FAQ: Bed bugs are crawling on me all the time. I am being bitten all day long, no matter where I go!
By nobugsonme on May 12, 2007 in "bites", DP, bed bug bites, bed bugs, bed bugs biting all the time, bedbugs, delusional parasitosis, formication, itching
We often hear this from new Bedbuggers–that no matter where they go, they feel they’re being bitten and crawled on. But it’s unlikely.
Although you may feel the bites begin to itch any time during your day, and even days after you are bitten, you probably don’t feel them when they actually occur. So if you feel you are being bitten, don’t assume there are bed bugs in that space.
The feeling of bugs crawling on your skin is technically called formication, and we don’t fully understand it, but it may be caused by your allergy to bed bugs, or by bites already received (which often don’t itch until hours or even days after you’re bitten). It can sometimes be caused by delusional parasitosis (and this can even happen to people who have suffered from bed bugs in the past.)
As our FAQ (”What else could be causing this?”) states,
This American Entomologist article by Nancy C. Hinkle is entitled “Delusory Parasitosis” (click here to load a PDF), and it outlines how very real environmental, physical, and other conditions can cause similar symptoms to a bed bug infestation, including itching, crawling sensations (formication), skin conditions and rashes.
But in most cases, where bed bugs are still living in your environment, I believe formication is felt by Bedbuggers because we are reacting to something real. However, it was important for me to realize that this creepy crawly itchy feeling does not mean there is anything actually crawling on me at that moment (at least there wasn’t the 100 or so times i looked.)
To ensure that you truly are not being bitten all day long, even outside of your home, you might want to keep your washed clothes in sealed bags, and shower and change into clean clothes from a sealed bag when you go out (to avoid spreading bugs). Keep shoes and bags in a sealed place too. Frequent showers and/or hot showers can dry your skin and make itching worse. Use a moisturizer like Cetaphil or Aveeno or another that does not contain perfumes or dyes, to make sure your skin isn’t dry, which can make things worse.
Bed bugs excrete a substance that makes you NOT notice being bitten, and they’re also lightweight, adept travelers, and so you should not feel them crawling or biting. the itching might come soon after or much later. It may be worse in the hours after a shower, or if you’re in a warm room. S did some bite tests and reported feeling the crawling feeling as the bed bug walked away after its meal (and only after). However, most people glance at their skin when they feel formication, as I did, and see nothing. Most people check tens or hundreds of times. So I feel pretty safe saying most people don’t feel a bed bug biting them or waddling away. In fact, S is the first person I have heard this from, and she only reported this when she was purposefully being bitten and in full knowledge of when it occurred.
And try very hard not to scratch bed bug bites. This can take a huge act of will, but if you do it, you will itch less. A scratched bed bug bite itches more and longer.
content rss
Fedupandparanoid | May 12, 2007 | Reply
I often woke up in the night feeling that bugs were crawling on me especially my face and I certainly wasn’t bitten anywhere near every time I felt that. Unless you have very allergic skin, I would think that if you feel like something is crawling the chances are it isn’t actually bed beg because they are so stealthy and designed for you not to notice. Also I have read that bb’s are not designed to cling to people - they don’t have the right feet/claws/whatever so if that is the case then maybe it’s not very likely they could stay on you for long. Having said that though I am sure we have all read or heard stories of people with bugs seen on them. Maybe to be reassuring we have to think in terms of what is likely rather then what is possible.
Fedupandparanoid | May 12, 2007 | Reply
Further to what I wrote above I know people who post on here have found bugs on them so I’m not disputing that that can and does happen but I just wanted to emphasise that as regards feeling bugs are crawling on you all day long, that is LIKELY to often be a feeling rather than a fact.
wantmyskinback | May 12, 2007 | Reply
When I was first being bitten, my x boyfriend too…we thought bugs were crawling on us all the time—unaware that we might have had bedbugs…not knowing what the invisible bugs could be. Everytime I put on 100% cotton I would feel that crawly feeling….so I threw out many wonderful pairs of jeans and gorgeous tee shirts. I didn’t know that all I had to do was wash them in hot and dry them in ultra hot and keep them bagged. Now…all I wear is cotton! Washable not ruin-able COTTON!
