While bed bugs may not pose an immediate health risk like ticks do, they can nonetheless cause significant anxiety and prevent you from getting a decent night's rest. Meanwhile, ticks transmit an illness that can be fatal: Lyme disease. Almost 30,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rickettsiosis and Ehrlichiosis are two more diseases transmitted by ticks.

Ticks and bed bugs have certain similarities but also have key distinctions. Bed bugs and ticks look quite similar, however ticks have eight legs whereas bed bugs only have six. To what other ways do they diverge? What exactly do they have in common, exactly?

Tick vs. Bed Bugs

Size-wise, bedbugs and ticks are almost the same, and their colours can range from brown to red to black, depending on the type. To tell them apart, you'd have to count their legs or look at them quite closely, neither of which is particularly practical.

There are no wings on either ticks or bed bugs. Size-wise, bed bugs and ticks are quite similar, albeit an adult bed bug can be up to three-eighths of an inch long. Both tick and bed bugs are spherical and swollen when they are full with blood, and their colours ranging from yellow to brown.

On the other hand, ticks prefer the outdoors over the closed quarters of a home. The most common habitats of bed bugs are soft furnishings including mattresses, sofas, and carpets. Bed frames, box springs, and headboards are also common hiding spots, as are crevices in buildings; nevertheless, they avoid damp places like toilets and kitchen sinks. In fact, you may often see them in theatres.

However, ticks are exclusively found in the wild. In the shade of shrubs, at the foot of trees, hidden in tall grasses, and in the corners of fields and backyards. Ticks can be discovered on animals and pet bedding, and they can cause serious illness or death in both humans and animals. Once ticks get inside a home, they'll look for small openings to escape out of.

Ticks and Not Bed Bugs Spread Disease

Despite the fact that bed bugs can harbour a wide variety of viruses, there is currently no proof that they are able to pass these diseases on to their human hosts. However, scratching at bed bug bites can spread secondary bacterial illnesses because they are so itchy.

However, ticks are vectors for a wide variety of dangerous viruses and bacteria that can be transmitted to humans and other animals through tick bites. Throughout the northern Midwest and the northeastern states, Lyme disease has become the most widespread of these conditions. Additionally, ticks can transmit diseases like anaplasmosis, tularaemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis.

Ticks Like Animals, but Bed Bugs Prefer Humans

There are numerous distinctions between ticks and bed bugs, but they do have a common trait in that both feed primarily on human blood. Ticks, on the other hand, typically feed on some other warm-blooded creatures rather than human blood, while bed bugs prefer human blood. Both of these irritating pests, however, will gladly consume blood from an alternative host if their primary one is not accessible. While ticks prefer to feed on deer, rodents, dogs, or even birds (depending on the species), bed bugs will bite any mammal they can get their mouths on for a quick meal.

Bed Bugs Bite Repeatedly, Unlike Ticks

While both ticks and bedbugs can cause an uncomfortable, swollen bump on the skin after biting, these insects bite in different ways and have different preferences. When a tick feeds, it attaches itself to its host and inserts its mouthparts under the skin. Despite their ability to bite anywhere on the body, they like the groyne and armpit because of their warmth and moisture. A tick may stay in one place for several days, feeding on the host's blood until it is full. The tick will fall off at that point.

In contrast, bed bugs stay close to the skin's surface as they feed. They feed on blood, which they get by inserting their tube-like mouths through the skin. After they've finished eating, they either rest or, more often, travel to a new location to repeat the process. The only safe place to sleep is in a tightly covered mattress, because bed bugs will attack any exposed skin. Infestations can occur anywhere on the body, although the most common sites are the ankles, chests, hands, arms, neck, and even the face of their hosts.

Ticks Are Nocturnal Whereas Bed Bugs Are Diurnal

Bed bugs love to feed on you while you're asleep because that's when they spend most of their time in your bed. Although bed bugs prefer to feed at night, they will do so during the day when they are starving and in a desperate hunt for blood due to an extensive invasion or just because you work the late shift and are unavailable for attacking during the day. Bed bugs are more active at night, but that doesn't mean you can't leave a light on to ward them off. Although a problem throughout the year, bed bugs really start to show their ugly faces when the weather warms up.

