People often expect bed bugs to be black.
That’s understandable, but it isn’t actually true.
The colour of a bed bug changes throughout its life and even changes depending on whether it’s recently fed.
That’s one of the reasons they’re so often misidentified.
Before they’ve fed
Young bed bugs are extremely pale.
Freshly hatched nymphs are almost transparent and can be difficult to spot against light-coloured fabrics.
As they grow, they become a light tan before gradually turning a richer brown.
Adult bed bugs
Most adult bed bugs are reddish-brown.
If you look closely, the colour isn’t completely uniform.
The head is often slightly darker than the abdomen, and the body has a slightly glossy appearance.
After a blood meal
This catches a lot of people out.
A bed bug that’s just fed can appear much darker.
Its abdomen stretches as it fills with blood, giving it a deeper red or reddish-black appearance.
A few hours later, the colour begins to change again as the blood is digested.
So if you’re comparing insects you’ve found at different times, don’t be surprised if they don’t all look identical.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years
Customers often tell me they’ve found a “black bed bug.”
Most of the time, when I take a closer look, it’s something completely different.
Carpet beetles, spider beetles and even small seeds regularly get mistaken for bed bugs because people focus on the colour instead of the overall shape.
That’s why I never identify an insect from colour alone.
What I look for instead
When I’m inspecting a room, colour is only one piece of the puzzle.
I’m also looking at:
- The overall body shape.
- The size.
- Whether it’s flat or rounded.
- Where it was found.
- Whether there are any other signs nearby.
It’s the combination of those clues that helps me decide what I’m looking at.
My advice
Don’t rely on colour to identify bed bugs.
It’s useful, but it isn’t enough on its own.
Take into account the size, shape, hiding place and any other evidence you’ve found before reaching a conclusion.
That approach is far more reliable than trying to match an insect to a photograph on the internet.
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