Bed bugs are a common household nuisance. These small, reddish-brown insects feed on human blood, typically at night. A frequent misconception is their ability to fly.
Do Bed Bugs Fly?
Bed bugs cannot fly. They are wingless insects, classified as apterous. While adult bed bugs do have structures called wing pads, these are vestigial and non-functional for flight. These pads are located just behind the insect’s head and emerge as the bed bug transitions to adulthood. Their anatomy is adapted for crawling and hiding, not aerial movement.
How Bed Bugs Get Around
Since bed bugs lack wings, their primary method of movement is crawling. They have six legs, each tipped with claws, allowing them to grip and move efficiently across various surfaces like wood, fabric, walls, and ceilings. While not considered fast, they can crawl surprisingly quickly, covering about three to four feet per minute. This crawling ability enables them to move from hiding spots to a host and back.
Beyond crawling, bed bugs are adept “hitchhikers,” relying on passive transport to spread widely. They latch onto personal belongings such as luggage, clothing, purses, and furniture, traveling long distances, often unknowingly carried by people. This behavior is a significant factor in how infestations spread from one location to another, including homes, hotels, and public transport. Research indicates bed bugs are attracted to the odors of soiled clothing, further facilitating their passive dispersal in travelers’ bags.
Flying Insects Often Mistaken for Bed Bugs
Given that bed bugs cannot fly, any small, reddish-brown insect observed flying is not a bed bug. Several flying insects are commonly mistaken for bed bugs due to similar appearance or behavior.
Bat bugs and swallow bugs are close relatives of bed bugs, sharing a similar flat, oval body shape and reddish-brown color. Unlike bed bugs, these primarily feed on the blood of bats and swallows, and are typically found near their hosts’ roosting or nesting sites. While they can bite humans if their preferred hosts are absent, they are not adapted to live solely with humans.
Carpet beetles are another group often confused with bed bugs. Adult carpet beetles can fly, distinguishing them from bed bugs. They vary in color and can have patterns of black, white, and yellow. Unlike bed bugs, carpet beetles do not feed on blood; their larvae consume natural fibers like wool and fur. Fleas, while also blood-feeding and reddish-brown, are much smaller, have skinnier bodies, and are known for their ability to jump, unlike bed bugs.