Conversely, many hard ticks are diurnal, suggesting they prefer to attach to a host during the day. Some tick species are more active in the mornings and evenings when temperatures and humidity are lower, but the vast majority are most active when temperatures and humidity are higher in the afternoons. Even though ticks are active whenever the weather is above freezing, parasites are more common in the hotter seasons of summer and fall.

How to Tell Whether a Tick or Bed Bug Bit You

The initial symptoms of a bedbug infestation or tick bite may be similar, making it difficult to determine which pest caused the problem. Both of them will leave a red, tiny wound. If you wait a few days or even a few hours, you won't be able to see any significant changes. Furthermore, mosquitoes, fleas, spiders, and other unpleasant creatures are known to sting. What are the telltale signs of a tick as opposed to a bed bug?

Different people react differently to insect bites. The little red bumps that can result from a tick or bed bug bite are easily mistaken for anything else. Since it is not unusual for multiple bed bugs to attack at once, it is not surprising that bites tend to cluster together. However, a tick eradication service reports that only a single or a pair of ticks are typically present at a time in a single body location.

Bed bug bites, like tick bites, can cause itching and sometimes a rash. However, at first glance, it may be difficult to determine the difference between the bites of different insects. Finding the critter firmly connected to your skin is the surest method to determine if you were bitten by a bed bug or a tick.

The bites of bed bugs tend to cluster together and are most commonly observed on the neck, face, hands, and arms. Ticks are most often located in the hairline, armpits, groyne, chest, feet, legs, and behind the knees, but they can adhere to other areas of the body.

Ticks stay on to the skin for a longer period of time than do bed bugs, which only use their pincers to bite and afterwards move on to another part of the body. The pincers are inserted into the skin, and an anticoagulant is secreted to stop the blood from clotting. Extreme measures are beyond the capabilities of bed bugs.

How Do I Sleep Without Bed Bugs?

Declutter

Bed bugs tend to congregate in confined, dark, and humid-free spaces. For this reason, beds and mattresses consistently rank as the highest-rated amenities in both private residences and public lodgings. Nonetheless, reducing clutter in your home will make it harder for pests to hide in places like closets and cupboards.

Even if you've taken every precaution to keep bed bugs out of your closet, they could still find their way in if you and your roommate or coworker share a closet. That implies you're more likely to accidentally transport the pests on an article of clothing back to your house.

Regular Inspection

Mattresses, couches and chair cushions, along with other parts of the home, can be kept free of bed bugs by routinely washing them in hot water and using a hand vacuum, and by keeping an eye out for signs of infestation. However, pest experts warn that it can be difficult to eradicate an infestation without the help of a specialist.

Be certain to keep track of the location of any bed bug sightings, so you'll be able to be especially vigilant there. The appearance of bedbugs in the same location can occur more than once.

A small number of bed bugs is often a precursor to a major infestation. Keep them from spreading by regularly vacuuming your home, paying special attention to places like under the sink and in between the cushions of your sofa.

How To Eliminate Ticks at Home

Tick bites can range from being completely painless and causing only mild redness to being carriers of diseases like Lyme disease. Obviously, if you have a dog, you need to pay extra attention to preventing tick infestation, as these parasites can be lethal to canines. Learn the best tick control methods for your home and yard, as well as emergency measures to take if an infestation occurs.

Do not hesitate to contact a professional pest control service if you have any doubts or if the infestation seems severe. They can help you get rid of ticks in your yard and house with their expert services.

Luckily, there are some simple solutions that might help you cope with an inflammation or infection. Using our instructions for eliminating fleas, flies, and mosquitoes, eradicating ticks in your own house will be a breeze. This is how:

• You should vacuum all of the surfaces in your home, including the carpets, couches, door and window frames, and any other hiding places ticks may have found.
• Place pesticide spray around the house.
• Get a shampoo designed specifically for pets from your vet.
• Remove ticks carefully at all times. Tweezers will work, but make sure you get every last bit of the tick.
• Be sure to clean your pet's blankets, towels, and sheets. Always utilise the highest possible setting to ensure that no tick larvae survive.
• You could try a home cure. Several common household items have proven effective against ticks:

Chamomile Infusion

Have you heard that ticks can be repelled by the aroma of camomile? After cooling the infusion made from boiling water and camomile, you can use a cloth wet with the mixture to bathe the dog.

