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What Kinds of Bugs Live in Bed Sheets?

There are a large number of insects and other animal species, including the arthropod, that can be found living and feeding on a bed and in bed sheets. Included in the types of bugs found in bedding are bed bugs, fleas, skin and dust mites and ticks.

  1. Bugs

    • There are a number of types of bugs that are found in beds that can carry illnesses dangerous to human health, including fleas. Varieties of bed bugs are found through the world, while others are located in certain regions because of heat and humidity levels, such as the tropical bed bug. Insects that often survive within a bed and bedding include bed bugs and lice, while arthropod's include ticks and various types of mite.

    Bed Bug

    • The common bed bug, Cimex Lectarlarius, is found throughout the world in large numbers, including the U.S. In warmer climates the tropical bed bug, Cimex Hemipterus, can be found. The bed bug is usually found surviving in mattresses, on bed sheets and on furniture. There they wait for people to come into contact with them so they can feed on the blood of the host animal. The common bed bug does not carry disease harmful to humans but can cause irritating bites. The bug changes from a reddish-brown color to dark brown after feeding on an animal. The bed bug has a flat, oval shaped body of 4 to 7 mm in length, according to the World Health Organization.

    Dust Mites

    • Dust mites can be found living on the majority of beds, pillows, mattresses and bedding where they survive by feeding on dead skin cells. Up to 10 million dust mites, Dermatophagoides Farinae, can be found on a single bed, according to the Dust Mites website. Dust mites are not thought to have any human health risks, but early exposure to large amounts of dust mite droppings can lead to a permanent allergy to the droppings of the bug. Allergies to dust mite droppings can lead to other health problems, such as asthma, eczema and hay fever.

    Human Fleas

    • The human flea, Pulex Irritans, is often found hiding in bedding where it waits for a human or other animal to jump onto and bite. Flea bites are mostly found on the legs and ankles of humans from fleas jumping from the ground, although where fleas are found in bedding, bites can occur anywhere on the body.

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