Many allergies can be very irritating. Some of them might not be very harmful to the body, but some might be able to cause some serious damage to the body. But whatever the result is, it is important to treat them at the right time before it’s too late.
Examples of such allergies or infections can be Flea Bites and Bed Bug Bites. These can cause some serious irritation if not treated. And for that treatment, it is important to understand them, which might be a little difficult as they are very similar.
To help with this, the following are some of the important differences that might help us understand them.
Key Takeaways
- Flea bites appear in groups or clusters, while bed bug bites appear linearly.
- Flea bites are found on the lower part of the body, while bed bug bites can appear anywhere.
- Flea bites are small and red with a halo around the center, while bed bug bites are often larger and more swollen.
Flea Bites vs Bed Bug Bites
The difference between flea bites and bed bug bites is their appearance. In the case of flea bites, they can easily be found on the lower body (for example, legs or thighs) of a person. The spots on the body are relatively smaller and in circles and are mostly separated from each other. They can happen at any time and sometimes won’t get noticed at first. They are bright or blood-red in colour. If not treated properly or itched harshly, they can turn into infections. Whereas bed bug bites are most likely to take place on the upper body, especially back on the person, they are comparatively larger in size as the spots might get connected, they are dull-red in appearance, and they can turn into blisters.
Flea Bites are small spots or bumps on the body that are red in colour. They mostly take place in the leg, foot, or tight of the individual. They might not be very itchy and do not even hurt in some cases.
They are smaller in size, which makes them difficult to detect at first. They can happen at any time of the day and in any weather. They can be treated at home as well.
Bed Bug Bites are bumps the size of apple seeds on the body. They are caused by the bug that lives under the bed and feeds on human blood for survival. Spots might be attached and hence can become large.
They are not bright red but, in fact, have a dull appearance. Bed bugs do not feed every time but only periodically.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Flea Bites | Bed Bug Bites |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Lower body | Upper body |
| Size | Smaller | Larger |
| Feed time | All the time | Periodically |
| Colour | Bright red | Less bright or dull |
| Turn into | Infection | Blisters |
What are Flea Bites?
Flea bites are the bites caused by fleas on animals. Fleas are not able to fly but can only jump from one animal to another, and therefore, this is the means of travelling for them. Some of the common symptoms of flea bites are the following:
- Small red spots on the body.
- Intense and irritable itching on the spots.
Although they are more likely to take place on the lower body, as mentioned above, fleas cannot fly, and hence it is difficult for them to feed on the upper body part, but that does not imply that they won’t happen on the upper body at all.
Precautions that must be taken to avoid any flea bites:
- Maintaining the basic hygiene of the house, especially the floor and furniture.
- In the case of carpet, steaming should be done to clean it.
- In the case of a pet, pest control should be done regularly.
- Pets should be washed and cleaned regularly.
- A flea collar should be used for pets.
What are Bed Bug Bites?
Bed bug bites are bites given by bed bugs that live in human blood as well. They are oval-shaped spots that are either dull-red or brownish-red in colour.
They do not come out during the day, and hence mostly feed during dark at night on people, most probably when they are sleeping.
They can be found easily on carpets, box springs, mattresses, bed frames, etc. most of them are found in places where many people visit, or heavy crowds take place, but they also can be found in houses or buildings.
They can be found in the following parts of the body:
- Face
- Neck
- Arms
- Hands
Although they don’t cause any serious harm to the body in some cases, people might be extremely affected by them. They turn up into blisters and can cause serious itching.
They get a cure after 1 or 2 weeks, but in the following cases, a doctor or a professional should be consulted:
- Bites do not disappear for a maximum of two weeks.
- Any other infections are developed due to itching.
- Any allergic reactions happened.
Main Differences Between Flea Bites and Bed Bug Bites
- The major difference between flea bites and bed bug bites is the location of the bites on the body. Usually, flea bites take place on the individual’s lower body, especially on the legs or foot of a person, whereas bed bug bites take place on the upper body, such as on the back, neck, or arms of the individual.
- Although they appear in the form of spots on the body, in the case of flea bites, the spots are relatively smaller in size that might not get noticed at first, whereas the bed bug bites are relatively larger in size and hence can be easy to be noticed.
- They also differ when it comes to the time when these infections or bites are most likely to happen. Flea bites take place all the time as flea fee every time, day or night, whereas the bed bugs feed periodically on people, and therefore bed bug bites mostly take place during the night.
- Both of them are indeed red, but they can be easily differentiated on the basis of the consistency of their colour. Flea bites are bright red or a little shiny in consistency or appearance, whereas bed bug bites are less bright or dull in red colour in appearance.
- Flea bites and bed bug bites don’t cause any serious harm to the body in the beginning, but in some cases, they can be harmful as flea bites can further turn into infections, whereas bed bug bites can turn into blisters.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0014489460900345
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/8ec1d3b1bd87965e1b3ad1d7d221a4bf/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=40640
- https://platform.almanhal.com/Files/Articles/53437
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
