Mostly at night; scabies and bed bug infestations manifest similar symptoms and confuse many people. Scabies are an infection caused by tiny burrowing mites into the skin, while bed bugs are larger insects that feed on blood.
Although they both cause some very serious uncomfortable skin conditions, they have distinctly different causes, modes of transmission, and treatments. Proper identification is important for good management.
Scabies is a disease caused by very minute mites inhabiting the skin and creating heavy itching with rashes especially between fingers, around wrists, and elbows. It can be passed by any prolonged skin-to-skin contact.
By contrast, bed bugs are visible insects that flock in mattresses and furniture and feed on blood at night. Some signs of their bites are often in a red cluster or line but usually on exposed skin. Bed bugs do not inhabit in the skin, and the mode of infection is via infested objects.
Size Comparison of Scabies and Bed Bugs
Scabies mites are teeny tiny, about 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters in length, so it is not possible for them to be viewed with the naked eye. They burrow into the skin, thereby causing irritation and itching.
Bed bugs are much larger, around 4 to 7 millimeters. The appearance of bed bugs is normally flat and oval-shaped, easily observed by the naked eye. They are reddish-brown and can be seen crawling on mattresses or furniture, especially at nighttime while they feed on blood.
Scabies appears with severe itching, especially at night time that is accompanied by a red, lumpy rash. The rash typically consists of thin, irregular lines, which usually portray the tracks of burrows made by mites.
Common areas that are usually afflicted include the wrist, between the fingers, elbow, armpits, waistline, and genital areas. Scratching it may also produce small blisters or sores.
In the worst scenarios, crusted patches of skin may appear. The diagnosis can be confirmed by a doctor; who may examine skin scrapings under a microscope for mites, eggs, or fecal matter.
Bed bugs may be identified by physical signs: small, reddish-brown bugs (approximately 4-7 millimeters in length), dark fecal spots, or shed skins found on the mattress, box springs, bed frames, and other furniture.
Other signs include possible bloodstains from crushed bugs. During the daytime, bed bugs hide themselves in cracks, crevices, bed frames, and seams of mattresses - and only emerge to feed during nighttime.
The bites from bed bugs appear as small, red marks, frequently in groups or in lines, on exposed skin, commonly the arms, neck, or legs. These can be itchy or irritating.
You need to go to the doctor if you think that you have been exposed to scabies to get the right diagnosis and treatment. In this case, the doctor will not be able to prescribe over-the-counter medicines that will work every time but they will have to give a scabicide cream or lotion.
Your doctor will recommend smearing the medication on your whole body and allowing it to stay on for the required time. Furthermore, all clothes, beddings, and towels should be washed using hot-boiling water to avoid the re-development of the disease.
It is strictly permitted to scratch the infestation site so that the cream will work inside the skin to eliminate these mites.
Bed Bugs Bite
Bed bugs bite can be very irritating and uncomfortable. They generally appear as small, red, itchy marks, which may be in groups or lines on your skin. Since bed bugs usually bite only the exposed parts of your body, you might wake up itching and irritated.
Bug bites' discomfort could get quite overwhelming at times; hence, here is a brief overview of home remedies.
Cold compress: This is one of the easiest ways to soothe the itch and reduce swelling. The cool temperature does its magic, acting directly on the skin by numbing it, hence cooling down the inflammation. Instant relief makes all the difference when relentless itching persists.
Baking soda paste: Though one common household product being utilized in baking, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate can do so much more for you! It has been well noted to soothe itching and irritation. A little baking soda mixed with water will make the paste; apply it on the bites and let it dry. It's a quite quick, easy method of soothing your skin.
Bed bugs do not build true nests like several other insects would. Instead, they like to hide in dark, small places near where their food could be, typically humans.
Common areas of refuge include mattress seams, box springs, headboards, bed frames, and even in furniture or behind wallpaper. Therefore, they are nocturnal, which means active mostly at night when they feed on blood, so making the nest a little hardly noticeable.
Signs of Bed Bugs Infestation
You may not see a nest, per se, but there are plenty of signs that you have bed bugs. Perhaps the most noticeable sign is the fecal spots-small, dark spots that look like ink.