Bugalina | May 12, 2007 | Reply
Bed bugs Do stay on a body a long time…in order to take a meal, they need to insert their probosis and remain on a body , sucking blood, for at up to 10 minutes..This is why they come out preferably in the nite during deep rem sleep, they need time to suck. However, keep in mind that they only insert their sucking straw into the body, nothing else, …unlike ticks which have the ability to cling/attach to skin. Bed bugs crawl into a seam of clothing….a pocket…but they do not attach themselves to the skin, like a tick. Actually I would prefer if they attached like a tick because then they would be easier to find…bedbugs are also a very “soft” insect..they have such little weight that they cannot be easily , if at all felt, crawling across skin…..everything about bed bugs is insidious…
Anonymous | May 12, 2007 | Reply
Fedup: I dunno about the bbs not being able to cling to people idea. After my pco sprayed and I saw a few dead bbs, all you have to do is touch it and they sorta “stick” to your skin. One time a saw a live baby one on the bottom of my foot (gross!) and touched it and it then stuck to my finger where I squashed it. After being squashed it STILL stuck to my finger. Little bastards!!!
Fedupandparanoid | May 12, 2007 | Reply
I think I heard about them not being designed to cling from some posts from Sean at the bed bug resource. Perhaps it is better to say they don’t actually live on people. They’re not like headlice that do. I was emphasising the point that even if you feel like you are being bitten all the time there is not necessarily anything there to bite you. I do think that often what bedbugs are SUPPOSED to be likely to do and what people’s experience of what they DO do can be quite different. All I know is my skin is so ultra sensitive I don’t feel I hardly know what’s what any more. I itch loads and any label or tag in clothing drives me mad.
S | May 12, 2007 | Reply
My PCO is quite experienced with bedbugs, and he too stated that they do not easily cling to people. He said that if one was on your arm, or crawling up your leg, all you had to do was shake and it would fall off.
They bite when we are sleeping because, well, we’re not moving. Apparently the bites in rows of three are from your movement - you’d move and they’d stop biting, then if you stopped moving they’d walk, then bite again.
I saw a bedbug run across my hand, and did not feel a thing. If I hadn’t looked down, I would not have noticed it.
When I did the bite test, I never felt the nymph at all. When the adult was first placed on me, I didn’t feel it either. I never felt either of them while they were biting. However, yes, as soon as the adult was done it took some steps and I shrieked. (I wasn’t looking, I was covering my eyes). But I could feel it on me, prob because it bit for like ten minutes and was just engorged. GROSS I know. So yeah, I do think you would feel full adults. Otherwise, though, probably not.
There were some nights when I swore I could feel them. Not when I was first lying down, though all those tingling feelings drove me insane. But no, sometimes I’d wake up in the middle of the night, and feel like tingling on my face. And the next morning, I’d find a bite on my nose or my cheek or something.
Maybe that too was mental, but there were some nights when I swore I could feel them. However, I think that for the most part, they are so light that you would not.
wantmyskinback | May 12, 2007 | Reply
OK. So let’s say…you CAN feel a bed bug walking on you after it is engorged. If that is true…you’d SEE it too then. I mean how could you NOT. It would be fat and red and jolly with your blood. Ewwww.
But the part about it biting in 3’s due to a person moving while asleep…. does this mean that it would bite ONLY ONCE if a person did not move? So what’s to explain people with 50 or more bites. Would that mean 50 of them were crawling and biting on someone while they slept.
AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaargggghh. Ugh. I just had the shake my head and shoulders with the “willies” (no offense Willow…I wasn’t referring to you…LOL wink).
Oy.
This is truly a gross situation. I can’t wait for AGGREGATE PHEROMONE detection devices.
willow-the-wisp | May 12, 2007 | Reply
How can I not reply?
I have some areas on the soles of my feet that often feel like there is a bug in my shoe. I have had the pins and needles thing … many times this was in the evening after about 20 minutes at the computer (usually writing to all of you).
I’d stop, spray my contact spray, sort of responsibly … but was I hitting nothing? In this case I do believe the bed bugs were there–some of the time.
It is just the “willies” and as S. or someone said above–willies of unknown but probably complex ideology many of us have them it’s disturbing and it is part of the “whole bed bug process” for many of us.
wantmyskinback | May 12, 2007 | Reply
I was I who mentioned the “willies” Willow!
willow-the-wisp | May 12, 2007 | Reply
And so, once, a bed bug laid three eggs in my armpit: the truth. There was a report of a little boy who had one stuck in his ear and needed it “surgically†removed.
It is that I do believe this sort of a thing is a very rare occasion.
Does That cause “willies” all by itself. Or I’ll take my “willies†to go!
Anyway WMSB I lived to talk about it.
I can’t imagine it would lessen any psychological aspect to my occasional “itching all over†having found a few on me, and this feeling in the socks and shoes thing. I’ve ruined shoes over it–yet I do also differ, here, even to professional literature stating bed bugs are not likely carried in shoes.
