Many bugs can be mistaken for bed bugs because they are small, brown, and found in homes, leading to misidentification and unnecessary anxiety, so proper identification with magnifying glass is important. Bugs commonly mistaken for bed bugs include carpet beetles, which are small, oval, brownish beetles that feed on fabrics and have larvae with bristly hairs, found in closets and carpets, but they do not bite. Bat bugs are very similar to bed bugs, nearly identical in appearance, and feed on bats but will bite humans if bats are in attic, distinguished only under microscope. Swallow bugs are similar and feed on birds. Fleas are small, dark, jumping insects that bite ankles and cause itchy welts, but they jump and bed bugs crawl. Booklice are tiny, pale, soft bodied insects found in moldy books and damp areas, not biting. Cockroach nymphs, especially German cockroach nymphs, are small brown insects that can be mistaken for bed bugs but have longer antennae and move faster. Ticks can be mistaken when engorged. Spider beetles are small, brown, spider-like beetles. To distinguish bed bugs, look for flat, oval, reddish-brown insects about apple seed size that do not jump or fly, found in mattress seams and headboard crevices, with dark fecal spots like ink dots and rust-colored stains on sheets, and they bite in line or zigzag pattern at night.
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