Bed Bug Bites — What Do They Look Like?

Itchy red welts in lines or clusters on skin exposed during sleep, appearing overnight. Harmless in themselves and they usually fade in 1–2 weeks, but an infestation needs professional treatment.

Tiny red bumps, often with a red halo, clustered around the ankles and lower legs and very itchy. Usually linked to pets; check your cat or dog and their bedding.

Single, puffy, pale-to-pink bumps scattered randomly on exposed skin, usually after time outdoors in warm weather. Rare indoors in cold months.

Usually a single bite, sometimes with two tiny puncture marks, rather than a line or cluster. Many bites blamed on spiders are actually something else; seek care for a spreading or darkening wound.

Intensely itchy red bumps clustered where clothing is tight, such as the sock line, waistband, and behind the knees, after time in grass or woodland in summer and early fall.

Not bites but a mite infestation in the skin: an intensely itchy rash that's worse at night, often between fingers, on wrists, elbows, and the waistband, sometimes with thin wavy burrow lines. Contagious and needs prescription treatment, so see a doctor.

Many small itchy bites, often after birds nested near a window or roof, or after rodents were removed. The mites look for new hosts indoors; removing the nest solves the problem.

Raised welts that appear, move, and fade within hours, often from an allergic reaction to food, medicine, or other triggers. Bites stay in one place for days.