Question:If they can crawl into your suitcase and lay eggs … why not your shoes?
wantmyskinback | May 13, 2007 | Reply
How did one get into your armpit to lay eggs?
nobugsonme | May 13, 2007 | Reply
Willow, Just to be super clear–bed bugs can crawl on you and bite you at your desk, they can crawl into your shoes and clothes. This FAQ was meant for people who think that wherever they go, whatever they do, bed bugs are crawling on them and biting them whenever they feel that “creepy crawly” feeling or “itch”. I think a lot of us think that when it all starts–I know I did at first. And I hear it from others all the time.
willow-the-wisp | May 13, 2007 | Reply
WMSKâ€â€WOW … you ask tough questions!
’I certainly did not give the bed bug license to do so. It was like 4 to 5 days after isolation of the bed … apparently one decided it was some sort of a last-ditch effort to pro-create. This is assuming bed bugs think conscious thoughts–which I doubt they do–but the do like to procreate as do all living creatures. I never saw the bug that laid the eggs and the eggs could have been in there for up to 12 hours after my last shower. It was like 9 pm and I was in the bed when I felt a pinching. I thought it was a bed bug biting me–low and behold! There were the three eggs attached to one armpit hair.
Thanks NBOM–super clear yes … Unless you’ve got such a bad case of bed bugs as in you see them seeing them running all over the walls even in daylight hours … the chances of them biting you non stop all day long is so close to NIL it is is NIL.
But how many times did I shoot my repel and contact kill at nothing??? I can’t say … I can only say that you kind people told me “dilligence persistance and throughness,†so, that’s what I did.
I haven’t had a bite in over 8 weeks 9 … except for 2 weeks ago … I might have had 3 bites on my ankle–either that or it was due to wearing shoes with no socks. I think it was the latter.
willow-the-wisp | May 13, 2007 | Reply
ok … my reply was lost??
willow-the-wisp | May 13, 2007 | Reply
Wmsb–wow you ask hard questions. After isolating my bed about 5 days later … any bed bugs in y room were “freaking out” as, I had made my home hostile to them. Since they parasitize on us–this means it was also to some degree hostile for me–this environment.
Some female somehow got up on the bed and laid her eggs within 12 hours. I felt a little pinch … looked and there they were three, moist eggs attached to one armpit hair. A fluke? Yes. If people are seeing bed bugs all over the place during the day–it is then I’d say you probably are being bitten to some degree.
It is … this feeling of being bitten all the time … not feasible unless you were literally living in a large vat of bed bugs.
This feeling does however cause us to become more hyper vigilant–and that’s a good thing to a certain point. It helps us clear the bed bugs out of the place.
willow-the-wisp | May 13, 2007 | Reply
Why 12 hours–I had showered about 12 hours prior to that discovery fo the eggs in the armpit 9 pm ish while in the bed I thought ofr sure was totally isolated.
lieutenantdan | May 14, 2007 | Reply
Most of us has seen how bugs can crawl on a wall.
I had satin enamel finish on my wall at that time and I witnessed a mature bug crawling
down the wall with no problem. I would imagine that a bug could crawl up your leg while you are sitting at a desk. I think that it is possible that you could feel it sometimes. If the bug hits a hair and the hair moves, why not.
On Nancy Hinkle.
I spoke to her once she was extremely patient with me. She had her assistant call me and the assistant asked me some questions.
They wanted to include me in her study but in order to be included they wanted me to send them a bug. Since I only had one sample left which I will hang onto always I wished not to send it, I then lost touch.
Just wanted to pass that along so we have that documented.
nobugsonme | May 14, 2007 | Reply
Lt. Dan, Just to be clear, this FAQ is not meant for people who are sitting in a bed bug infested room and think they are being bitten (which they probably are). It is for people that are feeling the bite and crawl sensations all the time, everywhere they go.
PErhaps folks could tell me if that is clear enough in the FAQ?
jessinchicago | May 14, 2007 | Reply
Maybe the title of the FAQ is a little misleading, if you don’t read what’s written below it. If you do read what’s written below, it’s pretty clear.
willow-the-wisp | May 15, 2007 | Reply
I hope I am making myself clear:
I posted something and it was lost, hence m relpy above:
“ok … my reply was lost?
This was not directed at anyone–it was a frustrates remark/question to the software.
I then retyped some paraphrased version of what I had originally intended to put there.
Sorry for the confusion.
The 3 eggs lain in my armpit were a total fluke! For sure!
