What can be mistaken for bed bugs?

Many insects and 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 is important. Common bugs 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 require microscope to distinguish, they feed on bats in attics and will bite humans if bats present. Swallow bugs feed on birds and look similar. Fleas are small, dark, jumping insects that bite ankles and cause itchy welts, but they jump while bed bugs crawl and do not fly. 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 with longer antennae that move faster. Spider beetles are small, brown, spider-like beetles found in pantries. Ticks can be mistaken when engorged with blood. 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 bites in line or zigzag at night, and have professional identify.