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What Is the Difference Between Bedbugs & Ticks?

Nobody wants to have to identify a creature that just got done sucking his blood, but doing so will be helpful in treating the bite and in treating a potential infestation. The tick and the bed bug are often confused, but knowing their physical and lifestyle differences can be of tremendous help when it comes time to remove them from your home.

  1. Body Shape

    • There is a distinct difference in body shape between bed bugs and ticks. Ticks have only one single body segment, to which the legs are attached. They are sac-shaped and do not have segmented bodies, as do other spiders and bugs. Bed bugs, however, have segmented body parts. You will notice a distinct waist separation between the head and the thorax, the part where the blood is stored. This is especially noticeable when either species has recently fed.

    Legs

    • Ticks are members of the arachnid family. As such, they are classified with spiders and scorpions. All of these creatures have eight legs. To call a tick a "bug" would be to misidentify it, as arachnids and true bugs are from different families. Bed bugs, however, are true bugs. Like most other true bugs, bed bugs have six legs. Be careful not to count the forward mouth parts of the bed bug as legs, as they are not. If the bug doesn't walk on them, they aren't legs.

    Disease

    • Though many people believe that all blood-sucking creatures carry disease, this is not always the case. Ticks are notorious disease carriers, especially of Lyme disease. Lyme disease manifests at first as a skin rash, which can follow with arthritic joint pain and can lead to heart blockage in some cases if left untreated for more than six weeks. Fortunately, however, there are treatments available. Also fortunately, bed bugs are not known to carry any human diseases.

    Lifestyle

    • Another simple difference between ticks and bed bugs is their lifestyle. While ticks will require a host throughout each stage of life, bed bugs do not. When a tick attaches, it will generally stay attached until it has had its fill or is removed. It will then go off to morph or breed. Bed bugs will only feed at night and then retreat to their hiding places until the next night. For this reason, it is possible to have a bed bug infestation and never find one on you.

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