroach

Other Signs

• Clutter: Messy bedrooms are more likely to have cockroaches because they’re drawn to clutter.

• Droppings: Resembling coffee grounds or black pepper, often found in areas of activity.

• Odor: Cockroaches emit a musty, distinct odor that can taint items they’ve been in contact with.

• Egg Capsules: Brownish, oblong casings that may contain numerous eggs. Often spotted near food sources or tucked away in hidden locations.

3. Fleas

If you have pets at home, especially cats and dogs, the small bug in your bed might just be a flea. Fleas are tiny, wingless insects that primarily feed on the blood of animals. They might end up in your bed after hitching a ride on your pet.

Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a flea:

General Appearance

• Size: Typically, they span about 1/16–1/8 inch (1.5–3 mm) in length.

• Color: Characteristically reddish-brown.

• Shape: Oval, wingless, and laterally flattened (lays flat on its sides) with long, spiny hind legs.

• Identification: Cat Flea

Other Signs

• Bites: Human flea bites typically manifest as minute, red, itchy dots often surrounded by a reddened halo. They might cluster or form lines, predominantly around the ankles or legs.

• Animal Distress: Pets that scratch incessantly or seem agitated could be signaling a flea problem.

• Flea Dirt: Essentially flea excrement, this appears as minuscule black or reddish-brown flecks. Upon moistening, they reveal a red hue due to the blood consumed by the flea.

• Flea Eggs: These are microscopic, white, and oval, frequently detected in areas pets frequent.

4. Ticks

Ticks are small, blood-feeding ectoparasites that belong to the arachnid family, making them relatives of spiders and mites. They are vectors for several tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Finding a tick in your bed might occur due to a household member or pet recently visiting tick-infested areas and unknowingly bringing them indoors on clothing or fur.

Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a tick:

General Appearance:

• Size: Ticks vary widely in size based on their species and feeding status. Unfed ticks can be as small as a poppy seed (1/16 inch or 1 mm) in their larval stage, and as large as a flax seed (1/5 or 5 mm) in their adult form. Engorged ticks (after feeding) are noticeably larger and swollen.

• Color: Depending on the species, ticks can be brown, black, reddish-brown, or even translucent in color.

• Shape: They possess a flattened, oval body. This body becomes more rounded and engorged as they feed. Being arachnids, adult ticks have 8 legs, while their larval form has only 6. They also have distinct, long mouthparts, or capitulum, extending forward from their heads.

• Identification: American Dog Tick / Wood Tick, Brown Dog Tick, Deer Tick / Eastern Black-Legged Tick, Lone Star Tick

Other Signs:

• Bites or Rashes: Tick bites may appear as small red bumps or rashes. Some people may experience swelling, burning, itching, or even a rash. Lyme disease, transmitted by certain ticks, often manifests as a red, circular “bull’s-eye” rash around the bite site. However, not all tick bites lead to symptoms, and many can go unnoticed.

• Flu-Like Symptoms: Not directly a sign of ticks but of potential diseases they transmit. Symptoms like fever, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint aches can follow a tick bite, particularly if the tick transmitted a pathogen.

• Recent Outdoor Activities: Spending time outdoors in woody or grassy areas increases your chances of picking up a tick.

  • 5. Ants

    While kitchens are their usual hunting ground due to easily accessible food, finding an ant in your bedroom is not entirely out of place, especially if you tend to snack in bed. While foraging for food, ants might venture onto your bed seeking crumbs or sweets.

    Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is an ant:

  • General Appearance

    • Size: Varies by species. Common household ants, like the odorous house ant or pavement ant, measure around 1/8–3/16 inch (3–4 mm). Carpenter ants, which are larger, can be up to 1/2 inch (13 mm).

    • Color: Colors range from light brown to black. Some species might have reddish or yellowish hues.

    • Shape: Segmented bodies with a distinct head, thorax, and abdomen. Most species have elbowed antennae and a constricted waist consisting of 1 or 2 nodes between the thorax and abdomen.

    • Identification: Odorous House Ant, Pavement Ant, Carpenter Ant

    Other Signs

    • Food in Bed: Ants are mainly attracted by food, and even tiny amounts of food or drink residue can lure ants into your bed.

    • Trails: Ants, especially when foraging, often move in defined trails guided by pheromones. Observing such trails can lead you to their source or nest.

    • Odor: Some ants, like the odorous house ant, release a distinct scent when crushed (often described as smelling like rotten coconut).

      6.Spider Beetles

      Spider beetles are nocturnal scavengers. They’re typically more of a pantry pest, as they feed on grains and dried food products, but they may wander into bedrooms when attracted by food residues or crumbs in or near the bed. They also favor dark, undisturbed areas with high humidity, making certain bedroom areas appealing.

      Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a spider beetle:

      General Appearance

      • Size: Spider beetles are small, usually measuring around 1/16–1/8 inch (1.5–3.5 mm) in length.

      • Color: Their color can range from reddish-brown to almost black.

      • Shape: Their appearance is oval-shaped and somewhat spider-like, with long, slender legs and a large, bulbous abdomen. They have long antennae, which can sometimes be mistaken for an additional pair of legs.

      • Identification: Shiny Spider Beetle, American Spider Beetle

      Other Signs

      • Larvae: Larvae are cream-colored, C-shaped, and can be found in food sources.

      • Webbing: In areas of heavy infestation, spider beetles might produce web-like materials similar to what pantry moths produce.

      • Food Damage: If they’ve migrated from a pantry or food storage area, you might find damaged grains, cereals, or dried foods.

      • High Humidity: Spider beetles thrive in environments with lots of moisture. If your bedroom has high humidity, it might be more inviting to these beetles.

        7.Carpet Beetles

        Adult carpet beetles don’t actually feed on carpets or fabric materials (only their larvae do), but you may occasionally find one that wandered into your bed or bedroom in search of breeding sites. They prefer dark, undisturbed areas near furniture, carpets, and rugs to deposit their eggs.

        Because carpet beetles are of similar size and shape as bed bugs, they are commonly misidentified as such.

        Here’s how to tell if the small bug in your bed is a carpet beetle:

        General Appearance

        • Size: Adult carpet beetles measure around 1/16 to 1/8 inch (2–3 mm) in length.

        • Color: Depending on the species, they can range from black to mottled with white, brown, and yellow patches.

        • Shape: Typically oval, somewhat resembling ladybugs but smaller. While they have wings and can fly, they’re often found crawling

        • Identification: Varied Carpet Beetle, Black Carpet Beetle, Furniture Carpet Beetle

        Other Signs

        • Larvae: Often more problematic than adults, carpet beetle larvae are small, hairy, and caterpillar-like, feeding on the same materials as adults but causing more damage.

        • Shed Skins: As larvae grow, they molt and leave behind translucent, bristle-covered skins.

        • Fabric Damage: You might notice tiny holes or chewed areas in natural fabrics, especially wool, silk, or feathers.

        • Fecal Pellets: Tiny, round, and dark, these droppings from larvae can be found in areas of activity.