If you wake up with itchy, red bumps on your skin, you may assume you were bitten by bed bugs while you were sleeping. Not so fast! It can be hard to tell the difference between bed bug bites and mosquito bites. Pro-Staff, the Des Moines bed bug control experts, has prepared a brief guide to help you tell the difference.

Bite Appearance

Bed bug bites tend to occur in a line. People who’ve been bitten may see a straight line of bites, or a line of bites in a zigzag pattern, on their skin. Bed bugs leave three bites in a straight line, which some call “breakfast, lunch, and dinner!” Usually, these bites are on the arms or shoulders.

Mosquito bites tend to be isolated and random. You may see clusters of bites, where mosquitoes were feeding on your exposed skin, but these clusters will still look randomly placed.

Reaction Time

When people are first bitten by bed bugs, they may not react right away. Some people will notice the itchy bumps within a few days of being bitten, while others won’t have a reaction for as long as 14 days.

After being bitten by a mosquito, people can react within a few minutes. A raised, white and reddish bump that appears right away is a clue that you were bitten by a mosquito.

Healing Time

A big difference between mosquito and bed bug bites is how long they take to heal. Bed bug bites can take about two weeks to clear up. Once the bites are gone, some people end up with darkened areas on their skin. This is called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Mosquito bites heal much more quickly. They usually go away within a few days.

Circumstantial Clues

The circumstances surrounding the bites can also provide clues. If you see red stains on your sheets, bed bugs could have been feeding on you. Red stains occur when you crush bed bugs in your sleep. Dark spots on the sheets could be feces, another sign that bed bugs might be present.

If those signs are absent and you recently spent time outdoors, the culprit could be a mosquito or even another type of bug.

Bed bug and mosquito bites can be hard to tell apart. If you think your bites may have been caused by bed bugs, call the Des Moines bed bug control experts at Pro-Staff to set up a bed bug inspection.