Identifying the problem: Do I have bed bugs? Or something else?
First, if you haven’t yet, read this FAQ: What are bed bugs? Do I have them? What else can cause these symptoms?
(Remember that bed bug bites look different on different people. There are photos of bed bug bites here. They also look like lots of other conditions. You need to rule out other possibilities per the FAQ above.)
Then look at photos of bed bugs and signs of bed bugs.
Then look at photos of creatures commonly mistaken for bed bugs.
And consider using the tips in this FAQ, which describes possible ways you might catch a bed bug for identification.
Do bed bugs have a distinctive smell? What do they smell like?
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Melanie P. | Sep 6, 2008 | Reply
I found little black specks all around the edges of the cushions of my couches when I took the zip-off covers off to wash them. The covers have not been washed in a couple of years. I looked all over but could not find any bed bugs, but there are a lot of the black specks and the location of them seems suspicious. Could we have bed bugs even if we haven’t seen any actual bugs? Or maybe it is flea castings. We just found out that our cat got fleas outside, so now I am cleaning everything and am pretty paranoid and itchy!
Another question is about using natural diatomaceous earth for fleas and bed bugs inside the house. I want to use it on the carpet, apolstered furniture and mattresses. How long do I leave it on before vaccuuming it back up?
Thanks.
Jen | Sep 13, 2008 | Reply
Yes, you have bed bugs. Fleas leave VERY small black specks. So small that they are virtually un-noticable. With bed bugs, the specks are fairly large.
With DE, just read the instructions. Most call for 4-6 hours. I just leave DE in nooks and crannies.
Another tip is for you to put a thick layer of Vaseline on the legs of your bed and lightly cover that layer with DE. Prevents bed bugs from feeding off of you.
Daniela | Sep 16, 2008 | Reply
I have been hanving a problem with what I believe are fleas but i am not quite sure. I live in florida and we had a dog..I have gotten rid of the dog and I have treated the house with sprays, powders and even a fogger. I still feel little things crawling on me and sometimes I even get little red bites. I know that fleas in the dirt are quite bad this year but I have also heard about this no see um bugs…what could this be??/ and could you give me any ideas on what to do…??? I am beginning to get despereate.
Thanks
Anonymous | Sep 29, 2008 | Reply
hello. i am going a bit crazy with some bites i have on my legs (only - below the knees). i had bed bugs a couple of months ago - thought i got rid of them. but i have these bites on my legs that i don’t think are new but they are only getting worse - scabbing, INTENSE itching (esp at night!). is it possible that the bed bugs are truly not gone or is there any way that these old bites are just old and not going away. sorry if this is nonsensical but i am going crazy. i want to add that about a week ago i went apple picking upstate (new york) and i thought that’s where i got the bites bc i felt the piercing/biting while i was there though i did not see any mosquitos. how can i find out for sure where these bites are from? has anyone else with a BB infestation ONLY received them on their legs/calve area? help!
nobugsonme | Sep 30, 2008 | Reply
It’s possible to be bitten by fleas if walking in a grassy area that is infested. You may have been bitten by fleas or mosquitos while apple picking.
The question is whether the bites occurred only while you were apple picking or if other bites occurred before or after that time. It is possible for bed bugs to come back, but I would expect new bites to keep appearing.
sheismadenew | Oct 10, 2008 | Reply
Hi!
I’m a very sound sleeper, have been getting strange bites (some look like mosquitos, some look like 3 little bites in a triangle, some swell up into larger areas that are oblong and weirdly shaped) about 2x a week for a month. Started washing and bagging my clothes and bedding immediately and getting rid of stuff I don’t need and want in sealed bags.
I still don’t think I’ve found any bugs or cast skins, though, and I will need to really prove I have bugs to get my landlord to pay. Not sure if I should pay for exterminators myself, have spent way too much already on drycleaning, laundry, bags, etc. and need to buy a new mattress (listened to bad advice and threw out my mattress without knowing where they were or for sure if I had them). I’m tired of doing the hasmat routine before leaving the house, but I know I need to protect others if I do have them.
I’ve been setting sticky traps with air-activated handwarmers for 4 nights now with no signs; how long do you think I should set them out before thinking I have no bugs if I have a possible low infestation?
Also, is it reckless to rebag clothes I’ve worn to the office if I put them in a trash bag right when I come home? Also, should I keep washing my clothes in hot water each time I do my laundry and drying them hot? I don’t want to destroy my work wardrobe; some things can stand a little of that, and I’ve bought new dryel bags to experiment with cheap drycleaning alternatives.
Thanks SOOO much… your site has been a source of sanity and great help. I do live near standing water, and there’s mosquitos out now, but some of these bites are very unlike mosquito bites, and the first morning 1 month ago, I woke up with 40 bites early in the morning, itching like crazy.
sheismadenew | Oct 10, 2008 | Reply
and I apologize… I meant to ask if it was reckless to reuse clothing if I bag it right when I come home.
nobugsonme | Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
With a new infestation it can be hard to catch a sample (even with glue traps and handwarmers, a method suggested by Sean Rollo of http://thebedbugresource.com
Unfortunately, washing clothes and linens (and reaplcing a mattress) can make it even harder for a professional to find signs (though a good one may have more luck than you in doing so). On the other hand, if you truly had a small infestation, localized to the mattress, and you did not spread any by moving the mattress outside (a big “if), then you may have gotten rid of them.
A bed bug k9 may be an option for detection. Users on the forum may have a recommendation for a reputable one.
I do not suggest arranging your own treatment because if you are in a multi-unit dwelling, they may be coming from neighbors (who may not even know they have them). Dealing with it on your own isn’t just expensive, it also means you may not solve the problem.
Rebagging clothing the minute you enter the home (in a bag set aside for this purpose) and putting it on directly before leaving home is probably fine.
The recommendations about dealing with clothing are mostly common sense: don’t wear anything to hang out at home that you are going to wear outside the home, without making sure it is bed bug free.
Finally, if you have other questions, please go to the forums: http://bedbugger.com/froum/
John I | Oct 13, 2008 | Reply
I just returned from a trip in which I spent 4 nights in a motel. The second day, I started noticing little red welts on my arm and abdomen, and they itched like hell. But before this stop I had stayed at the house of a friend who had cats; however, I did not notice any bites while I was there. So, is it flea bites or bedbug bites?
I’ve been home for a week and don’t know what to do because I don’t know what I’ve got. I’ve never had this problem in my apartment, and it bugs me (!) to think that I have probably brought whatever it is, bedbugs or fleas, with me.
Anyone out there have any advice on how to tell what I have? Thanks.
nobugsonme | Oct 13, 2008 | Reply
John, to positively identify bed bugs, please read the post above, and the comment directly before yours, with suggestions.
To positively identify fleas, you can buy a plugin flea trap. You can get one at a hardware store or there’s one model available via the links on our “useful stuff” page:
http://bedbugger.com/usefulstuff/
Please come to the forums if you’d like to discuss this further:
http://bedbugger.com/forum/