Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums Topic: What is the blood stains on sheets?

WGarrow on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

WGarrow — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:50:40 +0000

I recently purchased a manual about bed bugs. It has a picture of a bb while feeding. As it feeds, a tiny droplet of blood comes out its backside. I don't know if there are other sources of the stains, but that is at least one.

bbh on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bbh — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:36:07 +0000

And stained/ingrained into wood requires the expert eye, I gather. (Aren't all those Law and Order people milling about Manhattan out of work? With spare spectrophotmeters just laying about in their trailers?) Not to mention the expert photographer. Although I do have some stains that are clearly not entirely seeped in (i.e., they're raised) and they don't smear. So that can only be good - or if not ultimately good, at least not bed bugs. Re: sheets, if they've been through the wash, does the stain still smear? On the plus side, it looks like bed bugs could conceivably be used to test humans for anemia? Cheap at half the price. For sure, bring some water along with that suntan lotion. Thanks.

bed-bugscouk on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bed-bugscouk — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:13:37 +0000

Hi, I am yet to see proof that b) is anything other than a common belief based on 0% scientific fact but I would say if its red blood colour its a) and black / dark brown (technically a burnt okra) then its likely to be digest blood excreted by bedbugs. I very much doubt that the bedbug would pass any level of fresh blood at this stage and would almost certainly only pass the lower digestive tract. Not all bedbugs appear to do this which is why it is not always present in infested locations and it may be something to do with the blood of the occupant of the bed. Sadly describing these things gives no where near enough detail for me to be able to accurately describe something let alone give an opinion on what you write. Always post an image as close up but in focus as you can, ideally in natural light and make sure when it goes online it is available in full resolution. I often zoom in to look at the finer details, the subtle differences in colour that you get with organic materials versus synthetics, how things sit on various surfaces. I look for the grain of the sheet or the grain of the wood to see how they sit together, its just too complex to try and attempt to explain to what level of detail you need to look, a picture is always easier. No with regards cotton swabbing the best illustration I can give is for you to look at the following page: <a href="http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/bedbugmonitors.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/bedbugmonitors.html</a> The image shows a faecal trace smear test on the detection skirt of one of the passive monitors. What happens and I have to say in my experience always happens is that a faecal trace will always smear with saliva. This is because the enzymes that help digest your food also digest the blood and leave a comet style trail in the direction you sweep the swab in. There is a lot to be said for keeping it simple where you can and although there are other methods involving hydrogen peroxide its just not something I am interested in carrying around when a small ziplock of swabs fits in my posted and the saliva is generally free. What it does with water I have to be honest and say I am not sure, nor do I have interest as my method is as optimal as it needs as long as I don't double dip the Q tip. I know faecal material will redissolve in water as I did this recently for the rogue traders secret filming but that was a one off. Now if you use saliva and the mark does not smear and it is clearly on the surface and not ingrained or stained into the wood then from my experience of over 15,500 infested location you can safely say its extremely unlikely to be anything to do with bedbugs. Now before Lou jumps in an tells me off for forgetting there are also a small proportion of the faecal traces which appear a much lighter colour, often described as biscuit colour / beige or chalky I can only guess that these may be faecal traces low in hemoglobin or based on mainly plasma feeds. If we had a pathology technician and an HPLC or flame absorption spectrophotometer I am sure we could work it out but sadly enough I have searched the warehouse and cant find one anywhere. You will not find red faecal traces and red blood spots on sheets are seepage from wound sites and can not be distinguished from those created from cuts, scratches and spots. Now you see why an image is the best way to confirm. One day I will sit on a dessert island catalog all of the 9000+ images I have illustrating all of this but it will takes weeks and lots of sun tan lotion will be needed. David

bbh on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bbh — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:07:01 +0000

And what say the stain simply wipes away? Is that why a Q-tip is recommended over a cotton swab, perhaps? (I don't happen to have Q-tips readily available, while I do happen to have my swabs and, of course, my saliva.) Actually, the time it wiped away was with the swab dipped in water rather than spat upon. So - I guess the net question is: if it wipes away with a swab dipped in water, does that mean it's not a bed bug fecal stain? Answers to the variants of this net question also welcome. Thx.

bbh on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bbh — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 11:41:35 +0000

If I'm understanding correctly, a fecal stain is excreted blood, actually. The possibilities are: a) my blood from a bite b) the crushed-by-my-body bed bug c) already-digested blood excreted while the bug is feeding Re: c) - just curious: would this be excreted blood from a past meal or from this very one? And on old (fecal) blood: I've spent some time this morning spitting onto cotton swabs and wiping a few suspect stains. Cotton swab came up black but stain didn't smear. Does this exonerate those particular spots of providing safe passage/harbo(u - for you, David)r to fugitive bugs? And yet one more question: if the stain is indeed more red than black-ish, and it's both old and far from bed, does that also imply it's not from a bed bug? Only stains at a feeding site would be red, right? And only simultaneous with or very soon after feeding? If it's fecal, i.e., post-digestion, it's black, yes?

bed-bugscouk on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bed-bugscouk — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:53:55 +0000

Hi, I write the information, I cant guarantee that hotels use it for training, in fact only a few that I am aware of do. Faecal traces are always a dark colour most commonly described as black. As it is the excreted waste of bedbugs it can only be deposited following a blood meal although it may not be immediately following a meal. David

Pennie Lane on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

Pennie Lane — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:46:16 +0000

I'm glad they're training hotels for that! Is the fecal matter black? Or is that after a blood meal?

buggyinsocal on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

buggyinsocal — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:26:12 +0000

<blockquote>I dont trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesnt die!</blockquote> Wow. That old misogynist chestnut. Classy.

DeedleBeetle on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

DeedleBeetle — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:52:02 +0000

<blockquote><cite>jccrosby - 51 minutes ago <a href="http://bedbugger.com/forum/topic/what-is-the-blood-stains-on-sheets#post-76748"> » </a></cite> I dont trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesnt die!</blockquote> okay...but what about us girly types?

bed-bugscouk on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

bed-bugscouk — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:37:42 +0000

Hi, There are three different types of blood spots you get on sheets, see analysis link below: <a href="http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/DB2/bloodspotsPP.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.bed-bugs.co.uk/DB2/bloodspotsPP.pdf</a> Although some think that crushing a bed bug between your soft skin and soft sheets at night is a feasible cause the reality is a little more odd. As bedbugs are at their most vulnerable when they are out and feeding they have develop an ability to defecate as they are feeding. This enables them to gain the maximum feed from a single session. A friend of mine has a good picture of this but I cant find the link at the second. They are however different to the fresh red blood spots that sometimes are associated with bed bug infestations which are caused when you continue to seep blood after a feed has occured. Hope that helps. David Cain Bed Bugs Limited

jccrosby on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

jccrosby — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:59:47 +0000

I dont trust anything that bleeds for a week and doesnt die!

Bed Bug Epidemic on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

Bed Bug Epidemic — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:52:04 +0000

sometimes they excrete some of the blood after feeding

EFFmylife on "What is the blood stains on sheets?"

EFFmylife — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:48:09 +0000

We have already identified we have bed bugs. However, I still have the question.... What is the blood stains? If we crushed them, wouldn't we also be finding dead bugs? I don't understand why there would be blood stains, yet no bugs???