Water bugs are a type of aquatic insect that is found in shallow pools of freshwater and brackish water. Many people confuse water bugs with cockroaches. What is the difference between water bug vs bed bug?
- They are also known as the water flea or the water beetle, but often people refer to roaches as water bugs.Â
- They spend most of their time on the substrate or plants near the bottom of their habitat and can survive on land for a few hours without having to drink.Â
- Bed bugs are tiny bugs that feed on human blood, causing itchy bumps, rashes, allergic reactions, dermatitis, and other health issues.
Here we put the two side by side to see what similarities or differences these bugs have.
How Can You Identify a Water Bug?
That can be difficult, because people use the word water bug to refer to many different creatures, including (actual) water bugs, water beetles, water striders, and common house cockroaches.
Water bugs are small arthropods with long, segmented bodies with a tail and two pairs of legs. They are mostly brown or black, with yellow markings on the abdomen. Usually, they range in size from 1-10 mm and have a long, slender body, but there are some giant ones that are quite fearsome.
They are often confused with the dragonfly because they have similar wings but are unrelated.Â
Water bugs have suckers on their legs that help them to cling to surfaces. They feed on organic matter like fish scales and algae. When you spot a water bug, it is important to find out what kind of bug it is first before taking any action against it because they are not dangerous (assuming we’re not talking about the giant waterbug).
They can help you by killing some harmful organisms in the water. A Water Bug has been observed to live up to 8 years.
Types of Water Bugs
There are many types of water bugs. They come in different shapes and sizes and have different behaviors. They are all important to the ecosystem of a water body because they help with the decomposition process and keep the water clean. Here are a few of them:
1. Water boatmen
These are small aquatic insects that live in fresh and saltwater. They have a long, thin body, a round head with two antennae, and four legs. Their color can vary from brown to green to black depending on their habitat; they are mostly dark green with white spots when living in freshwater. They use their front legs to propel themselves through the water’s surface while their hind legs stay under the surface to propel them forward.
2. Water striders
These are insects that live on the surface of water or land. They have long legs with spiny feet and two wings with long spines on the back of their thoraxes. The silvery-green wings that look like leaves allow them to move quickly across both surfaces. While the spines help them grip onto the ground or plants as they walk across it. They also jump high into the air to catch flying insects such as dragonflies and moths.
3. Giant water bug
The giant water bug is the largest type of water bug, also known as the giant water beetle. It has a blue-black coloration with a large head and antennae. Its eyes are also bigger than other types of water bugs, which helps them see better in murky waters.
They are one of the largest insects and can reach a length of 4 inches. They have an oval-shaped body with two pairs of wings on their back that are sometimes transparent.
And their bite is said to be among the most painful in the world.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs are a common pest worldwide, specifically in the United States. They feed on human blood, causing itchy bumps, rashes, allergic reactions, dermatitis, and other health issues. Bed bugs are a nuisance and are often found in hotels, hostels, and apartments. They also leave behind their distinctive stains on mattresses, bedding, and furniture.Â
Bed bugs are small, about the size of an apple seed. They can be seen with the naked eye. They have a flattened shape, with oval-shaped bodies ranging from 1/8 to 3/16 inches long.
Usually, they are red-brown and have six legs, two antennae, and three body segments.Â
They are extremely difficult to fully remove from a home, because they can live for so long in isolation, and it’s very hard to tell when they’re all gone.
Bed bugs are small, about the size of an apple seed. They can be seen with the naked eye. They have a flattened shape, with oval-shaped bodies.
Water Bug vs Bed Bug
Bed bugs are more dangerous than water bugs. They are more likely to cause serious damage to a person’s health and home, while water bugs are not as likely to do that.
Water bugs cannot suck blood from humans as bed bugs do. And unless we’re talking about the giant water bug, they generally aren’t a danger
Bed bugs are more likely to cause serious damage to a person’s health and home, while water bugs are not as likely to do that.
Bed bug bites cause an allergic reaction that leads to the release of histamine, which causes swelling and redness. Their bites can be itchy and painful, depending on the person’s sensitivity.
It is important to note that most water bug bites symptoms will go away within 5 hours.Â
In contrast, the bed bug bite lasts for more than two weeks. Moreover, getting rid of waterbugs is easier than bed bugs. Bed bugs are much more difficult to eradicate. And if you have them, there’s a constant fear they will come back, or that you will spread them to other people’s homes.
Conclusion
There are numerous differences between Water bugs and Bed bugs. If you’ve got little apple seed-sized creatures scurrying around your bed, it’s time to call an exterminator! If you’ve got roaches or water bugs, well that’s a concern too, but less so.
