No.
Unlike fleas, bed bugs can’t jump.
They don’t have the enlarged back legs needed to launch themselves through the air. They simply crawl.
That single fact helps me rule out a lot of false alarms.
Why do people think they jump?
Usually because they disappear so quickly.
Bed bugs are surprisingly fast over short distances.
Lift a mattress, disturb a headboard or shine a torch into a crack and they’ll head for cover immediately.
If you only catch a glimpse, it can look as though they’ve jumped.
They haven’t.
They’ve just disappeared into another hiding place.
Fleas and bed bugs
This is probably the comparison I make most often.
Fleas jump.
Bed bugs crawl.
If you’ve actually seen the insect leap from the mattress or carpet, I’d be thinking about fleas long before I suspected bed bugs.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years
Customers often tell me they haven’t seen the insect clearly enough to identify it.
That’s absolutely fine.
Don’t chase it around the room.
Instead, look where it came from.
The surrounding evidence—droppings, cast skins, eggs and hiding places—usually tells me far more than the insect itself.
My advice
Movement is one clue.
Never make it your only clue.
Always look at where the insect was found and whether there are any other signs nearby.