Many people ask about the difference between bed bugs and "wood bugs", and the truth is that "wood bug" is not one species. Most of the time people mean bed bugs themselves hiding in the wood of beds and wardrobes, and sometimes they mean woodworm, which bores holes in furniture and leaves powder. Each one needs a completely different treatment.
This article explains what people mean by wood bugs, how to tell them apart from bed bugs, and how to get rid of each one.
What do people mean by wood bugs?
1. Bed bugs in wood
Bed bugs love narrow cracks close to where people sleep, and the wood and joints of a bed are among their favourite hiding places. So when people find them in a bed frame, bedside table or wardrobe, they call them "wood bugs", but they are the same bed bugs.
2. Woodworm (wood-boring beetles)
Small beetles whose larvae bore inside the wood and live there for years, then emerge leaving small round holes and fine wood powder. They do not bite people or feed on blood.
More on woodworm in Woodworm and Wood-Boring Insects in Furniture: Signs, Types and Treatment.
How do you tell them apart?
Bed bugs
- Do they bite? Yes, they feed on blood at night.
- Appearance: reddish-brown and flat, the size of an apple seed.
- Signs: black dots and shed skins on the mattress and wood.
- Location: near where people sleep.
- Damage: bites and itching.
Woodworm
- Do they bite? No.
- Appearance: a small brown beetle, rarely seen.
- Signs: small round holes and fine wood powder.
- Location: any furniture or wood, even far from the bed.
- Damage: weakens the wood over time.
What bed bug bites look like is covered in What Bed Bug Bites Look Like: How to Identify Them in Adults and Children.
Treating bed bugs in a wooden bed
- Dismantle the bed if possible, and inspect joints and cracks with a torch.
- Use high-temperature dry steam on cracks, joints and seams, because it reaches the eggs and kills them.
- Spray cracks and bed joints with Optigard Flex: 2.2 ml per litre for light infestations and 4.4 ml for heavy ones. For larger areas, use Solfac 50 EW at 8 ml per litre, where one litre of solution covers 20 m².
- Wash bedding in hot water and dry it on high heat.
- Repeat the inspection weekly for a month, because eggs hatch after a few days.
Treating woodworm
- Check the infestation is active: place black paper under the piece, and if fresh powder appears after a few days, it is active.
- Treat the holes by injecting a product made for wood insects, or by freezing small pieces.
- Keep furniture away from damp, because woodworm prefers moist wood.
Products from Orkida
- Optigard Flex for Bed Bugs 236 ml: from Syngenta for treating cracks in beds and wooden furniture.
- Solfac 50 EW, 5 litres: from Envu for crawling insects in cracks and behind furniture.
- POLTI Italian Steamer, Business model: high-temperature dry steam that reaches cracks in wood and kills bed bugs and their eggs.
- POLTI Italian Steamer, Express model, 3 litres: for homes and apartments, sanitising beds and mattresses without insecticide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do wood bugs bite?
If they are bed bugs hiding in the wood, yes. Woodworm does not bite.
Do I have to throw away a wooden bed?
Usually not. Steam and crack treatment eliminate bed bugs in the bed. If the wood is full of holes and weakened by woodworm, consider replacing the piece.
Why do I find wood powder under the sofa?
That is a sign of woodworm, not bed bugs. Inspect the holes and check whether the infestation is active.
Is steam enough on its own?
Steam is strong against bed bugs and eggs where it reaches, and together with crack treatment and hot washing the plan is complete.