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Bedbugs, insects, or carpet beetle larvae in laptop?
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Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 2:01:36
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Every time I use my laptop and/or mouse I feel what feels like bites. Can't figure out what it could be. I really thought they were hairs from carpet beetle larvae and that the static was making the hairs hit my fingers. But tonight I was thinking, wouldn't u have to have quite a few of the carpet larvae inside the keyboard for it to keep flying onto my fingers?
I would think that if it were adult bbs I would definitely see them when I feel the bite. Would I see them if they were teeny nymphs? Today, I was on my laptop when I felt some bite like sensations and when I looked in the mirror I had two hives on the side of my forehead. If they were nymphs would it be possible for them to be on my finger(s) and when I touch my face, they would bite my face? . Then I was thinking, it doesn't make sense that they would bite so often, so maybe it's probably not bbs.
I read that sometimes there are delayed reactions to bedbug bites, could the pain from the bite also be a delayed reaction or if you "feel" the bite and you look at it right away, you should be able to see the bb since they're supposed to feed for a few minutes and shouldn't have scurried away as soon as they bite.
Is there any other insect that could be inside the laptop keyboard that would cause bite like pain?
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 3:38:12
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yes....but i'm not suggesting that this is what you have...but the first (i believe bird) mite i saw was strolling across my lit laptop screen. As i worked there the little suckers would bite me. If they are there, then you can definitely see them if you look hard enough.
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 8:24:04
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It could be the cable bug phenomenon. Google it.
There is no such thing as a cable bug but people in offices often complain of bites but are unable to identify the source. It is caused by static electricity firing dust fibers into your skin. It doesn't have to be carpet beetle hairs. It sounds bizarre but it is quite a well known phenomenon.
It is pretty unlikely that carpet beetles would be in your laptop. They tend to hang around the thing they are feeding on.
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buggyinsocal
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 9:43:20
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For what it's worth, my experience with all the bug bites I've been aware of (bed bugs, mosquitoes, fleas, etc.) has been that heat makes the bites worse. In fact, it's often in the shower that I first notice bites. (Or it was in the shower that I first noticed bed bug bites. Thankfully, I haven't had any of those lately.)
My experience with laptops is that they also generate heat. It may be that the heat of the laptop is "Activating" (for lack of a better word) bites or bite like responses that you got elsewhere.
I'm not saying that it's impossible to have bed bugs or carpet beetle stuff in a laptop; I do think that bed bugs in electronics are much rarer than most people suspect. As a result, my default mode is to assume that laptops are bed bug free unless there's extensive evidence that they likely aren't.
I'm not as up on carpet beetle larvae, but unless you're using a keyboard condom of some sort, my experiences with previous keyboards suggest that it's entirely possible that there are way more of those carpet beetle larvae hairs inside a computer than you think. Remember, electronics generate static electricity which makes them magnets for dust. (Check out your television or VCR/DVR or DVD player or console game system for proof.) I would imagine that carpet beetle larvae hairlike thingies (how's that for a technical term?) are like dust and slightly more likely to end up in an electronic device that attracts dust than other stuff.
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Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 9:51:01
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Hmm, Deedle, thanks. I'll try to look harder. I wondered about bird mites, not because of my laptop, but because I keep getting bites in general. All of a sudden I'll feel a bite or stng, or a hot sting and when I look at the spot where the sensation happened, I'll see an irritation there like a tiny raised bump. There is a roof garden above me (I live on the top floor of my bldg.), but as far as I know there isn't a bird's nest there. Maybe I should ask one of the porters or my super about that.
Richard
That's very interesting. I had tried looking into the keyboard with a loupe and it seemed to have ultra thin particles in there. This weekend my friend used a can of compressed air to clean inside my keyboard, but alas yesterday I still got the bite like feelings when using my laptop. So now I've been using my iPad at home. Is this phenomenon also found in homes? Also, I don't work in an office, I go to hotels. Last week the floor was marble and not carpeted, and I still got the "bites". It does seem to make sense though, because when I'm walking on my carpet at home, all of a sudden I'll get a "bite" on my legs.Sigh, something strange is going though. Could be multiple things going on as I've found different types of insects in my apt like the wasp that looks like an ant. I started to think that maybe some of them are inside my carpet and thats why i get a painful sting sometimes.
I also have a couple of cats
I packtited my sneakers for hours and all of my socks were run through the wash twice and dried at high heat for an hour and a half. Yet yesterday I felt a bite on the bottom of my foot. I immediately took off the sock and sneaker to look at it and there was a slightly raised irregular shaped (I usually get a slightly raised light brown dot from my "bites) which was also slightly larger than my usually dot bumps.This happened about a week and a half ago too although the "bite" was just a little red dot. So, I'm completely perplexed as to what is going on.
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Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 9:59:48
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Hi Buggy,
Thanks for your response. It is just driving me nuts. If it's the larvae hairs or the cable bug phenomenon, I'll be happy. If it's unlikely that bb nymphs have taken up residence in my keyboard and biting me, I'll be happy. It just seems that every day something new pops up. -
Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 13:00:14
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SNY: I would think that if it were adult bbs I would definitely see them when I feel the bite. Would I see them if they were teeny nymphs? Today, I was on my laptop when I felt some bite like sensations and when I looked in the mirror I had two hives on the side of my forehead. If they were nymphs would it be possible for them to be on my finger(s) and when I touch my face, they would bite my face? . Then I was thinking, it doesn't make sense that they would bite so often, so maybe it's probably not bbs.
