Carpet Beetles are sometimes confused with bed bugs

carpet beetles vs bed bugs

Carpet beetles and cockroaches come up a lot in conversations about identifying bed bugs. Cockroaches and bed bugs are the most similar, but are noticeably different under a lighted magnifier where you can see the cockroach has hairy legs and bed bugs have no fur or hair on their legs.

Carpet beetles are brown, dark grey or black and are a true beetle. Most people have them in their homes but never notice them, until they have bed bugs and become hyper aware of anything that moves. You can learn a lot about carpet beetles from the University of Colorado flyer.

They are easily identified using a light-up magnifier. 

If you have noticed little holes in your cotton, wool or rayon clothes stored in drawers, those are signs you may have carpet beetles and should do a thorough cleaning of drawers and garments stored in them.

Being able to identify insects in your home during your infestation may bring you some added peace of mind. You need a lighted magnifier to be able to identify small insects.