It was very scary when that feeling came over me. This phenomenon had happened maybe 18 –20 times in all of 6-7 weeks. After checking spots, by the tenth time I realized it was some sort of a skin reaction or skin sensitivity that made it FEEL like bugs were crawling all over me. In fact–it was NBOM who first pointed the phenomenon out to me. The following Tuesday my Shrink reiterated this it feeling as just not feasible or true.
Now with scabies … it is a different story, but even then … only to some degree.
With bed bugs 99% of timeâ€â€a bug is probably
NOT
biting you!
It is a very scary thing and quite a sensitive issue.
Happens to a lot of usâ€â€even some, I’d say, who are afraid to say it in black and white.
I hope that straigtened it all out
willow-the-wisp | May 15, 2007 | Reply
Ok so I posted again and it got eaten by the software again.
Let me make myself clear:
It is next to impossible for bed bugs to be biting you all the time–I totally agree it is a phenomenon particular felt by bed bug sufferers–and not a true statement or fact.
nobugsonme | May 15, 2007 | Reply
Good point Jess. Do you like the title now?
nobugsonme | May 15, 2007 | Reply
Willow, and all,
If you write a comment and hit send and it disappears, the best thing to do is either wait patiently for me to check the spam filter (which I do daily) and recover it, or send me an email asking me to check the spam filter. If you simply repost the message over and over, it wastes your time–it will be recovered. It is not disappearing, but going into comment “limbo.” But if you keep posting, it is likely additional posts will also be flagged by the system, since it is already “worried” about you. As you can see, all your comments have now been recovered.
I am sorry the spam filter sometimes catches good messages. But Willow’s message (sent several times) was the only good message caught today–the other 90 were automated spam trying to sell medications and porn websites. So all in all, the Akismet spam filter is our good friend here at Bedbugger.
I am posting this to the comments so hopefully it will help others too.
willow-the-wisp | May 16, 2007 | Reply
so OK good to know for sure … I kind of felt like there was a joke or something especially just that one time, however; sometimes new posts start … sometime I guess they are spammed too. I did start a new thread in ideas for encasements but it dissapeared–then a new on Q for Bugalina and it showed up. This occasionally sometimes happes in answering in “some” of the forums too–I was hoping it is not also a system glitch.
S. said all her messegaes go into spam and she’s and administrator–she also said if I see it turn yellow, but I told her I do not. this is a sign it is goign to be spammed. “All of this is so mcuh more than you need to know and I hope IT goes into the spam forevah!
We miss you and want you back!–keep that part out of spam!
willow-the-wisp | May 16, 2007 | Reply
ahhh … “encasements” spam word …
light goes on in Willow’s head–look out everybody!!!!
nobugsonme | May 16, 2007 | Reply
Willow,
Nothing is disappearing–any posts that go into spam come out again.
In the last few weeks, to my knowledge, only you and S have ended up in the blog spam, and then ONLY a few times.
I do not think all of S’s messages are going to spam now.
Thanks–I think I am back.
nobugsonme | May 16, 2007 | Reply
ps Willow — “encasements” is not a word the filter is searching for. Your posts may have been targeted by the filter because one item was flagged for having a number of links and then you posted many times in quick succession. That’s just speculation, but these are the kinds of things that can set it off by mistake. Your posts may also be flagged because you have the same email address on this account as a user who has since left the forums (I think you know who I’m referring to). That user’s posts went into spam many times, correctly. If the system occasionally mistakes you for him (which I suppose would make sense), then please be patient.
jessinchicago | May 16, 2007 | Reply
P.S. I am sorry, I tried to check the spam filter as much as possible, but we get SO MUCH spam every day that it is difficult (and sometimes revolting, if you get my drift) to read through it all. I did my best. Remember, guys, you can always email one of us if you think a message got caught in the spam filter. It will make the weeding-through process much easier.
And WELCOME BACK, NOBUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
buggerme | Feb 5, 2008 | Reply
could it be that either….some people are more sensitive to bed bugs than others and therefore can feel them crawling?… or that there is some other micoscopic thing causing this sensation?…there are loads of microscopic things that live on our skin that we are not aware of so why should this one be any different. I have had this delusiory parasitosis or ‘its all in your head’ put to me before …obviously usually by people who do not feel the crawling sensation, so why would four other people in my work place also verify that they have the same problem? Is this then mass delusiory parasitosis….is madness now contagious? I have had a few bites but the amount of crawling I feel compared to the amount of bites doesn’t add up…it feels like millions are crawling whilst I only ever get a few bites….the constant crawling skin (particularly when I go to bed or sit on some fabric that contains these mystery parasites) drives me nuts.
nobugsonme | Feb 5, 2008 | Reply
buggerme,
I am confused by your comments. Do you have bed bugs? Have they been verified as the cause of the bites you experienced? And do you have them at work?