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You will drive yourself crazy if you focus on "what if's" rather than what is. If you had bed bugs, you would have found definitive signs by now. Maybe it's time for a professional inspection to confirm? The alternative is potentially living a life controlled by unconfirmed fears.As to the bite sensations -- your original hunch of static electricity is more likely as the air at this time of the year gets quite dry with the heating indoors and therefore more static electricity especially at a keyboard. This following article may be helpful, but again, as long as you have "bugs" in the brain (or as KillerQueen called it "hyper mode (or something like that) you will attribute anything and everything to bed bugs which really isn't any way to live.
http://www.techletter.com/Archive/ER%20articles/dppapermites.htmlRichard
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 14:03:26
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Also of interest in the article (see last post) is "Bell's Syndrome" which is always something to keep in mind especially when spending time in online groups like this -- because as helpful as online help groups can be, the underbelly is that they can also potentially needlessly raise a person's anxiety level due to the power of group anxiety/suggestion.
Bell's Syndrome:
This syndrome demonstrates the "power of suggestion." When one person in a group feels an itch or biting sensation or irritation, and begins to talk about it or to scratch, others in the group soon follow suit. It is a very powerful suggestion, difficult to ignore. When one person in an office talks about "bites," it will likely influence others.More here on Bell's Syndrome and other causes of biting sensations:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ent58.aspRichard
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DeedleBeetle
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 14:39:27
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Maybe we should try something for a couple of months or so and stop mentioning our bites and skin reactions on the forum just in case it's what's causing myself and others to imagine that we are also having bites or skin reactions when we wouldn't otherwise.
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Richard56
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 15:19:39
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DeedleBeetle: Maybe we should try something for a couple of months or so and stop mentioning our bites and skin reactions on the forum just in case it's what's causing myself and others to imagine that we are also having bites or skin reactions when we wouldn't otherwise.
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Or maybe that after months and months of bed bug "bites" with no evidence, then causes other than bed bugs should be explored? I think that was my gist. -
Sleepless in NYC
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Posted 2 years ago
Tue Nov 16 2010 16:30:23
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Lol Deedle, No need to do that. I know I don't have Bell's syndrome. when i feel a pain, regardless if it feels like a bite or a little sting, a burning sting, no matter how painless or painful it is, when i look at the area, there is surely always a mark. so I know for a fact, these sensations are not imagined nor am i getting them from the power of suggestion. but i can see Richard's point. there have been some days where I intentionally avoid logging on here, because I do think sometimes your fears can get heightened from reading bb related articles.
I am about 90% convinced that I don't have bbs. i'm leaving the 10% there, because quite frankly I haven't torn the apt apart to look for the boogers.
I'm not sure, but maybe even my friend's car has something in it. His dog rides around all the time in the car. I know it's not fleas, but whenever I'm in his car, at some point, I start feeling bites and there are marks on my body or feet. (isn't that weird? my toes and feet get bites with sneakers on) Wheever I feel the "bite" in his care, is the time when part of the open 10% chance of bbs kicks in because he refuses to take any precautions when he comes into my house and i am afraid that either he took bbs into his car or carpet beetle larvae or whatever other insect that is living with me. No roaches though. How is that possible that i have every other insect in the world here, but not a single roach? maybe the other insects are standing guard at my front door.
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DianaL
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Joined: Jul '12
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jul 17 2012 19:03:26
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It's not in your mind unless I'm nuts too. A little over a month ago I got my first bite. It was followed by a week of panic in which I cleaned everything, through away all bedding and clutter, etc.
I was bitten severely almost every night, until I stopped using my laptop in bed.
I have NEVER seen a bug. I have never felt the initial bite, but I have been covered in painful white raised hives (with reddish brown puncture marks central) from fingers to chest to buttocks within 45 minutes of using my computer -- every time, even when I've used it away from home.
They subside into non itchy light red marks within 4 hours and are mostly gone within a few days--except for a few of them.
I do get bites occasionally when not using laptop, but they are never as numerous or severe.
I got my place exterminated a couple of days ago and left my laptop open. That night, I tried using it ( without gloves and long sleeves ) and got bitten pretty badly.
Yesterday, I tried one of those compressed air cleaners. I sprayed it into a lot of the openings in my laptop and was rewarded with the most vicious biting I've had so far.--I think I must of woken them up or dispersed them around my desk.
So far, I don't even know what is biting, but the night activity and the look and feel of bites is very bedbuggy. Also, I used to store my laptop under my mattress pad cause I didn't want my cat to sit on it.
Today I am going to Dr. to rule out mites, nits etc. Then I'm going to remove my keyboard and have a look.
I'll publish my pictures as soon as I can get a Flickr account going.
Good luck to you. -
DianaL
newbite
Joined: Jul '12
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Posted 11 months ago
Fri Jul 20 2012 12:06:06
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Just wanted to let you know that the compressed air cleaning worked. I've had 4 days with no bites. (Previously, I had been bitten 100% of the time I used laptop for about 30 days straight) Still plan to remove my keyboard and do a more thorough cleaning. I also used alcohol on all vents and openings.
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