The one thing that pest control companies will tell you is that you have to know your pest before you can get rid of it.
Bed bugs and ants are pretty different in their natures, but do you know the differences between their bites?
If you can spot the difference between these two bugs, then you can see what the right treatment will be and how to get rid of them.
Many people do not even know that they have a bed bug or ant problem until it’s too obvious to ignore. If you want to avoid that situation, then you have to look at the differences between these two bugs to really understand.
[table “1nbsp” not found /]Bed Bugs Video
Ants Video
Do bed bugs look like ants?
Under a microscope, there’s no chance that these bugs are similar.
While both have similar features of exoskeletons, bed bugs and ants couldn’t be more different. That’s not really a secret though.
Ants are built for sturdy work like foraging and scavenging. They can travel long distances at a rather rapid speed, which accounts for their long arthropod bodies.
Soldier ants also will look different as they have larger heads and mandibles that can fight off enemies.
Different colors for ants mean something as well. Fire ants have a red color and are often mistaken for other bugs at first glance. There are also sugar ants and black ants that differ in size and color as well.
So are bed bugs at all similar?
Bed bugs are quite a bit smaller than ants. They are hard to see with the naked eye. Once placed under a magnifying glass, it is easy to see that they have rounder, flat bodies that look more like a tank.
They are able to grip tightly with hooks for feet that can latch onto any surface. Their abdomens also expand after feeding on their prey.
Bed bugs and ants are similar in size for certain cases. Sugar ants and smaller species are nearly the same as bed bugs.
You can tell the difference almost immediately as bed bugs are typically a dark to light red in color, while most ants of the same size are gray, black, or red.
Do ants kill bed bugs
Did you know that there was a historical article published about ants that kill bed bugs?
In fact, those who rode trains and wanted to escape bed bug infestation would bring along jars of black ants to kill bed bugs. This is because ants hunted down bed bugs, supposedly.
No one is going to unleash black ants in their home just to get rid of bed bugs, however.
The bed bug is a much simpler insect than the ant. Their lives are made to feed upon flesh. They don’t build nests or collaborate with one another in the slightest.
They also don’t have colonies where they escape after feeding. They simply hide in wood and come out at night to feed on their prey or human’s blood.
Once they have filled up their abdomens, bed bugs slink off to their hiding place. The most activity that you will find in a bed bug is their feeding and mating habits.
Bed bugs also cannot live without their hosts. If there is nothing to feed on, they will eventually die. Ants are quite a bit more resourceful than that.
Scientists show that ants are eusocial bugs that live in colonies and work together to survive. They build the colony in order to thrive and spread.
Ants have the ability to take care of their young, find food, protect themselves, and build homes in a number of places. They have a very strict social system that has been described as a caste system with responsibilities and roles for every ant.
Ants also do not feed upon humans. If you are bitten by an ant, it’s probably because you were in their way or you stepped on an ant hill.
Their diet consists of just about anything, however, but they would prefer to feed on sweet food debris and crumbs. If you find a trail of ants in your home, it’s likely leading to the trashcan.
Ant bites vs bed bugs bites
It does suck to get bitten by both of these insects. However, one is far more irritating than the other.
Bed bugs have been known to cause citywide panic in high volume living quarters where bed bugs can thrive upon flesh. Bed bugs are treated almost like an epidemic disease.
While ants and bed bugs have similar-looking bites, they are much different. Bed bug bites look like dark red bumps usually in a line.
They are itchy and quite small, but they are almost always clustered together. These bites typically line up to form three small dots. These types of bites are usually found on your hands, back, arms, shoulders, and neck.
Ant bites are much different and usually caused out of disturbance rather than feeding. Ant bites, also known as stings, also create red bumps.
However, these bites can cause a large amount of itching and swelling in the affected areas. The type of bite depends on the ant that attacked you.
Black ants may just leave a tiny red bump, but fire ants can leave puss-filled white bumps on their bites. This is because they have an acid that they inject with a bite into your skin.
Allergic reactions can make these bites much worse. If you are allergic to bed bugs or ant bites, your bites may swell and become as large as boils on your skin.
Getting Rid of Bed Bugs and Ants
There are different treatment options for each of these infestations. However, bed bugs have been notoriously more difficult and expensive to get rid of than ants.
Bed bugs hide in your bed and in wood. Most of the time, this means that you have to completely throw out furniture and bomb your home to get rid of the bed bugs.
In some cases, people have to move entirely to get away from these incessant pants.
You can purchase a simple box of Terro or other ant bait to get rid of ants.
This white powder substance can be sprinkled along entryways into your home to stop the trail of ants. However, you will also need to remove any trash and clean up areas where they may be food lying around.