What Bugs Bite at Night Besides Bed Bugs?

Don’t let the bed bugs bite is something that you are likely to hear from someone who wants to wish you a good night’s sleep. While it’s true that bed bugs tend to come out and feed on your blood while you are asleep, many other bugs can also bite you after the sun goes down.

You can think of them as vampires with multiple legs and sometimes wings, too, which allow them to travel from one area of your body to the other or from one victim to the next.

Are you wondering who’s biting you at night?

There are a handful of bugs that closely resemble bed bugs in terms of their feeding habits. Some common examples include mosquitoes, fleas, and spiders. Less common examples include kissing bugs, scabies, chiggers, and rodent mites. While they may bite at night, some may also bite at any other time of the day.

Especially if you are someone who is into DIY solutions, it is a must to correctly identify which type of insect is biting you whenever you are enjoying some Z’s before you spring into action.

Otherwise, you may wind up using the right weapon on the wrong enemy. Not only will this waste your precious time and money completely but also cause you to keep on scratching in the middle of the night or the following morning.

Taking a Closer Look at These Bad Bugs

Before you hold bed bugs responsible for your nightly problem, it is a good idea to get to know first a few other insects that can pester you without your knowledge while you are sound asleep.

Some of them may rouse you from sleep the moment that they bite. Others may not disturb you at all due to the presence of an anesthetic in their saliva, which is the case with bed bugs.

Either way, the thought that any of the following insects might make a meal out of your body at night is enough to make you toss and turn in bed and even dash out of the bedroom.

Following are bugs other than bed bugs that might bite at night:

Mosquitoes

The majority of mosquitoes prefer to feed on human blood at either dawn or dusk. However, some of them like it better to eat at night, depending on the species. During summer, most mosquitoes tend to show up and bite at night.

Rodent mites

Just like what the name says, rodent mites are small parasites that live on the likes of rats, mites, and squirrels.

In case they wind up on your bed as a result of their host getting inside your bedroom, they will readily bite you to taste your blood.

Fleas

If you think that fleas like to feast on the blood of your pet only, think again. It is likely for them to consume your blood, too, especially if there are lots of them competing for their host’s blood.

Needless to say, a flea infestation can bug not only your pet but also you.

Kissing bugs

Their names may make them sound romantic, but kissing bugs can transmit an infection called Chagas disease. By the way, kissing bugs are called such because they usually bite sleeping humans and animals near their mouths.

Scabies

There is an itchy skin condition referred to as scabies. It is an infestation caused by very tiny insects called sarcoptes scabiei, or scabies. Here’s something about scabies that might make you squirm: These little crawlers burrow in your skin.

Chiggers

Just like scabies, chiggers also set up camp in the skin of their host. This preferred living arrangement of theirs can cause skin redness, irritation, and itchiness.

Spiders

If you hate anything that has eight long legs and can crawl really fast, knowing that there is a spider around is enough to leave you panicking.

Especially if you are visiting a tropical country where there are more species of these creatures than elsewhere, the sight of a strange-looking one in your hotel room can cause you to arm yourself with just about anything that you can squish it with from a distance, like a towel.

As you can see, many insects can pester you at night other than bed bugs. Before you accuse bed bugs of gobbling up your blood, make sure first that you are pointing your finger at the right bug.

Signs That Bed Bugs May Not be the Enemies

It’s no secret that bed bugs can easily multiply and cause a serious infestation at home. This is why many people tend to freak out at the first sign that there could be some bed bugs in their bedrooms.

However, since many other bugs can bite at night, too, it’s not always that bed bugs are the ones to blame. There is a possibility that it could be an entirely different family of insects that is present. Also, in some instances, it could be due to something else that does not crawl, jump, or fly!

Here are some signs that bed bugs may not be the guilty parties:

The bite marks are concentrated around your ankles

Bed bugs tend to bite on exposed areas of your body while you are taking a trip to dreamland. Some of them are your ankles. However, there is a possibility that bed bugs are not the culprit if your ankles are the only ones being bitten.

Experts say it could be that you have a pet with a flea problem. Some of its fleas may bite you when your pet sits or lies next to your feet.

You spot tiny bugs that jump or fly

Many people think that bed bugs can easily spread from one room to the other because they are excellent jumpers. The good news is that they are not like ticks and fleas that are blessed with the ability to jump.

Similarly, they do not have wings. Unfortunately, bed bugs can crawl. They can also cling to clothes and hide in suitcases, allowing them to travel across cities and countries.

No tiny stains can be found on the sheets

One of the telltale signs that there are bed bugs hiding somewhere in the bedroom is that there are dark or rusty spots on the sheets and elsewhere on the bed. Those are basically their poop.

In some instances, the spots that appear in the morning are the blood of bed bugs (your blood, actually) that you have accidentally squished as they attempt to go back into hiding.

The itchiness is not accompanied by bite marks

It is unlikely that you have a bed bug infestation if you feel itchy alright, but you cannot spot any red marks on the affected areas. No other insects might be responsible for it either.

There is a possibility that it could be due to something else. Some of them are the detergent you are using, medications you are taking, and allergens you are exposed to.

If you cannot get a good night’s sleep because of the unnecessary stress or anxiety that you are having, then you may get in touch with professional exterminators. They will conduct an inspection to determine the cause.

Aside from in your own bedroom, you may also encounter a bed bug-like problem in a hotel room. At the first sign of the presence of unwelcome guests, pick up the in-room phone and report your concern to the front desk.

On the other hand, you may ask the hotel to give you a refund if there are, in fact, bugs that share the bed with you.

Just Before You Hop Into Bed to Get Some Shut-Eye

Refrain from blaming bed bugs if you are not 100% certain that they are the culprits. Aside from these creepy crawlers that many wouldn’t want to encounter in their bedrooms, there are some that can mimic bed bugs, particularly because they also tend to come out to bite you only after the sun has gone down.

No matter which type of bug is responsible, one thing remains true: The thought of you being visited by some nocturnal creatures can cause you to lose much-needed sleep.

Related Questions

Are there bugs that can be mistaken for bed bugs because they look the same?

Many insects can resemble bed bugs. Some examples are carpet beetles, but they do not bite humans and feed on their blood. Cockroach nymphs and spider beetles have the same color as bed bugs, although they are shaped slightly differently.

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