If you have bed bugs, then I don’t think the skin sensations you’re feeling are from “some other microscopic thing,” nor are they DP either.
Lots of people have bed bugs and have verified time and again that the crawling sensation does not mean that a bug is actually crawling on them at that exact time.
whatdoihave | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
S- reading your article was amazing. ESP the part where you said you had several bites a week, but they were all different! They were on your face, back and arms, but they shared no consistency in shape or size! That’s exactly what’s happening to me! At first I thought they were bed bugs, but i have never once seen a bed bug…exterminators came (and are coming again in 2 days which shall be 2 weeks later), and even he said he doesn’t think i have bed bugs….however, i only get these strange bites when i sleep in my bed, no one else’s…and yesterday i was sick and spent an ungodly amount of time in bed and woke up today itching LIKE CRAZY. bites everywhere, predominantly my face, itching itching itching….i am seeing a dermatologist next week, but i am so confused at the inconsistency of how the bites look as well as the lack of visibility in actually being able to see whatever may be biting me! Anyone out there have any idea?
nobugsonme | Mar 5, 2008 | Reply
whatdoihave,
you need to find a sample. until then, you will never really know for sure.
This may help:
http://bedbugger.com/2008/02/18/how-to-catch-a-bed-bug-how-to-detect-bed-bugs/
angela | Mar 17, 2008 | Reply
These symptoms are widespread….all over the planet.
Consider these sources:
*Gulf War Syndrome/a “Third World” protozoal infection (spore level)
*AIDs/HIV associated Isospora infections (spread at the SPORE level as well)
Isospora belli (its’ electromagnetic spores only)
http://morgellonsanjel.blog.com/
Alternating paroxysm cycles (a major clue to protozoal infection) may they be mild or moderate…
but they are occurring in a continuous and repeating 14 day cycle.
angela
angela | Mar 17, 2008 | Reply
Also, on the bug situation…
*Bugs in general are attracted to electromagnetism (check out termite behavior)
*Electromagnetic spores with DNA “memories” are re-creating its’ parents’ sexual and asexual reproductive patterns
and
*Protozoan spores are behaving similar to amoebas…… surrounding, imbedding, mimicing anything, living and non-living (including recently-visited bugs)
Overall, an infection by shapeshifting, electromagnetic, protozoan SPORES!
*** If you look at many Morgellons artifact photos (online), you will find a great many “copies” of the Safranin stain test (my avatar) result.
Compare for yourself.
angela
nobugsonme | Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
angela,
Bed bug bites are caused by an insect known to the scientific community as Cimex Lectularius. Luckily, in this case, the source is known and verifiable.
bbsarewinning | Mar 25, 2008 | Reply
Bed bugs do crawl on me during the day and I know it because I’ve been wearing white clothing. I’ve yet to see a bed bug actually crawling on me although I’m constantly finding casings, dirt and parts right on my shirt. A Bedbug did explode right on the back of my shirt during the day, I panicked!
nobugsonme | Mar 26, 2008 | Reply
bbsarewinning-
What you describe is not typical of bedbugs. However, any bedbug cast skins found anywhere in your home or on your clothes can be collected with tape and examined by an entomologist for identification. You can contact your local extension agent (you can find one for your location via this website: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
–these are institutions that help the public and have professionals on staff) for help with insect identification.
If it turns out that the samples you collect from your clothes or arm (for example, when you feel crawling sensations) are not actual bedbugs, then you have eliminated that worry and can concentrate on fighting the infestation in your home.
I’m not sure how you are handling the infestation but our best recommendation is that your home be inspected professionally by a pest control officer (PCO). Self-treating–or suffering for any period of time without any help–is not the best way to go about solving a bedbug problem and many people suffer without reason. As for the clothes, you can learn how to handle your clothing and personal belongings by reading the FAQs here to ensure that there are no bedbugs in the things you wear.
Renee | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Question? A friend of mine has bed bugs. I picked him up in my car and now I am paranoid - have the heebeejeebees that I might have bed bugs in my car? The reason I am so paranoid is that my car is upholstered and when I was dropping him off at home I saw an actual bedbug on his coat collar and screamed! He immediately got out of my car and then shook the bug off onto the ground and smashed it. I am freaked out that I might have them in my car and it is making me itchy just thinking about it. Am I overreacting?
nobugsonme | Apr 15, 2008 | Reply
Renee,
Please repost your message in the forums.
http://bedbugger.com/forum