Bites, no bugs so far, don't know what to do - Please, please help me.

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Bites, no bugs so far, don't know what to do - Please, please help me.

(5 posts)

arlington-81

newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 9

Posted 5 months ago
Wed Jun 3 2009 18:25:13
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I had some bites (small, pretty mild) on one leg pop up over the last couple of days. At first, I thought it might be from the strawberry picking I did last weekend. But I went to the doc, and she immediately diagnosed bedbug bites (though she called them "mites") at first because I had a cluster of three (five, actually, in two rows). She recommended a mattress cover and washing linens, nothing more. And also shampooing my hair and body with Nix - supposedly to kill any that are "on me", but I'd rather not slather caustic chemicals over me if its not necessary: any thoughts on this? Seemed a bit odd to me.

I had suspected it might be BB even before I went to the doctor. So (in an anxious panic) I laundered my sheets. I also inspected my mattress and box spring: nothing. Checked all the seams. It's only a few years old, so it's still pretty clean and easy to check. Checked the carpet around my bed: nothing - some dead ladybugs (which have been an ongoing issue in my apt since I moved in), but no bedbugs. Checked the hardwood floor where my rug ends (I have a large carpet remnant that serves as a rug). Lots of dust and dirt, no BB.

I did tell my landlord. I rent a condo; the landlord is a sweet elderly gent who lives in another unit that he owns in the building. He was surprised, and skeptical, but said I should clean, vaccum, get some spray and a mattress cover. He said he doesn't like chemical treatments, even for roaches, and thinks they're dangerous (something I can sympathize with).

I'm hard put to know what to do, beyond the mattress covers and cleaning and so forth. I DON'T want this to turn into a bad infestation, but I also don't have much to go on at this point, just the bites. Are there any other bugs that bite in the "breakfast-lunch-supper" pattern? I may have gotten bitten before and just blew it off or assumed it was something else, I may even have seen BB before (either here or in other dwellings) but didn't recognize them.

First, I am supposed to go camping w/my family back home next week. If I put my backpack in the dryer for 20 min on high and pack w/similarly treated clothes, is that sufficient to protect my family?

I'm in ARLINGTON VA.

Please, please help me!
natalie

newbite
Joined: May '09
Posts: 13

Posted 5 months ago
Wed Jun 3 2009 18:29:10
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Scabies bite like that, you can usually tell if it's scabies because there will be a slight line in between the bites and they bite in groups of 3.
arlington-81

newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 9

Posted 5 months ago
Wed Jun 3 2009 18:31:12
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Definitely not scabies. Doctor said so, plus I was once misdiagnosed in childhood with scabies, so I know what to look for.

One other question I forgot to ask:

I have a split-frame queen size box spring - will the regular queen box spring cover work with that? There are no splitframe queen box springs encasements that I could find online for the brands recommended here.

And on the camping trip....since I'm leaving on Tuesday I probably would not be able to get anything done professionally before then anyhow, even if landlord was convinced and we could find someone we trusted. What impact will a week of an empty room have on an early infestation?
buggblues

junior member
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 60

Posted 5 months ago
Thu Jun 4 2009 4:35:25
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Arlington81, my understanding is that items should be heated for nearly an hour at 140 degrees.. hopefully, a more astute bug pro will clarify that.
arlington-81

newbite
Joined: Jun '09
Posts: 9

Posted 5 months ago
Thu Jun 4 2009 7:18:38
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The updated FAQ here seemed to suggest that if the item was already dry, it didn't need that long: http://bedbugger.com/2007/05/18/dryer/