The bug excrement will be found along with these bugs' favorite places to hide, including bedding and fabric. Bed bugs molt or shed their exoskeletons - usually in their hiding place, and leave their old transparent skin as well.
Another sign would be the bed bug eggs, which are small, pinhead-sized, and largely white or translucent. You may find such eggs in clusters, largely in places where there is hiding and nearer to where the adult bed bugs reside.
On occasions, you may find bloodstains on sheets or mattresses due to crushed bed bugs after they have had a meal; this acts as further evidence of the signs of bed bugs.
How To Repel Scabies and Bed Bugs
Scabies Infestation
1. Avoid Skin-to-Skin Contact
Scabies is a condition that spreads by prolonged skin-to-skin touching or hugging. Until the infected persons have received their treatment, it is critical to avoid physical contact with them altogether.
Transmission also occurs through sexual contact; thus, close physical contact should be limited to those with symptoms.
2. Wash Clothing and Bedding in Hot Water
Mites also live in your clothing, bedding, and towels. Washing them in hot water, minimum temperature 130°F and heat drying them on the highest temperature will kill the mites off of the textile completely.
Those items that are not washable must be sealed in plastic bags safely for a week or more to starve the mites.
3. Application of Antiseptic Creams and Lotions
Although no over-the-counter product may actually kill the scabies, applying antiseptic creams or natural oils like tea tree oil creates some kind of barrier that protects the skin from the parasite. They would not inhibit the mite from burrowing into the skin but perhaps alleviate the itching and irritation .
4. Good Hygiene Practice
Clean yourself by bathing and practice good hygiene for scabies, but remember that scabies are not due to dirtiness. Frequent skin cleaning and removal the dead skin can kill the mites that do not burrow into your skin yet. However, good hygiene has nothing to do with preventing scabies once a person has been exposed to an infected host.
5. Avoid Sharing Personal Things
Scabies also spreads through shared items such as towels, bedding, and clothes. Avoid sharing with others, especially in the gym, your dorm, and other communal residencies to avoid getting the infection.
6. Treat All Family Members At The Same Time
When one member of the family has scabies, treatment should be accorded to all the individuals in the household. This is true even for those who are without symptoms. This is because the scabies mites take around 4-6 weeks to actually produce the itching sensation on the skin; hence, doing this in unison would avoid re-infection.
Bed bugs come from the mattress, so cover it with box springs and bed bug-proof encasements. The covers have a unique design that can trap bed bugs inside, denying them freedom. Over time, the bed bugs will die of starvation. The casements also reduce the probability of new bugs infecting your bedding.
2. Wash Bedding and Clothes in Hot Water
Wash all bedding, linens, and clothing in hot water, a minimum of 130° F, and dry them on the hottest setting. This is an efficient method of eliminating both bugs and their eggs because bed bugs cannot tolerate extreme heat.
3. Declutter Your Living Space
They love to hide in clutter. Reduce the clutter around your home, especially next to sleeping areas, minimizing places they can hide. Store items in sealed plastic bins, as bed bugs cannot penetrate them easily.
4. Diatomaceous Earth
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth - a natural, non-toxic powder-around your bed, in baseboards, and any areas where bed bugs may be hiding. Bed bugs coming into contact with it will be dehydrated and eventually die. This does take time, though, as it is a slow-acting method.
5. Use Bed Bug Traps
Place bed bug traps under the legs of your bed as a way of stopping them from climbing up. These traps capture the movement when they try to get to the bed; this is how you monitor and reduce an infestation over time.
6. Essential Oils or Natural Repellants
Examples of such essential oils are tea tree oil, lavender, and eucalyptus. They will not eliminate an invasion but possibly repel due to the strong smell. Spray these oils around your bed and sleeping areas.
7. Heat Treatment
Bed bugs are very sensitive to heat. Items infested with bed bugs should be treated with intense heat either by the use of a portable heat chamber or steam cleaner.
If an infestation is severe, you should hire the services of a professional pest control firm to administer a professional heat treatment as such companies do possess the sort of equipment.
