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Bugs in the bedroom

Bites in bed are the main worry in bedrooms, but most of what people find there is a minor problem: sac spiders, carpet beetles, clothes moths and the odd stink bug from the window.

Found in the bedroom

32 kinds, most dangerous first. Tap one for photos, the danger rating and what to do.

American dog tickGet adviceArizona bark scorpionGet adviceBlacklegged tickGet adviceBrown dog tickGet adviceBrown recluseGet adviceLone star tickGet adviceRocky Mountain wood tickGet adviceSouthern black widowGet adviceWestern blacklegged tickGet adviceAgrarian sac spiderBe carefulBed bugBe carefulBroad-faced sac spiderBe carefulBrown-banded cockroachBe carefulCat fleaBe carefulFalse black widowBe carefulHobo spiderBe carefulHouse centipedeBe carefulHouse mosquitoBe carefulPharaoh antBe carefulRed imported fire antBe carefulYellow fever mosquitoBe carefulBarn funnel weaverHarmlessBlack carpet beetleHarmlessBrown marmorated stink bugHarmlessCamel crickets (native)HarmlessCluster flyHarmlessCommon house spiderHarmlessFirebratHarmlessHouse cricketHarmlessLong-bodied cellar spiderHarmlessWebbing clothes mothHarmlessWestern conifer seed bugHarmless

Why bugs end up in the bedroom

Bedrooms are quiet and dark at night, which suits wandering spiders and insects. Closets add wool, feathers, pet hair and lint, which feed the larvae of carpet beetles and clothes moths. Bed bugs are different. They travel in on luggage, used furniture or visitors and settle close to where people sleep.

Ticks show up in bedrooms when they ride in on people or pets after time outdoors, so a tick on the sheets usually means a person or pet brought it in recently.

What you can do today

  • If you wake up with bites, check mattress seams, the box spring and the headboard for small reddish-brown bugs, dark spots and shed skins. Bites alone can't confirm bed bugs.
  • Vacuum closet floors, under the bed and along baseboards, and empty the vacuum outside.
  • Wash or dry-clean wool and stored clothing before putting it away, and store it in sealed bins.
  • After hiking or yard work, check your body and your pets for ticks before bed, and put dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes.
  • Move the bed a few inches from the wall and keep bedding off the floor so crawling bugs can't climb in.

When it's more than a nuisance

Several Get advice species turn up in bedrooms: the brown recluse, where it lives in the central and southern states, and ticks that can carry disease. Shake out shoes and clothes that have sat on the floor, and remove an attached tick with fine-tipped tweezers. For a bite that worries you, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.