Bed bug larvae look like little worms while carpet beetle larvae look like fuzzy bugs with little spines all over them.
Difference between carpet beetle and bed bug.
Bed bugs eat human blood and carpet beetle larvae feed on wool and animal based materials.
A carpet beetle has the potential of ruining more things than a moth can.
However the carpet beetle is the smallest of the two and averages 1 8th of an inch in length while the bed bug is about 1 4th of an inch long.
Carpet beetles and bed bugs have vastly different coloring.
Bed bugs are bigger and have flat bodies than bed bugs.
The carpet beetle and bed bug not only leave similar looking bites but there are other similarities.
The official name for the varied carpet beetle is anthrenus verbasci they are small about 3mm in length and flat in their shape.
Varied carpet beetles do have brown on their backs but they look more spotted or striped with white and light colored patches mixed with brown.
Also once magnified the varied carpet beetle larvae actually look like tiny furry caterpillars with little spines on them whereas the bed bug larvae look like little worms.
Bed bugs are in the family cimicidae while carpet beetles are in the family dermestids.
The first notable difference is that of size as bed bugs are twice as big as carpet beetles.
The main difference is the color.
Here s how to tell the difference.
But the main difference is that the varied carpet beetle does not feed on blood.
For those of you who are a little bit more impatient i ll say that there are 5 main differences between carpet beetles and bed bugs.
The difference here is that bed bugs have a mouth made for piercing skin and sucking blood while carpet beetles have a mouth made for chewing on plants and other fibrous material.
Bed bugs and carpet beetles are both very small.
They are not just limited to ruining your carpets.
Differences between bed bugs and carpet beetles.
Many people confuse the common and relatively harmless carpet beetle with bed bugs.
Carpet beetles are found in almost every region of the world.
An important detail when understanding the difference.
One big difference between bed bugs and carpet beetles that can help you determine which pest you re dealing with is that bed bugs go through an incomplete metamorphosis while carpet beetles go through a complete metamorphosis.
But you will immediately see a difference between these two pests if you know what you re looking for.
In order to prevent the damage they cause you have to identify the signs of their infestation.