A privacy-first UK bed bug evidence triage tool and common-lookalike library.https://isitabedbug.co.uk/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bed-bug-lookalikes/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bed-bug-lookalikes/Compare bed bugs with fleas, carpet beetle larvae, booklice, ticks and small cockroach nymphs using shape, movement, size and where each was found.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>Small household insects are easy to confuse in a blurred photograph. Start with body plan and movement, then use the location as supporting context.</p><h2>Fleas</h2><p>Fleas are narrow from side to side rather than broadly oval from above. Their enlarged hind legs allow them to jump. Bed bugs crawl and cannot jump or fly.</p><h2>Carpet beetle larvae</h2><p>Carpet beetle larvae are elongated and visibly bristly or hairy. Their shed hairs can irritate skin, which sometimes creates a bed bug false alarm.</p><h2>Booklice and mites</h2><p>Booklice are usually much smaller than adult bed bugs and are associated with damp, stored materials or mould. Mites are a broad group; many are too small for reliable identification with the naked eye.</p><h2>Ticks and cockroach nymphs</h2><p>Adult ticks have eight legs and no antennae. Small cockroach nymphs have a more elongated body and longer antennae than bed bugs. Preserve a specimen before relying on an online photograph.</p>https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bed-bug-signs/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bed-bug-signs/Learn how live specimens, cast skins, eggs and faecal spotting combine into stronger bed bug evidence—and why a single mark or bite is inconclusive.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>Evidence becomes more persuasive when several characteristic signs occur together around a plausible harbourage.</p><h2>A confirmed specimen</h2><p>A captured insect is the strongest starting point. Keep it intact in a sealed clear container or on transparent tape, record where it was found and obtain an expert identification if uncertainty remains.</p><h2>Faecal spotting</h2><p>Bed bug faecal marks are dark digested-blood deposits. On absorbent fabric they can soak into the fibres; on a hard surface they may appear as raised dark dots. Random mould, ink and debris can look similar in isolation.</p><h2>Cast skins and eggs</h2><p>Nymphs shed pale, hollow skins as they grow. Eggs are very small, off-white and fixed into protected cracks. Either sign is more meaningful beside other evidence in a bed-frame joint or seam.</p><h2>Bites and blood spots</h2><p>Bites are non-specific and blood marks on bedding have many possible causes. Treat them as a reason to inspect, not as an identification.</p>https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bites/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/bites/Bed bug bites cannot be identified reliably from appearance or pattern alone. Learn what skin reactions can—and cannot—tell you and when to seek care.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>A line or cluster of itchy marks may prompt an inspection, but it cannot name the cause. Different people react differently, and many conditions resemble insect bites.</p><h2>Why patterns are unreliable</h2><p>Bed bugs may feed more than once, several insects may feed close together and reactions may appear after a delay. The familiar “line of three” is not a diagnostic rule.</p><h2>Basic self-care</h2><p>NHS guidance says bites usually clear within about a week. Keep the area clean, avoid scratching and ask a pharmacist about symptom relief if needed.</p><h2>When to seek medical help</h2><p>Seek medical advice when pain, swelling or itching remains severe, when redness spreads or when signs suggest infection. Call emergency services for symptoms of a severe allergic reaction.</p><h2>What to inspect next</h2><p>Use a torch around mattress piping, bed-frame joints, the headboard and nearby furniture. Look for a specimen or multiple physical signs rather than repeatedly photographing the skin.</p>https://isitabedbug.co.uk/found-a-bug/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/found-a-bug/A step-by-step way to capture, photograph, label and preserve a suspected bed bug so an expert can identify the specimen without guesswork.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>A usable specimen can replace hours of uncertainty. Preserve the body shape and the context in which the insect was found.</p><h2>Capture without crushing</h2><p>Place a clear container over the insect and slide stiff paper underneath, or press it lightly onto clear tape. Seal the container. Avoid handling it with bare fingers.</p><h2>Make two photographs</h2><p>Take a close, sharply focused view from directly above beside a millimetre scale, then a wider image showing the exact seam, joint or room location.</p><h2>Label the context</h2><p>Record the date, room, surface and whether the insect crawled, jumped or flew. Movement is often highly discriminating.</p><h2>Get a competent opinion</h2><p>A pest professional, local entomology service where available, or a clear expert identification is stronger than crowd confidence from a blurred image. Do not begin broad pesticide use on an uncertain ID.</p>https://isitabedbug.co.uk/methodology/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/methodology/See the observable features, scoring rules, limitations and source hierarchy behind the IsItABedBug.co.uk privacy-first identification pathway.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>The tool is a transparent decision aid, not an image classifier. It weighs observable features that separate common household lookalikes.</p><h2>What the tool scores</h2><p>A specimen that is flat and oval, crawls rather than jumps, measures roughly 4–7mm as an adult and appears with harbourage signs near a bed receives a stronger match. Contradictory features reduce it.</p><h2>Why bites score low</h2><p>Skin reactions are non-specific, vary between people and may appear after a delay. The tool therefore treats bites as a prompt to inspect, not proof.</p><h2>Result bands</h2><p>“Strong match” means several independent features align. “Possible” means the evidence is incomplete. “More consistent with a lookalike” means one or more distinctive features point elsewhere. None is a professional identification.</p><h2>Privacy and reproducibility</h2><p>All calculations run in the page. No response is uploaded, stored, tracked or linked to an identity. Resetting the form clears the temporary state.</p>https://isitabedbug.co.uk/privacy/https://isitabedbug.co.uk/privacy/The IsItABedBug.co.uk triage tool processes answers only in your browser, uploads no photographs, stores no result and uses no analytics or marketing cookies.Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT<p>You should not have to exchange personal data for a basic identification pathway. The tool works without an account, upload or network request.</p><h2>Data we do not collect</h2><p>The tool does not ask for a name, email address, postcode, photograph or precise location. It does not set analytics, advertising or marketing cookies.</p><h2>How answers are processed</h2><p>JavaScript in the page calculates a result from the selected options. The choices exist only in the page while it is open and are cleared when you reset or leave.</p><h2>External links</h2><p>Links to NHS and related editorial sites open normal web pages governed by their own privacy practices. They receive no copy of your tool answers.</p><h2>Future changes</h2><p>Any future upload or expert-review feature would require a separate consent, retention and security design. It is not part of this version.</p>