Is this a bedbug?

April 26, 2015 7:58 AM

A friend of mine came over in a panic this morning because she found two strange little bugs in her bed. She captured one and we have photos. What is this insect?
posted by One Second Before Awakening to Pets & Animals (12 answers total)

Best answer: i don't know what it is, but I know what it isn't. That is not a bedbug.
posted by Gneisskate at 8:01 AM on April 26, 2015 [4 favorites]

It looks like a tick of some kind.
posted by essexjan at 8:10 AM on April 26, 2015

Don't know what is is but not a bedbug - bedbugs will be either clearish or red/brown after feeding (from blood). A common sign of bedbugs will also be little red/brown dots on the sheets from the blood.
posted by atinna at 8:12 AM on April 26, 2015

It does look kind of tick like, but it's hard to tell.
posted by hazel79 at 8:16 AM on April 26, 2015

I've seen bedbugs. Bedbugs are very flat. Impossibly flat. Those don't look like bedbugs.
posted by stowaway at 8:17 AM on April 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Not a bedbug. Not a tick, either. Ticks have a tiny head, and your little monster appears to have a rather hefty noggin. My guess is a spider beetle (second-to-last picture on the right of this page).
posted by pipeski at 8:27 AM on April 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

nthing definitely not a bedbug.
posted by holborne at 8:32 AM on April 26, 2015

Response by poster: Many thanks guys! That thing is definitely a spider beetle. My friend has now stopped hyperventilating.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 8:41 AM on April 26, 2015 [2 favorites]

You should know about the most excellent community in all of Reddit: /r/whatsthisbug
posted by waninggibbon at 8:55 AM on April 26, 2015 [7 favorites]

Yep, spider beetle!
posted by yarly at 1:22 PM on April 26, 2015

Yep I came in to say it's a beetle. Not a bedbug.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:05 PM on April 26, 2015

I'm glad it's not a bedbug, but I'm even more glad I didn't find it in MY bed (shudder).
posted by aryma at 1:35 AM on April 27, 2015