Lemon

This is an additional organic pest deterrent. In a cup, combine the juice of two to three lemons with a small amount of water. Put the mixture into a bottle and apply it to your dog.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Similar to how camomile is used, you can wet your dog with a cloth that has been soaked in a combination of water plus apple cider vinegar.

Yard Tick Treatments

Tick infestations are not limited to households with pets; they can appear anywhere warm, earthy, and humid conditions exist, including the yard.

Specifically, you should make an effort to:

• In the warmer, drier months, they become more active.
• Apply an insecticide that targets ticks. If you're not sure which kind you need for your garden, ask a salesperson.
• Put some birds in your garden. Ticks can be easily eradicated with the help of hens and other ground-feeding birds.
• Get some diatomaceous earth that is safe for human consumption. The ticks are rendered harmless by this all-natural powder, which dehydrates them.

Preventing Ticks

Knowing the warning signs of a tick infestation as well as what to do if you discover an infestation in your house is helpful, but prevention is always preferable. Here are some preventative measures you can take to avoid encounters with these insects:

• Wearing insect repellent will help you avoid picking up ticks and bringing them inside.
• Make it a habit to remove dead leaves and mow your grass frequently to reduce tick habitat.
• Does your neighbourhood have any trees? Put down a layer of gravel or bark pieces between the lawn and the wooded area to prevent ticks from crossing over. Doing so will prevent them from entering your garden.

Conclusion

Both ticks and bed bugs share some similarities, but there are also significant differences between the two. Ticks, in contrast to bed bugs, have eight legs. Adult bed bugs can be up to one-third of an inch long, while a blood-filled tick can expand to a spherical shape. Ticks and bedbugs both feed on human blood, but they have other warm-blooded hosts they prefer. Diseases like Lyme disease can be spread through a bed bug bite.

As bed bugs will bite any exposed skin, the only safe place to sleep is on a mattress that is completely encased in a protective cover. Both bed bugs and ticks are diurnal, which may indicate that they prefer to attach to a host at night, when they are not actively feeding. The best way to tell whether you were bitten by a bed bug or a tick is to locate the animal still attached to your skin. The first signs of a bedbug infestation or a tick bite might be similar. Bed bugs favour warm, dry, dark places to congregate in.

You can make it harder for pests to hide in places like closets and cupboards by clearing them out. Bed bugs can be avoided in furniture by regularly washing it in hot water and vacuuming it with a hand vacuum. The arachnid pests that are responsible for tick bites can be eradicated with ease. If you have any questions or if the infestation appears severe, you should call a professional pest control service. The yard is not immune to tick infestations because ticks thrive in warm, sandy, and moist environments.

Content Summary

• Meanwhile, ticks transmit an illness that can be fatal: Lyme disease.
• On the other hand, ticks prefer the outdoors over the closed quarters of a home.
• However, ticks are exclusively found in the wild.
• Scratching at bed bug bites can spread secondary bacterial illnesses because they are so itchy. 
• However, ticks are vectors for a wide variety of dangerous viruses and bacteria that can be transmitted to humans and other animals through tick bites.
• Ticks, on the other hand, typically feed on some other warm-blooded creatures rather than human blood, while bed bugs prefer human blood.
• Nonetheless, reducing clutter in your home will make it harder for pests to hide in places like closets and cupboards.
• However, pest experts warn that it can be difficult to eradicate an infestation without the help of a specialist.
• A small number of bed bugs is often a precursor to a major infestation.
• Keep them from spreading by regularly vacuuming your home, paying special attention to places like under the sink and in between the cushions of your sofa.
• Do not hesitate to contact a professional pest control service if you have any doubts or if the infestation seems severe.
• They can help you get rid of ticks in your yard and house with their expert services.
• Place pesticide spray around the house.
• Get a shampoo designed specifically for pets from your vet.
• Remove ticks carefully at all times.
• Be sure to clean your pet's blankets, towels, and sheets.
• You could try a home cure.
• Put the mixture into a bottle and apply it to your dog.
• Apply an insecticide that targets ticks.
• Put some birds in your garden.
• Knowing the warning signs of a tick infestation as well as what to do if you discover an infestation in your house is helpful, but prevention is always preferable.
• Wearing insect repellent will help you avoid picking up ticks and bringing them inside.
• Doing so will prevent them from entering your garden.